In a nutshell, operating ANY model of GARMIN GPS collar (and some Tri-tronic e-collar transmitters) in the great white north is a no-no because the devices broadcast on a radio frequency that cannot be used without a license up here. Of course, the department in charge of regulating telecommunication frequencies in Canada is interested in compliance, not enforcement. There are no squads of radio-cops lurking behind hay bales on the prairies of Saskatchewan looking for offenders. So I am sure Astros and Alphas have been used in Canada for years by people willing to take the risk of maybe getting some sort of radio-rule ticket from...well, I have no idea who would actually hand them out.
Now, however, the latest software updates for Astros and Alphas includes a 'fix' that makes the device automatically turn the dog tracking feature off when it detects that it is outside of the US (being a GPS device, it knows where it is!). So anyone currently running an Astro or Alpha outside of the US is faced with a choice: either update the software and lose the ability to use it anywhere but in the US or leave the old version on the device and risk it quickly becoming obsolete. You would also have to say goodbye to any warranty repairs since sending it in for servicing would almost certainly mean a software update in the repair shop.
So are hunters and field trialers in Canada out of luck? Will all the nice Americans who come here every year to hunt and participate in field trials be forced to run their dogs without GPS collars (or at the very least, with them automatically turned off via the new software tweak)?
Nope. There is an alternative. The Sportdog Tek 1.0 is made in two versions, one that is legal in Canada and one that is made for the US market. The newer 2.0 model coming out in September will be an international model, compatible with rules on both sides of the border.
I've written a lot more on my blog here: http://pointingdogblog.blogspot.ca/2014 ... north.html
