Tracking collars

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LBH
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Tracking collars

Post by LBH » Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:13 am

It's about time to invest in one of these....what do you guys use for your trial dogs?

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Cajun Casey
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by Cajun Casey » Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:29 am

Garmin. Longest distance it had to perform was three miles at Grove Spring. The dog wanted ice cream, what can I say?
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dan v
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by dan v » Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:34 am

I know a few people will disagree.....but for retrieval....radio telemetry. I know people that think the Garmin is the bomb for training, but they hang the trackers on at the events.
Dan

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crazyboy
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by crazyboy » Wed Sep 14, 2011 11:33 am

Bit the bullet and ordered the garmin. Seems to be the most popular.

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mudhunter
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by mudhunter » Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:01 pm

I love the garmin for training and hunting and use it in trials. But the tracker has some advantages in a stritcly trial situation, longer range, longer battery life and less chance of the collar and the reciever not comunicating.

I personaly will keep using the garmin, my dogs have yet to run out of its range but I do know some people have had it happen.

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Ricky Ticky Shorthairs
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by Ricky Ticky Shorthairs » Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:59 pm

Tracker for trials. Tracker and Garmin for hunting.

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c.rhea
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by c.rhea » Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:11 pm

I use a Tracker Maxima with Strike collars. Never had an issue yet. I have always found my dogs. Never lost a signal, even running Dash. Whether he is running or pointing, I still find him. I know several people that have tried the Garmin on AA Dogs like Dash, the results were disappointing to them.

The steep canyons out here make the communication on the Garmin a little Sketchy, so I am told. I would really like to try one though.

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Dirtysteve
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by Dirtysteve » Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:20 pm

Lantz
I got a Garmin and I lose contact all the time but I just keep walking to where I last had him and I will pick them up again. I really like mine as I can see where my dogs are, were, and going to. I also get the total miles they ran. It is fun to play with. If I owned Dash I would also run a Tracker maxima. He can cover more ground faster that the Garmin can keep up with :mrgreen:

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Re: Tracking collars

Post by topher40 » Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:34 pm

Tracker Maxima. Proven, reliable, and trustworthy. buy a Garmin and you will be kicking yourself next year after they upgrade them again. Also you can pull a tracker out and use it with no training or brain work. Seems to be the Garmin takes more effort than its worth!
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original mngsp
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by original mngsp » Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:05 pm

My Garmin is a great training and hunting tool. I use it in trials too as I sold off my tracker awhile back.

If it was solely about recovery of a lost dog, I think a good telemetry system is still the best and most reliable.

If a guy was smart i think he would own both.

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Brushbustin Sporting Dogs
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by Brushbustin Sporting Dogs » Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:34 pm

When talking telemetry its my understanding that the marshal unit is far superior to the tracker unit. The garmin is good but does have its holes in rough terrain.
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by kensfishing » Wed Sep 14, 2011 6:03 pm

I use both the Garmin for hunting and training, the tracker for trials. The Marshall by far is the best for big running dogs as for pin pointing. The Tracker has issues with direction at times. But I won't turn any dog loose without something on them.

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Ahumphers91a
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by Ahumphers91a » Wed Sep 14, 2011 9:53 pm

How much is a Marshall one dog unit?

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Chief_dog
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by Chief_dog » Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:32 am

I use the tracker for field trials. Garmin and tracker while hunting. I've lost signal way too many times with the Garmin to trust it.

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dan v
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by dan v » Thu Sep 15, 2011 6:06 am

Ahumphers91a wrote:How much is a Marshall one dog unit?
Pretty cheap on the used market. Here's the deal though. I have a Tracker and a Marshall. The Tracker is pretty sweet to carry on foot. The Marshall? Nice to carry from horseback.
Dan

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Re: Tracking collars

Post by Brushbustin Sporting Dogs » Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:08 am

Wyndancer, you are correct that marshal unit is huge. Even kinda big on the side of a saddle, but it is efficient and seems to be pretty fast as well. From what I've seen.
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Re: Tracking collars

Post by DogNewbie » Thu Sep 15, 2011 4:05 pm

So, for the Marshall users - when hunting with the unit are you solely using it on horseback? Any of you just keep the receiver in your truck as a just in case kinda thing? I'm looking for a cheap way to ease my mind about a lost dog out in the field. Most the time I'm grouse hunting longing trails and would be at most an hour and a half from the car. I figured I could just leave the receiver in the car and if need be go back and get it to find my dog? Thoughts?

