Garmin Dakota 10, Dakota 20 Owner Manual

Dakota™ 10 and 20

owner’s manual

© 2009 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries

Garmin International, Inc.
1200 East 151st Street,
Olathe, Kansas 66062, USA
Tel. [phone] or
[phone]
Fax [phone]

Garmin (Europe) Ltd.
Liberty House
Hounsdown Business Park,
Southampton, Hampshire,
SO40 9LR UK
Tel. [phone] (outside the UK)
0808 2380000 (within the UK)

Garmin Corporation
No. 68, Jangshu 2nd
Road,
Shijr, Taipei County,
Taiwan
Tel. [phone]
Fax [phone]

Fax [phone]

All rights reserved. Except as expressly provided herein, no part of this manual may be reproduced,
copied, transmitted, disseminated, downloaded or stored in any storage medium, for any purpose without
the express prior written consent of Garmin. Garmin hereby grants permission to download a single copy
of this manual onto a hard drive or other electronic storage medium to be viewed and to print one copy of
this manual or of any revision hereto, provided that such electronic or printed copy of this manual must
contain the complete text of this copyright notice and provided further that any unauthorized commercial
distribution of this manual or any revision hereto is strictly prohibited.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Garmin reserves the right to change
or improve its products and to make changes in the content without obligation to notify any person
or organization of such changes or improvements. Visit the Garmin Web site (www.garmin.com) for
current updates and supplemental information concerning the use and operation of this and other Garmin
products.

Garmin® , MapSource®, BlueChart® g2 are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries, registered in the
USA and other countries. Dakota™ and myGarmin™ are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
These trademarks may not be used without the express permission of Garmin.

The Geocaching 4-box logo and the Wherigo logo are registered trademarks of Groundspeak Inc., in the
United States and other countries. Used with permission. Use of geocaching.com data is subject to the
Geocaching.com Terms of Use Agreement located at www.geocaching.com/about/termsofuse.aspx. The
Wherigo application is covered by patent 6,691,032 and US and foreign patents pending. Windows® is a
registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Mac

®

OS is a

registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. microSD™ is a trademark of SanDisk or its subsidiaries.

May 2009 Part Number 190-01069-00 Rev. A Printed in Taiwan

Introduction

See the Important Safety and

Product Information guide in

the product box for product
warnings and other important
information.

Manual Conventions

When you are instructed to “touch”

something, use your nger to touch

that item on the screen.

The small arrows (>) used in the

Introduction

text indicate that you should touch a
series of items in order. For example,

Tips and Shortcuts

Touch or to scroll and

•
see more choices.

Touch to return to the

•

if you see, “Touch Where To?
> Tracks,” you should touch the

Where To? button on the screen, and

then touch Tracks.

previous screen.

Touch to return to the Main

•
menu.

Touch or on the Map

•
page to zoom in or zoom out.

Touch to accept a change.

•

Touch to search near a

•
location.

Touch to view the keyboard.

