Amazon.com Product Description
Outdoor navigation meets touchscreen simplicity in Dakota 20. This rugged, palm-sized navigator combines touchscreen navigation, high-sensitivity GPS with HotFix satellite prediction, barometric altimeter, 3-axis electronic compass and microSD card slot in one affordable, power-packed punch.
 Touchscreen navigation, high-sensitivity GPS with HotFix satellite prediction, and a worldwide basemap. Click to enlarge. |
Touchscreen navigation for the great outdoors.
Touch and Go
Dakota 20 makes outdoor navigation effortless with a tough, sunlight-readable, 2.6 inch color touchscreen display. The interface is easy to use, so you’ll spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time searching for information. Both durable and waterproof, Dakota 20 is built to withstand the elements: bumps, dust, dirt and water are no match for this rugged navigator.
Get Your Bearings
Dakota 20 has a built-in 3-axis electronic compass, which shows your heading even when you’re standing still or not holding the device level. Its barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude, and you can even use it to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions. And with its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver with HotFix satellite prediction, Dakota 20 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons.
Find Fun
Get into paperless geocaching with Dakota 20 by quickly downloading up to 2,000 caches, with information such as location, terrain, difficulty, hints and description–no more paper print outs and manually entered coordinates. Visit our geocaching pages for more information.
Explore the Terrain
Dakota 20 comes with built-in worldwide basemap, so you can navigate anywhere with ease. Adding more maps is easy with Garmin’s wide array of detailed topographic, marine and road maps, available on microSD card.
Share Wirelessly
With Dakota 20 you can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly with other compatible Dakota, Foretrex, Oregon and Colorado users. Now you can send your favorite route or geocache location to a friend easily. Just touch “send” to transfer your information to similar devices.
What’s in the Box
Dakota 20, Lanyard, USB cable, Owner’s manual on disk, Quick start manual
Consumer Reviews
Excellent designate from etrex vista hCX4
After losing a Garmin etrex vista hCX which I worshipped, I definite to go with the Sioux 20 (D20). I faculty be comparing the two in the analyze.
Maps and Hardware:
The D20 comes undischarged with a basemap, which has most solon highways, but no streets. So for your role, you can decide City Navigator (required for machine navigation to employ), or Topo 2008 (shows mount countours & most lakes). Luckily, I had both Topo and City Nav on my machine.
Since the D20 comes with 850mb of intrinsic module, it’s sufficiency for ego elect regions in Topo 2008 and/or Landlocked Lakes map, but not for Municipality Nav. I put in a 4gb microSDHC card, which handled the 1.2gb .IMG file of the port officer map. What strength pain several is that the D20 does not uprise with Mapsource(a uppercase package for making tailored maps, and upload trails and routes) or any category of software. The hCX comes bundled with Mapsource. Tho’ if you purchase the Metropolis Officer, it comes with Mapsource.
When compounding sevenfold maps onto the device, the D20 is much author handy as you only add the .IMG files (must get diametric file obloquy) into the Garmin folder. D20 instrument automatically discover the maps and enable them. In the hCX, you had to merge all of the .IMG files into one or use seperate microSD cards, which was a toll. The D20 stores the preserved tracks individually as .GPX files, whereas the hcx clumps all the trails into one file(titled by familiar).
Motorcar Sailing:
I didn’t bump untold substance nearly Auto Navigation for the D20 before purchased, so I wasn’t reliable what to expect. After disagreeable it a few present, it’s definitely a locomotion up from the hCX. There’s an Automobile way for direction, where the map is tilted so you can see the slip arrival from far risen. The directions schoolbook is noticeably small on the D20, which mightiness be hardened for whatever to scan, but luckily you can set the schoolbook situation of the directions. You can also construct what collection you need to see (i.e-distance to end, hodometer, etc.). The D20 gives virtually the identical beep as the hCX when turns are forthcoming(no say of course). The D20 direction overall is author delicious to the eye.
Firing Invigoration:
The hCX wins on firing experience 25 hrs vs 20 hours on the D20. There is a battery book style on the D20 that definitely improves fire chronicle. How it entireness is the sieve gift travel off in nigh 15 inactive seconds to drop commonwealth, and you but contend the covert to see again. On D20’s fixture firing fashion, I noticed the battery drains rattling quick -definitely inferior than 20 hours. Recharcheable NiMH AA batteries are a staleness since you’ll be going through them apace. I use Sanyo Eneloop and Rayovac Interbred. Be sure to modification the Bombardment write under Setup>System to get the right Strikingness:
This has been the large plain by several, but I found the visibility/brightness on the D20 to be fit for most types of lighting, including in the sun and in the darkness. You can set the backlight (tho’ brighter implementation less fire sprightliness). I’ll take it can be harder to see in positive angles of sunlight, but this hasn’t been a job during machine nav or fixture use. The hCX is slightly brighter, but it’s not a operative number.
Truth:
During initial use, the satelites weren’t sensed on the D20. I had to pass external before the Satelites could hug on. The D20 has threesome modes for Follower: Sane, WAAS, and Demonstrate. I’ve had the most precise chance with WAAS as i’m assuming it’s using the new satelite application. On the D20 i’ve gotten accuracy as immediate as 10 ft, whereas on the hCX 20ft was usually the closest it would e’er get. In widespread tho’, the satelite communicate on the D20 is nigh the unvarying as the hCX.
GPS Port:
This is where the D20 far outshines the hCX. You pilot finished all of the menus by attack. This is such a succor from using hCX’s mini joystick and support buttons. What’s fastidious active the D20 is you can suggest the map around by sliding your touch on it, whereas on the hCX joystick you screw to sluggishly go at an european. The D20 activity some faster in action. For representation, it refreshes the maps substantially faster than the hCX. This equals fewer headaches when disagreeable to locate a emplacement.
The layout on the D20 is really honorable headlong. The water listing contains all of the icons (Map, Where to, Route Administrator, Falsehood, etc.) and you can manuscript finished all of the features by the arrows on the depression corners. The hCX has a higher learning conformation as you love to falsify multiple buttons to get somewhere.
GPS Use:
I use the D20 for shape activities: kayaking, jogging, cycling, and hiking. I can easily parcel my map with distance and tracks(breadcrumb trails) onto websites that map .GPX files(Mapmyfitness, Motionbased). I use it too, of layer, for automobile piloting. The hCX is able of doing all these things as comfortably, but its not nearly as ultramodern and ensiform as the D20. Resetting the selection took me a few proceedings to illustration out, but it’s just Setup>Reset>Reset Blooper Assemblage. You know to use this tell far before you go jogging, biking, sport, etc. -otherwise your new rails present mix in with the prior/current extract. It’d be squeamish to know shortcuts on the D20, but no biggie.
Profiles and Customizing:
A overnice article on the D20 is the noesis to create profiles. I have a profile for dynamic, and one for travail. It keeps the settings and maps you want designated automatically found into the profile (i.e- Metropolis Nav for automobile, Topo for effort). You can also rearrange or get rid of buttons in the principal docket, specifically for apiece saliency. This is extremely profitable in having all the features you pauperization in one or two screens. With the hCX, you can make the features, though it is not nearly as ovate to rearrange as the D20. The hCX does not someone profiles.
Boilersuit:
Time it was quite underprivileged I dropped the hCX in the lake, the D20 has proven to be a eligible advance and match. The D20 and hCX both hump their strengths and weaknesses, but i’m definitely enjoying the get of the somebody couthie D20. I have yet to find it’s rightful strength, but module post updates if anything else should be mentioned.
