Garmin Dakota 20 GPS

[Walleye Guy]

Wanted to get opinions from guys who have this GPS. My H2O is toast and I am looking for a replacement. I am particularly interested with experience using map chips like Lakemaster or Navionics. Pros, cons, likes dislikes etc.

[delcecchi]

also see thread..

Garmin Releases New Upper Midwest Map

[MN Mike]

Walleye Guy,

You cannot run Navionics on a Garmin, so that leaves you with Lakemaster ( until supplies are gone ), Garmin's own mapping products ( Upper Midwest Fishing Guide ), MNTrax or some states are even compiling their own maps for download to a Garmin.

High-def maps ( 1 foot contours ) are available from either Lakemaster or Garmin's Upper Midwest Fishing Guide but keep in mind that is only on selected lakes, all others will be about 5 foot contour lines which isn't too bad.

The Garmin Upper Midwest Fishing Guide was a brand new release last week, considering the States that it covers, the number of lakes and the number of high-def lakes, the product has a lot of ' bang for the buck '!

If you go to Garmin's site, you can test drive this map and see if the lakes you want coverage on do indeed have contour lines, there is also a link on the right hand side of the page for the state you want and it will even tell you if the lake you are looking for is in high-def or not.

I don't have a Dakota 20, hopefully someone will chime in that does and give you their thoughts on it.

Mike

[luckydave]

I ordered a Dakota 20 today after looking at several Garmin units. I like the touchscreen feature as it's so easy to use. I plan on using it for hunting besides ice fishing. The new midwest fishing map app looks great also. This is an advance replacement for my H2Oc which probably won't last too much longer and the Dakota is better for hunting use.

[lispeej]

I got a dakota 10 for christmas. How much of a difference is there between a 10 and a 20? This is my first GPS, and I am trying to learn how to use it.

[luckydave]

The 20 version allows you to use a micro SD card for maps, has an electronic compass, alarm clock and some other minor functions. I think the biggest difference is being able to plug in a map card instead of downloading map data. There are several reviews/demos on you tube or under the garmin dakota 20 HSOforum.