Garmin Dakota 20 Waterproof Hiking GPS
Garmin Dakota 20 Waterproof Hiking GPS
- Sunlight-readable, 2.6-inch color touchscreen display
- High-sensitivity GPS with HotFix satellite prediction
- Built to withstand the elements: bumps, dust, dirt and water
- Preloaded with a worldwide basemap plus has 850 MB of free internal memory for map transfers
- Includes 3-axis tilt-compensated electronic compass, barometric altimeter, microSD slot, and wireless sharing between units
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.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. /* thumbnail script */ image0 =new Image(); image1 =new Image(); image2 =new Image(); image3 =new Image(); /* This defines the source of the display image */ image0.src =”http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/B002G1YPIO-2.jpg”; image1.src =
List Price: $ 399.99
Price: $ 399.99
Garmin Foretrex 301 Waterproof Hiking GPS
- Features high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFix for improved performance and reception in heavy tree cover or deep canyons
- Keeps track of routes, tracks and waypoints
- TracBack feature retraces user’s path on the easy-to-read LCD display
- Features trip computer, sunrise/sunset times and hunting/fishing information
- Supports dual position readout so user can view current location in multiple formats, including latitude/longitude
Foretrex 301 Portable GPS System
List Price: $ 249.99
Price: $ 249.99
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L. J. Wobker
March 27, 2011extremely good for size and cost,
Very happy with this little guy. I chose the 301 over the 401 because I wanted to track things based on GPS altitude and NOT barometric altitude. Specific example: pressurized aircraft cabins will not read correct altitude on the 401 because it’s barometric… the GPS readings are slightly less accurate but ideal for what I needed.
There are lots of free software tools that read the GPX format that this device uses. You can also edit the onboard .gpx file directly if you really know what you’re doing, which is very nice for bulk imports, etc. Just copy a valid .gpx file into the “GPX” folder (one level ABOVE the one that you download in the first place).
The GPS receiver is much, much more sensitive than earlier generations. It locks on to satellites in much less time, holds the signal better, and works through more overhead cover. This does NOT mean that you can take it into a cave and get a signal, nor will it work in the center of a widebody airliner… but it’s still much better than anything else I’ve tried.
The logging and interface are a little cumbersome, but that’s the tradeoff for making something this small and rugged (there are only four control buttons plus the one power button).
All in all, I’ve been exceptionally happy with mine.
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|Alarmed Mutant
March 27, 2011You’ll do…,
I had the Garmin Foretrex 101 and it worked great until it got stolen. I have the 301 now and it works just as well. The only problem I had with the 101 was the strap. It was held onto the GPS unit with crappy watch pins. I’m in the military, so if you have to put a heavy ruck on and off quickly, and you get the ruck strap caught on the GPS, the unit would pop off the strap. Then, you are trying to find a tiny watch pin with NVGs on a mountain. Also, the strap that comes with it is just a bit too short, but the extension strap makes it too long. WTF?! It will barely fit on your wrist with nothing under it, but if you have a uniform on (ACU/BDU) you will have to use the extender and then it’s too long and will move around.
For the 301 there is a better design to hold the strap onto the GPS. It uses screw in pins, so I think that problem is fixed and it shouldn’t pop off. However, the strap length is still too short or too long. I am going to just buy a case where you can take the GPS and put it inside of a clear case and that has a Velcro strap.
I used the 101 on every mission in Afghanistan and it was really great to get quick grids of your location. Projecting points on the 101 and the 301 isn’t that easy though. You can only choose distances at 100 meter intervals, so that’s as accurate of grid as you will get. It’s also not very easy to navigate the menu to get at the project waypoint screen. I just used it to quickly find out where I was, and for that it was fantastical.
The sensitivity of the receiver is awesome. You can pick up signals when it’s sitting on the passenger seat of your car or when your in the woods walking. I ride mountain bike, and it seemed to work OK when I was under moderate cover at all speeds. When you get into really thick cover and you are going pretty fast the accuracy degrades a little, but it still tracks satellites. Your speed won’t be that accurate though.
Hooking it upto a computer is easy too. It just loads as a USB mass storage device, so you don’t need serial ports anymore. For military, I’m not sure if it will still be compatible with moving map on Falconview, haven’t tried it.
I definitely recommend this. The only problem is the crappy strap that’s not meant for human-sized wrists. On a bike mount, in a different case or attached to your body armor or whatever it’s awesome.