Tim

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Re: Tracking collars

Post by DGFavor » Thu Sep 15, 2011 6:14 pm

So, for the Marshall users - when hunting with the unit are you solely using it on horseback? Any of you just keep the receiver in your truck as a just in case kinda thing? I'm looking for a cheap way to ease my mind about a lost dog out in the field. Most the time I'm grouse hunting longing trails and would be at most an hour and a half from the car. I figured I could just leave the receiver in the car and if need be go back and get it to find my dog? Thoughts?
All the tele units are pretty similar in performance - they just vary in size. The biggest key is knowing how to use them. Personally, for hunting, IMO, it's dang hard to beat a Tracker system. The reciever fits right in your pocket or carry it on your belt - it's quick to pull out, get a direction, stick back in your pocket. You'd never leave the truck without it and be kicking yourself for being an hour or two from the truck with a lost dog carrying his part of the system and you not carrying yours. If you want to enhance the performance of it a bit, you can buy an attachable 3 or 5 element yagi that maybe bumps the range a bit and definitely narrows the direction. I have one and carry it at times in a holster that carries like a quiver on my back in places like HellsCanyon where a dog could get good and deep in some canyons and you'd want the extra performance without hiking back to your car (usually either a long ways up or a long ways down - then reverse to go back where you came from to look for the dog)...I've never had to use it, the H antennae set up works great alone. I love mine for training/trialing as well - out trialing it's not uncommon to give the dog a 20" headstart on you before you pull your tracking system of choice and they can be a long ways in some tough places. Tele has never failed me yet...unless I didn't turn it on or let the batteries go dead. :wink: I've seen multiple folks pull their Garmins in those situations and never have them link back up to the dog and had that happen myself with them out hunting where I hunted a spot, loaded up, turned my handheld off, went to a different spot, turned the dogs loose, turned the handheld back on and got nothing. I should add though, that I have seen folks pull their Garmins as I described, turn them back on and have them work fine as well going right to their dogs - fidgety little deals. Gave mine away.

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Re: Tracking collars

Post by Ahumphers91a » Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:13 pm

Wyndancer wrote:
Ahumphers91a wrote:How much is a Marshall one dog unit?
Pretty cheap on the used market. Here's the deal though. I have a Tracker and a Marshall. The Tracker is pretty sweet to carry on foot. The Marshall? Nice to carry from horseback.
ok, well im no horseback trialer, gona do as much walking stakes as possible.

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Re: Tracking collars

Post by dan v » Fri Sep 16, 2011 6:42 am

Ahumphers91a wrote:
Wyndancer wrote:
Ahumphers91a wrote:How much is a Marshall one dog unit?
Pretty cheap on the used market. Here's the deal though. I have a Tracker and a Marshall. The Tracker is pretty sweet to carry on foot. The Marshall? Nice to carry from horseback.
ok, well im no horseback trialer, gona do as much walking stakes as possible.
Well be patient...you'll find a screaming deal on a used Tracker.
Dan

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Re: Tracking collars

Post by hi-tailyn » Sun Sep 18, 2011 4:08 pm

The Marshall, Tracker, Garmin all have their plus's and faults. Marshal probably longest range and most directional. Tracker most compact. Garmin most direct to where your dog is. All will lose signal at some time. Either through trees, canyons etc. I have had each of these. I use Garmin now. I put my New Marshall collar and my New Garmin collar next to each other and went 1 1/2 miles across my training lease over hills, and had no signal from either collars. Marshall had faint ping, but not in the direction which I knew the collars were. Garmin had nothing, but showed where the dog was when we lost contact. I put on Garmin hand held long range antenna and the Garmin showed exactly where the collars were. I had to go to top of hill for the Marshall to pick enough signal to point in the correct direction.

For hunting and training where you can leave Garmin turned on continually, nothing can beat the Garmin at finding your dog quickly. If you lose signal, just like the trackers you go to high ground and you will get reconnected. The Garmin uses a lower radio frequency which actually has more up and down in their wave. (don't know correct term for this) But with this wave it will reach over hills and down valleys better than a tracker will. The tracker with shorter waves will travel farther than Garmin will. Which you will need, because it will take you longer to determine which direction your dog went. Unless you have the tracker on and holding it the whole time you are training or hunting.

At trials it becomes a coin toss. You haft to do the same if no connection is made with tracker or Garmin. Go to high ground. With the Garmin you will probably need to use one of the long range antennas. When using the tracker at trials I have myself and see guys every time ride one direction then back in forth thinking they are getting a stronger signal. Once you get signal with Garmin you know almost exactly with a few yards where your dog is. Can't count the number of times I have gone from one side of a stand of trees back and forth thinking the dog is pointing then moving then pointing again. Thinking he is sure finding a lot of birds. But once I switched to Garmin It showed they were always on point and they were buried up on point only 10 yds from me the whole time.

I have a almost brand new Marshall, only use a dozen time for sale with two collars for $1000. Which is less than the price of just the receiver. I also have a D & L receiver with a assortment of tracking collars for sale for best offer.
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