I'm planning a vacation and want to set up my Dakota 20 in advance for
offroad walks. To date I've only used it for a day's worth of walking at
a time. I'm not clear on what the limits of the device are in terms of
stored data because the user guide and other stuff on the web appears
ambiguous to me.

Please can anyone confirm the limit values for me and clarify the other
queries (or provide pointers):

- Waypoints/favorites/location capacity: 1,000
? These are separate items from the waypoints and trackpoints contained
in routes and tracks?

- Routes: 50
? How many waypoints per route?

- Tracklog: 10,000 points
? Presumably that refers to the active track only?

- 200 saved tracks
? How many trackpoints per track?

- Routes versus Tracks
? I understand that I create a route whereas the Dakota logs a track for
me which I can then save, and that I can then set the Dakota to follow
either a route or a saved track. My mapping software (Mapyx Quo) allows
me to create and export saved tracks as well as routes. What are the
pros and cons of using tracks versus saved routes for pre-planned walks?

- SD expansion memory card
? Can I use this to provide any increase in these capacities? If so, how?

On 20/09/2011 08:56, Nemo wrote:
> I'm planning a vacation and want to set up my Dakota 20 in advance for
> offroad walks. To date I've only used it for a day's worth of walking at
> a time. I'm not clear on what the limits of the device are in terms of
> stored data because the user guide and other stuff on the web appears
> ambiguous to me.
>
> Please can anyone confirm the limit values for me and clarify the other
> queries (or provide pointers):
>
> - Waypoints/favorites/location capacity: 1,000
> ? These are separate items from the waypoints and trackpoints contained
> in routes and tracks?
>
> - Routes: 50
> ? How many waypoints per route?
>
> - Tracklog: 10,000 points
> ? Presumably that refers to the active track only?
>
> - 200 saved tracks
> ? How many trackpoints per track?
>
> - Routes versus Tracks
> ? I understand that I create a route whereas the Dakota logs a track for
> me which I can then save, and that I can then set the Dakota to follow
> either a route or a saved track. My mapping software (Mapyx Quo) allows
> me to create and export saved tracks as well as routes. What are the
> pros and cons of using tracks versus saved routes for pre-planned walks?
>
> - SD expansion memory card
> ? Can I use this to provide any increase in these capacities? If so, how?
>

Looks like I've stumbled upon some gaps in the collective knowledge of
mankind. Garmin support hasn't responded to my emails either.

I'd try to discover the limits experimentally myself but I'm concerned
about 'bricking' the unit if the error coding in the firmware is
inadequate - which may well be the case as the limits are apparently not
well-defined and documented.

Ho hum.

Must ahve missed this the first time around...

On Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:14:28 +0100, Nemo wrote:
> On 20/09/2011 08:56, Nemo wrote:
>> I'm planning a vacation and want to set up my Dakota 20 in advance for
>> offroad walks. To date I've only used it for a day's worth of walking at
>> a time. I'm not clear on what the limits of the device are in terms of
>> stored data because the user guide and other stuff on the web appears
>> ambiguous to me.
>>
>> Please can anyone confirm the limit values for me and clarify the other
>> queries (or provide pointers):
>>
>> - Waypoints/favorites/location capacity: 1,000
>> ? These are separate items from the waypoints and trackpoints contained
>> in routes and tracks?

Yes, these are separate.

>> - Routes: 50
>> ? How many waypoints per route?

Of yours? 200, IIRC. The practical answer is "you won't get that high
unless you're using it wrong."

>> - Tracklog: 10,000 points
>> ? Presumably that refers to the active track only?

Yes. Well, kind of.

>> - 200 saved tracks
>> ? How many trackpoints per track?

10,000 IIRC. Basically, that's how many the track manager can handle to
display.

>> - Routes versus Tracks
>> ? I understand that I create a route whereas the Dakota logs a track for
>> me which I can then save, and that I can then set the Dakota to follow
>> either a route or a saved track. My mapping software (Mapyx Quo) allows
>> me to create and export saved tracks as well as routes. What are the
>> pros and cons of using tracks versus saved routes for pre-planned walks?

Tracks don't dynamically update. It's a series of dots connected by
lines drawn on the map and it's up to you to make your little current
postition indicator go along it. Routes point you in the direction to
get to the next waypoint marked or next chunk of routable data if you're
using a routable map, using the obviously sensible definition of "next"
for the direction you're going.

>> - SD expansion memory card
>> ? Can I use this to provide any increase in these capacities? If so, how?

No. Cards increase the amount of map data that you can store on the
unit. track and route managers don't look at the cards.

> Looks like I've stumbled upon some gaps in the collective knowledge of
> mankind. Garmin support hasn't responded to my emails either.
>
> I'd try to discover the limits experimentally myself but I'm concerned
> about 'bricking' the unit if the error coding in the firmware is
> inadequate - which may well be the case as the limits are apparently not
> well-defined and documented.
>
> Ho hum.


--
"Meet it is I set it down
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain"

Thanks for your response Peter, it's becoming clearer. Especially the
difference between routes and tracks.

> Of yours? 200, IIRC. The practical answer is "you won't get that high
> unless you're using it wrong."