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|Glenn Gordon
March 27, 2011Great GPS,
I had previously owned and lost an eTrex Legend Cx. This is a giant leap forward. Garmin advertises this as their new entry level unit, but its 800 MB internal memory holds all of the topo and street maps for the eastern US. The inability to do street routing without first buying City Navigator® North America NT seems to be an artificial limitation.
The lock in is almost instant when I turn it back on at the same location that I turned it off, and it can pick up a signal from inside my house. I no longer lose the signal when I go under deep forest cover.
The screen is bright, and better than on my old unit. When I first got it, the compass was not functional, but once I updated the unit online, it worked great.
I wholeheartedly recommend this unit.
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|Mark Witt
March 27, 2011Excellent upgrade from etrex vista hCX,
After losing a Garmin etrex vista hCX which I loved, I decided to go with the Dakota 20 (D20). I will be comparing the two in the review.
Maps and Storage:
The D20 comes loaded with a basemap, which has most major highways, but no streets. So for your purpose, you can choose City Navigator (required for auto navigation to work), or Topo 2008 (shows mountain countours & most lakes). Luckily, I had both Topo and City Nav on my computer.
Since the D20 comes with 850mb of internal memory, it’s enough for self selected regions in Topo 2008 and/or Inland Lakes map, but not for City Nav. I put in a 4gb microSDHC card, which handled the 1.2gb .IMG file of the city navigator map. What might trouble some is that the D20 does not come with Mapsource(a great program for making custom maps, and upload trails and routes) or any kind of software. The hCX comes bundled with Mapsource. Although if you purchase the City Navigator, it comes with Mapsource.
When combining multiple maps onto the device, the D20 is much more convenient as you simply add the .IMG files (must have different file names) into the Garmin folder. D20 will automatically detect 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 saved tracks individually as .GPX files, whereas the hcx clumps all the trails into one file(named by date).
Auto Navigation:
I didn’t find much info about Auto Navigation for the D20 before purchased, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. After trying it a few times, it’s definitely a step up from the hCX. There’s an Automobile mode for navigation, where the map is tilted so you can see the turn coming from farther ahead. The directions text is noticeably smaller on the D20, which might be hard for some to read, but luckily you can adjust the text size of the directions. You can also customize what information you want to see (i.e-distance to destination, odometer, etc.). The D20 gives almost the same beep as the hCX when turns are approaching(no voice of course). The D20 navigation overall is more pleasing to the eye.
Battery Life:
The hCX wins on battery life 25 hrs vs 20 hours on the D20. There is a battery save mode on the D20 that definitely improves battery life. How it works is the screen will turn off in about 15 idle seconds to save power, and you simply touch the screen to see again. On D20’s regular battery mode, I noticed the battery drains very quickly -definitely less than 20 hours. Recharcheable NiMH AA batteries are a must since you’ll be going through them quickly. I use Sanyo Eneloop and Rayovac Hybrid. Be sure to change the Battery type under Setup>System to get the correct battery meter.
Visibility:
This has been the biggest complain by some, but I found the visibility/brightness on the D20 to be suitable for most types of lighting, including in the sun and in the dark. You can adjust the backlight (although brighter means less battery life). I’ll admit it can be harder to see in certain angles of sunlight, but this hasn’t been a problem during auto nav or regular use. The hCX is slightly brighter, but it’s not a significant difference.
Accuracy:
During initial use, the satelites weren’t detected on the D20. I had to walk outside before the Satelites could lock on. The D20 has three modes for Satellite: Normal, WAAS, and Demo. I’ve had the most accurate luck with WAAS as i’m assuming it’s using the new satelite technology. On the D20 i’ve gotten accuracy as close as 10 ft, whereas on the hCX 20ft was usually the closest it would ever get. In general though, the satelite signal on the D20 is about the same as the hCX.
GPS Interface:
This is where the D20 far outshines the hCX. You navigate through all of the menus by touch. This is such a relief from using hCX’s mini joystick and side buttons. What’s nice about the D20 is you can move the map around by sliding your finger on it, whereas on the hCX joystick you have to sluggishly go at an angle. The D20 works much faster in operation. For example, it refreshes the maps considerably faster than the hCX. This equals less headaches when trying to pinpoint a location.
The layout on the D20 is very straight forward. The main menu contains all of the icons (Map, Where to, Track Manager, Setup, etc.) and you can scroll through all of the features by the arrows on the bottom corners. The hCX has a higher learning curve as you have to manipulate multiple buttons to get somewhere.
GPS Use:
I use the D20 for fitness activities: kayaking, jogging, cycling, and hiking. I can easily plot my map with distance and tracks(breadcrumb trails) onto websites that map .GPX files(Mapmyfitness, Motionbased). I use it…
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