Help for Lost Souls Everywhere

Dave Andrews

DeLorme's Tripmate is a 9-ounce device that's slightly larger than a bar of soap and uses Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites to fix your location. You can use the unit with a notebook PC running Win 95 and DeLorme's Street Atlas USA 4.0 or AAA Map'n'Go. The Tripmate, which runs on four AA batteries or an optional power adapter kit, easily connects to the notebook's serial port. I used the new CF-62 notebook from Panasonic (800-662-3537). It includes a 12.1-inch active matrix screen and an internal drive that plays both CD-ROM and rewritable phase-change discs. Tripmate installed easily on the Panasonic system, and once I properly configured the time and date of the Street Atlas software, I was tracking my progress in real time as I drove across state.

Tri pmate's 12-channel receiver was quite accurate, though the accuracy can drift beyond 100 meters or so if the device can't get a clear view of the sky to get a proper location fix; tall buildings or thick foliage can interfere with positioning. And I would have liked the Tripmate to have battery status lights. But those minor quibbles aside, the Tripmate's easy installation and low price make this a must-have in the "cool device" category. Plus, it will get you to that meeting on time without you having to stop and ask directions.

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Product Information

DeLorme Tripmate Hyperformance GPS Navigation...........$149

DeLorme
Freeport, ME
Phone:    (207) 865-1234
Fax:      (207) 865-9291
Internet: 
h
ttp://www.delorme.com

Circle 1009 on Inquiry Card.

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You'll Trip on This

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