A BalloonPong Guide to..... The Garmin Dakota 10
by JOE ZVADA

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Normally I embrace new technology, but I've avoided touch screen GPS's for use in ballooning, thinking that frantic in-flight waypoint entries be made tougher using a touch screen.  However, recent circumstances with my current GPSs, a Garmin 76 (lost) and a Garmin 60 (broken), combined with the fact that a Dakota 10 was the Balloon Fiesta Pilot Gift has opened the door for me to embrace the touch screen.  

I've not flown with it yet in a competition, but I've tried to put it through its paces in other activities.  So far I've been pleasantly surprised by it's functionality.  The touch screen can be frustrating at times and I find myself wanting to hit a non existent home button.  But waypoints are much easier to input and the screen is surprisingly easy to read in the sunlight.

Since so many people are using the Dakota 10 and I'm sure many more have an un-opened box from Fiesta, I thought I'd share my experiences.  Here is how I've set it up to the current BFA logger rules and personal preference.  You should check the rules for each comp you attend as the Event Director can change some of these settings.


1.  System
  •  Enable WAAS. - Wide Area Augmentation System.  According to the Garmin website, WAAS is a system of satellites and ground stations designed to give you up to 5x better position accuracy.     

2.  Display
  • Set your back light to Stay On.  Otherwise you'll constantly have to tap the screen to see the data
  • Set Battery Save Off.  This keeps the GPS from shutting down due to inactivity.  
  • Calibrate the Screen.  This makes the touchscreen better to use

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Also See:

A Guide to.....MAP FOLDING

A Look Back at Fiesta
3.  Map
  • I set my map Orientation to North Up.  Meaning that the map is always aligned with north at the top.  You can set it to align with your track if that is what you prefer.
  • Set Auto Zoom Off.  This will allow you to scroll through the map without having it automatically returning to your current location randomly.
  • I have my Data Fields set to 2.  Meaning I have two data boxes on my map (Heading and Bearing)

4.  Tracks
  • Set tracks to Record and Show.
  • Set record method to Time
  • Set record interval to 3 seconds.

5.  Units
  • Set Distance and Speed to Metric.
  • Set Elevation to Feet.  (unless you are from most other countries)

6.  Position Format 
  • Set Position Format to UTM UPS.
  • Set Map Datum to WGS 84.
     
7. Heading
  • Display in Numeric Degrees
  • I set my North Reference to Magnetic so it matches my hand held compass readings.



This is a basic setup for balloon competitions.  In the next part, we'll discuss how to use the Trip Computer, Map, and Manage Waypoints.