Geocaching Australia

Today I went on a short run with the family and everything started off OK. Pressed all the (soft) buttons to navigate to the first cache without trouble. It was a multi so I gathered the info and then went to put the data into the 'Enter Next Stage' of the Dakota 20.

At that stage the unit decided it would not play the game. It would not accept the input as I pressed it. What I mean is that if I went to push a button then the Dakota either thought I had not pressed anything or else it thought I had pressed a button a few below where I had actually meant to. Now I thought it might be batteries so I went and changed them. This made no difference. I then did a touch screen calibration, again with no difference.

I have tried resetting to factory settings using the touch menu (this took a LOOOOOONNNNGGGGG) time to achieve the right buttons
I have tried removing the microSD card
I have tried deleting all data in the GPX menu on the main unit

Does anyone know how I do a full on factory reset of the unit, or where I can contact to get some help? Please?

Cheers

After logging this, I found an article online that tells me how to do a master reset. Apparently my problem is with the screen somehow as I still can't choose the right buttons, that is why my GPSr is now in 'Dansk'!

Maybe update to the latest firmware/software for the Dakota 20, via PC and WebUpdater utility. WebUpdater should be available to download from the Garmin site.

If still no good and you think the Dakota 20 touch screen is faulty, I'd contact the retailer or Garmin.

I had some weird things happening when I first bought my 20. I did a master re-set twice (you press one corner of the screen on start up, from memory) and also updated the software twice, even though it was up to date. I reached the point where Garmin sent me authorisation to return the unit and it came good. Has not missed a beat since!
Your problem sounds like it's in the software that translates what you're in-putting to the screen. If it was a faulty screen you'd have expected problems from day one so you may well have success with resetting and updating. Failing that, make it Garmins problem. They were a bit reluctant to take ownership of my problem, seems to depend who you speak to as I finally got someone who just said "this is ridiculous, send it back and we'll send you another unit" No mucking about, proper customer service, which I hadn't got on the previous two calls. Worked, thought of being scrapped scared the GPS into working!

PesceVerde wrote:Maybe update to the latest firmware/software for the Dakota 20, via PC and WebUpdater utility. WebUpdater should be available to download from the Garmin site.

If still no good and you think the Dakota 20 touch screen is faulty, I'd contact the retailer or Garmin.

PesceVerde, I did this. Downloaded the WebUpdater and ran that. Went to the Garmin MyDashboard site and went through there with no updates being shown.


Well I then made a couple of calls today and spoke to the store I bought the GPSr from in the first place (about 3 1/2 years ago). When I described the fault to him, he said that it wasn't the screen - it was the circuit board inside. Sounded enough like he knew what he was on about to convince me that the $410 Oregon 550 with dash mount shipped from the US that I just ordered was justified.....

Thanks for the inputs though, if it decides to come good I can always sell it to my brother-in-law as he is just recently into the game and is using a Garmin 12 to cache with at the moment

Hi. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the Garmin 12.
Newer models make (caching) life easier though, with so many bells and whistles and extra user-friendly 'stuff'.
Cheers.

PesceVerde wrote:Hi. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the Garmin 12.
Newer models make (caching) life easier though, with so many bells and whistles and extra user-friendly 'stuff'.
Cheers.

I agree, the unit is extremely accurate - just takes longer to load and I'm lazy so it wouldn't suit me

wileyclan wrote:

PesceVerde wrote:Hi. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the Garmin 12.
Newer models make (caching) life easier though, with so many bells and whistles and extra user-friendly 'stuff'.
Cheers.

I agree, the unit is extremely accurate - just takes longer to load and I'm lazy so it wouldn't suit me

Lazy.......I suppose that is one way to describe you