Garmin Dakota 10 GPS?

[lispeej]

I received a Garmin Dakota 10 for christmas. I am still in the process of trying to learn how to use it. This is my first hand held. So far, it seems to have quite a bit of options, but would like to know what others think of it.

[ClownColor]

I've had mine for about 3 years now and it took me a while to figure eveything out as well. At first I thought it was limited to things my previous GPS couldn't do but I found out it could do those and much more...just a little more complex at first.

Touch screen has been great thus far with little/no problems, just sometimes it doesn;t register exact where you touch.

The screen can be tough to see in the direct sunlight espicaly if running on lakes in the day of summer.

No compass reading but you can get headings other ways.

This biggest bonus is all the compatibilites Garmin allows. Some free downloads can be found through the GPs file depot.

I have 24k topo and lake masters downloaded on it and love that you can activate different maps at once and plan to get kirschs mn trax.

[MN Mike]

lispeej,

You'll want to signup for a free account at the my.garmin site and register your device then download and install the web connector and this will insure that the Dakota is as up to date as it can be.

Another good program to have is Garmin's Basecamp, it's also free and allows you to capture waypoints from your GPS and push waypoints to your GPS. You can also view map data such as Lakemaster on there too incase you want to preplan a fishing trip, then create waypoints and push them to your GPS.

As ClownColor said, there are LOTS of options with these devices, just scratching the surface here.

Good luck!

Mike

[lispeej]

would it be a good idea to upgrade to the dakota20? the price difference is $20.

[ClownColor]

would it be a good idea to upgrade to the dakota20? the price difference is $20.

oh definetly. I would have also if only $20 but I got so many rebates on my 10 and it also include tons of accessories that they almost gave it to me. Then i sold the 100k that came with it for even more off.

Not sure what you get with the 20 vs the 10 but i think you get more memory and compass? and maybe a card slot? if so, the card slot itslef would be worth it.

[MN Mike]

would it be a good idea to upgrade to the dakota20? the price difference is $20.

Definitely go for it, MSRP is $150 difference between the 10 and 20.

With the 20 you get a MicroSD Card Slot, 3 Axis Electronic Compass, Altimeter and wireless sharing with another Garmin enabled wireless GPS ( if you ever use that ).

Otherwise everything else is pretty much the same.

Mike

[bigbad401]

I would upgrade to the Dakota 20 for $20. Lots more features and the biggest one is the SD slot.

[lispeej]

So I ended up returning the dakota 10 yesterday. I didn't get the dakota 20 yet because the sale is good for another week or so. So I have a bit of time to think about if I should really go with a 20 or totally go with another brand. The guy behind the counter didn't really have much to say about the 10 and 20.

[bigbad401]

The Dakota 20 is a very nice GPS. It was a little too small for my tastes and that is why I went with the Oregon. With Garmin there is a lot of free maps out on the net for you to use. Plenty of street maps and lots of TOPO maps and a few lake maps. Really, there is no other brand to go with other than Garmin.

[ClownColor]

The Dakota 20 is a very nice GPS. It was a little too small for my tastes and that is why I went with the Oregon. With Garmin there is a lot of free maps out on the net for you to use. Plenty of street maps and lots of TOPO maps and a few lake maps. Really, there is no other brand to go with other than Garmin.

totally agree..stick with a garmin as he's right, many many free maps, purchasable maps, and other fun stuff you can do with garmin. I think even google works with garmin.

There are better Garmins out there then the dakota but it's a perfectly fine unit and from what I've seen, has had the best (cheapest) deals!