•

Dakota Series Owner’s Manual i

Introduction

Table of Contents

Introduction .......................... i

Tips and Shortcuts .......................i

Manual Conventions ....................i

Getting Started .................... 1

Product Registration .................. 1

Contact Garmin ......................... 1

Optional Accessories ................. 1

Caring for the Dakota ................ 1

Battery Information .................... 2

Turning On and Off

the Dakota ............................... 2

Adjusting the Backlight Level..... 3

Locking the Screen .................... 3

Acquiring GPS

Satellite Signals ...................... 3

Basic Navigation................. 4

Accessing Applications

from the Main menu ................ 4

Creating Waypoints ................... 4

Navigating to a Destination........ 5

Stop Navigating ......................... 7

ii Dakota Series Owner’s Manual

Using the Map .......................... 7

Using the Compass ................... 9

Bearing and

Course Pointers .................... 10

Managing Waypoints,

Routes, and Tracks........... 12

Modifying Waypoints ............... 12

Creating Routes....................... 13

Viewing Stored Routes ............ 13

Editing and

Deleting Routes .................... 13

Viewing the Active Route ......... 14

Managing Tracks ..................... 14

Additional Tools ................ 16

Elevation Plot........................... 16

Sharing Information

Wirelessly .............................. 17

Calculating the

Size of an Area ...................... 17

Other Tools .............................. 17

Monitoring Satellite

Reception .............................. 18

Trip Computer .......................... 19

Introduction

GPS Games ....................... 20

Geocaches .............................. 20

Customizing the Dakota ... 21

Changing the Prole ................ 21

Setting Up Proles ................... 21

Using System Setup ................ 22

Customizing the Display .......... 22

Map Setup ............................... 23

Track Setup ............................. 24

Customizing the

Main Menu ............................ 24

Route Setup............................. 24

Changing Marine Settings ....... 25

Changing Time Settings .......... 26

Changing Measurement Units . 26

Position Format ....................... 27

Modifying the Compass ........... 27

Altimeter Setup ........................ 28

Pairing the Dakota ................... 29

Reset ....................................... 30

Viewing Your Dakota

Information ............................ 30

Appendix ........................... 31

Dakota Series Owner’s Manual iii

Specications .......................... 31

Using Demo Mode ................... 32

Connecting Your

Dakota to a Computer ........... 33

Installing a

microSD™ Card ..................... 33

Transferring Tracks,

Routes, or Waypoints ............ 34

Loading and

Deleting Files ........................ 35

Optimizing Battery Life ............ 36

Restoring Factory

Default Settings ..................... 36

Attaching a Carabiner, Lanyard,

Mount, or Other Optional

Accessory ............................. 37

Calibrating the

Touchscreen .......................... 37

Software License

Agreement ............................ 38

Declaration of

Conformity (DoC) .................. 38

Index .................................. 39

Introduction

Power key

Touchscreen

mini-USB connector
(under weather cap)

Latch

Battery
cover

iv Dakota Series Owner’s Manual

Mounting
spine

Getting Started

Getting Started

Product Registration

Help us better support you by
completing our online registration
today. Connect to our Web site at

http://my.garmin.com. Keep the

original sales receipt, or a photocopy,
in a safe place.

Contact Garmin

Contact Garmin Product Support if
you have any questions while using
your Dakota. In the USA, go to www

.garmin.com/support, or contact

Garmin USA by phone at (913)

397.8200 or [phone].

In the UK, contact Garmin (Europe)
Ltd. by phone at 0808 2380000.

Dakota Series Owner’s Manual 1

In Europe, go to www.garmin.com

/support and click Contact Support

for in-country support information,
or contact Garmin (Europe) Ltd. by
phone at +44 (0) 870.8501241.

If needed, the serial number of your
Dakota is located in the battery
compartment. Remove batteries as
indicated on page 2.

Optional Accessories

For a list of available accessories and
maps, refer to the Garmin Web site at

http://buy.garmin.com.

Caring for the Dakota

Cleaning the screen

Use a soft, clean, lint-free cloth. Use
water, isopropyl alcohol, or eyeglass
lens cleaner. Apply the liquid to the
cloth and then gently wipe the screen
with the cloth.

Getting Started

Battery Information

Dakota units operate on two AA
batteries. Use alkaline, NiMH, or
lithium batteries. Use precharged
NiMH or lithium batteries for best
results.

To install the batteries:

1. Slide the latch and remove the
battery cover.

Latch

Battery cover

To select the battery type:

1. Touch Setup > System > Battery

Type.

2. Touch

Alkaline, Lithium, or

Rechargeable NiMH.

Long-Term Storage

Remove batteries when you do not
plan to use the Dakota for several
months. Stored data is not lost when
batteries are removed.

Turning On and Off the Dakota

1. To turn on the Dakota, press .

2. To turn off the Dakota, press and
hold .

2.

Insert the battery. Align the
+ (positive) and - (negative)
markings on the device with the
battery.

3. Replace the battery cover.

2 Dakota Series Owner’s Manual

Getting Started

Adjusting the Backlight Level

1. While the Dakota is on, press and
quickly release .

2. Touch

Acquiring GPS Satellite Signals

Lock Screen (or Unlock

Screen).

Before the Dakota can nd your

current location and navigate a route,
you must acquire GPS signals.

1. Go outdoors to an open area,
away from tall buildings and trees.

2. Turn on the Dakota. Acquiring
satellite signals can take a few
minutes.

The bars on the Main menu

2. Touch or to adjust the
brightness levels.

See page 22 to change the backlight

indicate satellite strength. When
the bars are green, the Dakota has
acquired satellite signals.

timeout.

Locking the Screen

Lock the screen to prevent
inadvertent screen touches.

1. Press and quickly release .

Dakota Series Owner’s Manual 3

Basic Navigation

Basic Navigation

Creating Waypoints

Waypoints are locations you record

Accessing Applications from the Main menu

You can access all Dakota
applications from the Main menu.

Main menu

Touch or to access

additional applications.

