The first of our new Dakota 20's arrived today, with quick delivery from Johnny Appleseed GPS....though there is a lack of supply in the aussie market at the moment, probably due to popularity.
First Impressions:
Oooooooo, it's a
baby Oregon.
Being used to the Oregon range, the Dakota has a good feel to it, even though the screen size is smaller and of lower resolution than i'm used to.
It has similiar sizing to the etrex range with a fat rear end. Quick startup, and the usual 2 second learning curve to drive this beast.
The current software has some minor formatting bugs in it, probably due to the reduction in screen size. They are generally only on the backend pages eg, satellite page (displaying UTM coords), the diagnostic screen etc....not a real world concern in most cases.
I notice that the spanner mode is not included, therefore my mini-USB (B type) cable goes into mass storage mode instead of power mode.
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick Wall")
This will only affect those who may use the unit as a in-car GPS navigation system, though the screen size is somewhat limiting for this process. A job for the Oregon.
The resolution on maps is the biggest difference compared to the Oregon, however for the $200 price difference, it is a small price to pay. The 3 axis compass is quick to calibrate compare to previous versions, and has a nice feel to the displayed compass when rotating.
Paperless Geocaching works as expected.....brilliant. now i just need to find a cache or two.
Off tomorrow into the dim dark jungle to test out the unit.....would have been good to have them last week for one of our Search and Rescues on the Islands.
hope that helps.
mm
). Newer 3 axis will compensate for this and work in all planes, though it does require more calibration to maintain accuracy.
for $410 or 
for $412
