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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 decide 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 scheme, but not for City Nav. I attach in a 4gb microSDHC card, which handled the 1.2gb .IMG file of the city navigator intention. What might exertion some is that the D20 does not approach with Mapsource(a grand program for making custom maps, and upload trails and routes) or any kind of software. The hCX comes bundled with Mapsource. Although if you select the City Navigator, it comes with Mapsource.
When combining multiple maps onto the method, the D20 is noteworthy 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 expend 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 glean great info about Auto Navigation for the D20 before purchased, so I wasn't clear what to ask. After trying it a few times, it's definitely a step up from the hCX. There's an Automobile mode for navigation, where the arrangement is tilted so you can stare 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 glimpse (i.e-distance to destination, odometer, etc.) . The D20 gives almost the same beep as the hCX when turns are approaching(no negate of course) . The D20 navigation overall is more glowing to the discover.
Battery Life:
The hCX wins on battery life 25 hrs vs 20 hours on the D20. There is a battery assign mode on the D20 that definitely improves battery life. How it works is the veil will turn off in about 15 slothful seconds to set power, and you simply touch the camouflage to stare again. On D20's regular battery mode, I noticed the battery drains very lickety-split -definitely less than 20 hours. Recharcheable NiMH AA batteries are a must since you'll be going through them hastily. I utilize Sanyo Eneloop and Rayovac Hybrid. Be distinct to change the Battery type under Setup>System to come by the lawful battery meter.
Visibility:
This has been the biggest complain by some, but I found the visibility/brightness on the D20 to be sterling for most types of lighting, including in the sun and in the shadowy. You can adjust the backlight (although brighter means less battery life) . I'll admit it can be harder to perceive in distinct angles of sunlight, but this hasn't been a scrape during auto nav or regular employ. The hCX is slightly brighter, but it's not a considerable contrast.
Accuracy:
During initial spend, the satelites weren't detected on the D20. I had to swagger outside before the Satelites could lock on. The D20 has three modes for Satellite: Normal, WAAS, and Demo. I've had the most fair luck with WAAS as i'm assuming it's using the fresh satelite technology. On the D20 i've gotten accuracy as conclude as 10 ft, whereas on the hCX 20ft was usually the closest it would ever win. 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 go the design around by sliding your finger on it, whereas on the hCX joystick you have to sluggishly go at an angle. The D20 works great faster in operation. For example, it refreshes the maps considerably faster than the hCX. This equals less headaches when trying to pinpoint a station.
The layout on the D20 is very straight forward. The main menu contains all of the icons (Diagram, 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 net somewhere.
GPS Use:
I exhaust the D20 for fitness activities: kayaking, jogging, cycling, and hiking. I can easily status my design with distance and tracks(breadcrumb trails) onto websites that draw .GPX files(Mapmyfitness, Motionbased) . I exhaust it too, of course, for auto navigation. The hCX is marvelous of doing all these things as well, but its not nearly as original and simple as the D20. Resetting the track took me a few minutes to figure out, but it's simply Setup>Reset>Reset Glide Data. You have to employ this vow proper before you go jogging, biking, rowing, etc. -otherwise your recent track will mix in with the prior/current track. It'd be nice to have shortcuts on the D20, but no biggie.
Profiles and Customizing:
A nice feature on the D20 is the ability to produce profiles. I have a profile for driving, and one for exercising. It keeps the settings and maps you want selected automatically saved into the profile (i.e- City Nav for auto, Topo for exercising) . You can also rearrange or earn rid of buttons in the main menu, specifically for each profile. This is extremely useful in having all the features you need in one or two screens. With the hCX, you can customize the features, although it is not nearly as simple to rearrange as the D20. The hCX does not have profiles.
Overall:
While it was quite discouraged I dropped the hCX in the lake, the D20 has proven to be a ample upgrade and replacement. The D20 and hCX both have their strengths and weaknesses, but i'm definitely enjoying the experience of the user beneficial D20. I have yet to settle it's just ruggedness, but will post updates if anything else should be mentioned.
I had previously owned and lost an eTrex Chronicle Cx. This is a giant leap forward. Garmin advertises this as their recent 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 wait on on at the same place that I turned it off, and it can capture up a signal from inside my house. I no longer lose the signal when I go under deep forest camouflage.
The camouflage is quick-witted, and better than on my passe unit. When I first got it, the compass was not functional, but once I updated the unit online, it worked gargantuan.
I wholeheartedly recommend this unit.
I have bought and aged Garmin GPS for like forever. They are tall for most applications. I have conventional the GPS 12, GPSmap76,Nuvi and the latest one I got is the Dakota 20. Out of the box it was sizable. Puny and really portable. Nice cloak, a minute sunless though but nothing to fret. Visibility is ok.
2 problems I faced though.
1. Software suddenly went missing. No longer able to boot up. Had to send assist to Garmin for repair. Only 2 weeks of usage. Lucky the service was excellent. Got the item support in a week.
2. This is one vast headache for me. Went mountain biking with the Dakota. before I know what happened, I am left with an empty mount! I managed to retrieve the GPS intact. Lucky me. Honest a few scratches but veil wasn't damaged. The locking for Dakota 20 and the bike mount is extremely loose. You'd need to tie a rubber band to create certain you don't lose the GPS. Looks like S..t with rubber band though.
One noble conclusion though... Robust enough to survive ...