4 Dakota Series Owner’s Manual

and store in the Dakota.

To mark your current location as
a waypoint:

1. Touch Mark Waypoint.

2. Touch

3. Touch an item from the list to

Save and Edit.

change.

Touch letters, numbers, or

•
symbols to make the changes.

Touch (except when

•
changing a symbol). Change
other attributes, if necessary.

Touch to discard the

•
changes.

To edit or delete a waypoint, see

page 12.

Navigating to a Destination

You can use Where To? or choose
a point on the map to navigate to a
destination with the Dakota.

To navigate to a destination
using Where To?:

1. Touch Where To?.

2. Touch a category.

3. Touch one of the items listed
below. This list may vary
depending on the type of maps
loaded on your Dakota.

Recent Finds—items you

•

have recently found.

Waypoints—a list of

•

waypoints (page 4).

Tracks—a list of tracks

•

(page 14).

Routes—a list of routes

•

(page 13).

Basic Navigation

All POI (Points of Interest)—if

•

supported by the preloaded
or optional mapping, various
POIs may be listed.

Coordinates—enter the

•

coordinates of a location.

Cities—a list of the 50 closest

•

cities to your current location.

Tides—a list of the closest

•

tide stations.

4. Touch

5. Touch

6. Use the compass to navigate to

To nd a destination by spelling

the name:

1. On the Main menu, touch Where

2. Touch

3. Touch characters to spell a part of

4. Touch

Go. A colored line indicates

your course.

> Compass.

your destination.

To? > All POI.

.

the name of your destination.

.

Dakota Series Owner’s Manual 5

Basic Navigation

5. Touch the destination.

6. Touch

Go. A colored line indicates

your course.

7. Touch

> Compass.

8. Use the compass to navigate to
your destination as indicated on

page 9.

4. Touch

Go > > Compass.

5. Use the compass to navigate to
your destination as indicated on

page 9.

To navigate to a destination near

a waypoint or a recent nd:

1. Touch Where To?.

To navigate to a point on the
map:

1. Touch Map.

2. Touch a point on the map.

3. Touch the information button at
the top of the screen.

Information
button

2. Touch .

3. Select from the following options:

A Recent Find

•

A Waypoint

•

My Current Location

•

A Map Point

•

6 Dakota Series Owner’s Manual

Basic Navigation

4. Touch the location you want to
search near.

5. Touch a category. Items are listed
in order of distance from the
location you selected.

6. Touch a destination.

7. Touch

8. Touch

9. Use the compass to navigate to

Go. A colored line indicates

your course.

> Compass.

your destination as indicated on

page 9.

Stop Navigating

To stop navigating, touch Where

To? > Stop Navigation.

Using the Map

To use the map:

1. Touch Map. Your current location
is indicated by a location
marker .

2. Touch

Dakota Series Owner’s Manual 7

or to zoom.

3. Touch and drag the screen to pan
the map.

Zoom range

Zoom buttons

Location marker

To review detailed information
about a point on the map:

1. If necessary, pan to the location
you want to review.

2. Touch the location.

3. Touch the information button at
the top of the screen for additional
information.

Basic Navigation

Information
button

To save a waypoint on the Map
page:

1. On the Map page, touch the point
you want to save.

2. Touch the information button at
the top of the screen.

To show or hide data elds at
the top of the screen:

1. Touch Setup > Map > Show Data

Fields.

2. Touch

Never, When Navigating,

or Always.

3. Touch to save the waypoint.

To change the Map page data

elds:

1. On the Map page, touch one of

the data elds.

2. Touch a data type.

8 Dakota Series Owner’s Manual

Basic Navigation

Using the Compass

The Compass page guides you to
your destination by displaying a
compass and a bearing pointer.

It also provides navigation data such
as current speed, distance to the next
point on the route, and estimated
arrival time.

The electronic compass is similar
to a magnetic compass when you
are stationary or walking. If you
maintain a higher speed, such
as traveling in an automobile,

Calibrating the Compass

NOTE: The electronic compass is

unavailable with the Dakota 10.

Calibrate the electronic compass
outdoors. Do not stand near objects

that inuence magnetic elds, such

as cars, buildings, or overhead power
lines.

Calibrate the compass after moving
long distances, experiencing
temperature changes greater than
20°F (11°C), or changing the
batteries.

the compass uses GPS signals to
determine your direction. To turn the
electronic compass off, see page 28.

To open the Compass page:

Touch Compass.

Dakota Series Owner’s Manual 9