However, I'm not clear why you say that. For example, the Pembrokeshire
Coastal Path totals about 186 miles, which I doubt can be adequately
represented in just 200 waypoints. The version I've downloaded from the
web has 642 waypoints and still doesn't follow it closely when compared
to a 1:25000 OS map.

Also, the difference between the 200 waypoints per route limit and the
10,000 waypoints per track is huge - I wonder why?

Sounds like I'm still missing the point - care to explain?

Nemo wrote:
> Also, the difference between the 200 waypoints per route limit and the
> 10,000 waypoints per track is huge - I wonder why?
>
> Sounds like I'm still missing the point - care to explain?

That's easy - you are supposed to set up the waypoints in advance and then
follow the route from one waypoint to the next. If they are so close
together then you need a robot to follow the route because it would be so
boring! Whereas trackpoints are meant to be set up by the device
automatically (following some rule like a %age deviation from a straight
line) so the track as a whole shows where you have been after the event.
It's much more interesting for sailors!

Mike.
--
If reply address is Mike@@mjcoon.+.com (invalid), remove spurious "@"
and substitute "plus" for +.

On Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:32:11 +0100, Nemo wrote:
> Thanks for your response Peter, it's becoming clearer. Especially the
> difference between routes and tracks.
>
>> Of yours? 200, IIRC. The practical answer is "you won't get that high
>> unless you're using it wrong."
>
> However, I'm not clear why you say that. For example, the Pembrokeshire
> Coastal Path totals about 186 miles, which I doubt can be adequately
> represented in just 200 waypoints. The version I've downloaded from the
> web has 642 waypoints and still doesn't follow it closely when compared
> to a 1:25000 OS map.
>
> Also, the difference between the 200 waypoints per route limit and the
> 10,000 waypoints per track is huge - I wonder why?
>
> Sounds like I'm still missing the point - care to explain?

How far can you walk in a day? Seriously?

--
77. If I have a fit of temporary insanity and decide to give the hero
the chance to reject a job as my trusted lieutentant, I will retain
enough sanity to wait until my current trusted lieutenant is out of
earshot before making the offer. --Anspach's Evil Overlord List

On 27/09/2011 23:13, Mike Coon wrote:
> Nemo wrote:
>> Also, the difference between the 200 waypoints per route limit and the
>> 10,000 waypoints per track is huge - I wonder why?
>>
>> Sounds like I'm still missing the point - care to explain?
>
> That's easy - you are supposed to set up the waypoints in advance and then
> follow the route from one waypoint to the next. If they are so close
> together then you need a robot to follow the route because it would be so
> boring! Whereas trackpoints are meant to be set up by the device
> automatically (following some rule like a %age deviation from a straight
> line) so the track as a whole shows where you have been after the event.
> It's much more interesting for sailors!
>
> Mike.

But that's not the case in the example I gave (Pembrokeshire Coastal
Path), is it?

On 28/09/2011 03:34, Peter H. Coffin wrote:
> On Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:32:11 +0100, Nemo wrote:
>> Thanks for your response Peter, it's becoming clearer. Especially the
>> difference between routes and tracks.
>>
>>> Of yours? 200, IIRC. The practical answer is "you won't get that high
>>> unless you're using it wrong."
>>
>> However, I'm not clear why you say that. For example, the Pembrokeshire
>> Coastal Path totals about 186 miles, which I doubt can be adequately
>> represented in just 200 waypoints. The version I've downloaded from the
>> web has 642 waypoints and still doesn't follow it closely when compared
>> to a 1:25000 OS map.
>>
>> Also, the difference between the 200 waypoints per route limit and the
>> 10,000 waypoints per track is huge - I wonder why?
>>
>> Sounds like I'm still missing the point - care to explain?
>
> How far can you walk in a day? Seriously?
>

What has that to do with anything? See the example I gave.

BTW: The waypoints-per-route limit is 250, not 200.

Nemo wrote:
> On 27/09/2011 23:13, Mike Coon wrote:
>> Nemo wrote:
>>> Also, the difference between the 200 waypoints per route limit and
>>> the 10,000 waypoints per track is huge - I wonder why?
>>>
>>> Sounds like I'm still missing the point - care to explain?
>>
>> That's easy - you are supposed to set up the waypoints in advance
>> and then follow the route from one waypoint to the next. If they are
>> so close together then you need a robot to follow the route because
>> it would be so boring! Whereas trackpoints are meant to be set up by
>> the device automatically (following some rule like a %age deviation
>> from a straight line) so the track as a whole shows where you have
>> been after the event. It's much more interesting for sailors!
>>
>> Mike.
>
> But that's not the case in the example I gave (Pembrokeshire Coastal
> Path), is it?

What's not the case? Sure you casn generate high numbers of waypoints.
Garmin devices have long had functions to turn trackpoints into waypoints,
but usually only a subset. The point is the practicality and utility of high
numbers of waypoints; who is going to use them and how? If there is a path,
just follow it!

Mike.
--
If reply address is Mike@@mjcoon.+.com (invalid), remove spurious "@"
and substitute "plus" for +.