Recommend a GPS collar

[gundoglover]

I have lost my dog one to many times now...she runs real big. One day we lost her in the woods for 5 hours, it got dark and we had to leave, luckily a person who lives nearby found her and called us.

So I was thinking I should get her a tracking system. Can someone give me a recommendation? I am prepared to spend up to $700 or $800, but that would be a tough pill to swallow (still better than losing a dog I have invested several thousand into). I hope to only pay $400-500.

Thanks for any recommendation!

[Melvin4730]

Garmin

[Sharon]

http://www.gundogsonline.com/dog-tracki ... ystem.html

[larue]

it depends on what you want,the garmin is small easy to use but has a delay and the one I used lost the dogs around 3/4 of a mile.
I use the older radio tech,mine is an f and l.I would suggest getting a yagi antenna and pick any of the good collars to go with it.
You can track a dog miles away with this setup,no pretty map just point and listen.
It is bigger than a garmin,but you can track along way.

a link to there websight
http://www.radiotracking.com/dogs.html

[larue]

I just looked on ebay,you can find a number of used telemetry units cheap as evey one is going to the garmin,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/F-L-Electronics ... 3380b4a42c

[GrayDawg]

Garmin Astro.

[rinker]

The Garmin 220's can be found pretty cheap, because the guys are upgrading to the 320, or alpha. Look on the hound sites, like UKC.

[RayGubernat]

I have both types. They have their advantages and disadvantages.

The Garmin Astro(I have a 220) is a much more precise locating system but the range is restricted to about a mile or so unless you have the long range antenna whichextends the range about 5o% or so i am told. The Garmin Astro collar also runs out of juice fairly quickly, especially if you have the refresh rate up to 5 seconds.

Soooo, if your dog gets way out there when it gets gone, or can be gone overnight... the Garmin astro might not be your best option. Also, if you turn the unit off, it can take several minutes to acquire sattelites and the signal. If the signal from the collar cannot be located, you get a ? and a readout of how far the dog was when the unit last had a collar signal...which might have been yesterday at a place fifty miles from where you are now.

I have a Tracker Maxima as well. The effective range on the Tracker is about 7 miles. It does not give you a readout of how far the dog is, just a directional arrow and a beeper. However, if you swing the receiver back and forth in an arc about the maximum signal you can get a real good idea as to range. If you adjust the max signal to about 20% volume and u swing away from the max signal and you can swing a foot to the left or right before the signal is lost, the dog is pretty close. If you swing a couple of inches either way and the signal drops off, the dog is way out there. It takes some getting used to, but it can get you right on to your dog. if you have a YAGI antenna, which is a bigger and much more sensitive detector array, you can get out to 12 miles or more, especially if you are standing in the bed of a pickup.

The Tracker radio collar, with a fresh battery will last for a long time. Some batteries will last for a week or more. Also, if you remember to write down the radio frequency of the collar, folks with full function trackers can tune into that frequency and help with the search.

If you look around on the net, you can get a good unit of either type for about what you are looking to spend. I just bought a new tracker maxima receiver with all five bands, for $400. A good Marshall radio collar is about $160.

I have seen Astro 220 units for sale, new, on the net, in the $400 range. The newer ones(320,etc) have some nice features, but they cost more.

The thing i really like about both the tracker and the Astro is the fact that i can, at last, know what the dog is doing when it is out of my sight. It makes training for some things, so much easier. If I see that the dog is heading away in a direction I do not wish it to go, I can call the dog...and if it does not turn...nick it with the e-collar to remind it that It should come back in.

Anymore, if I had to choose between an e-collar and a tracking collar for training, I would opt for the tracking device becaus it lets me know where the dog is and what it is doing.

RayG

[DonF]

I have half a sport dog unit. They claim up to 7 miles, couldn't prove it by me. Have lost him at under a mile once to often. I got mine from Gun Dog supply and the first unit only made it about a month and a half before giving up the ghost. Sport Dog wouldn't refund my money because I didn't get it from them. Second unit lasted a couple weeks and never worked right, finally the collar quit working all together. Third unit didn't make it a month either, couldn't find the dog at all. Fourth unit the collar went haywire again. Still have the receiver but the collar has been gone to Sport dog about a week and a half now. I am on first name term's with their customer service people. Very nice people, should work for someone that makes a good product!

I'll let you have mine for just what I paid for it, if I ever get the collar back. Soon as I can afford it I'm going to Garmin!

[hi-tailyn]

I have both Marshall and Garmin. For training, hunting and now even at trials I only use the Garmin. When hunting, and training you would normally have the receiver on which is constantly tracking your dog. If it looses contact. You still know exactly what direction they were going and where they were. You just haft to go in their direction or head for higher ground to get better reception.

With Garmin you can find almost any dog in a hour of following where they are. Chasing a deer, you may need to attach the hand held external antenna that will reach out 3-4 miles in most country.

With Garmin, at a trial you will only be 15 min. most often w/o some sight of dog before out of contention. When running your dog, If you mute the tone and can't see face of receiver you can give unit to judge with unit still turned on. So If you loose your dog. You know immediately where your dog is, or what direction it was going.
Never had a dog lost for more than 1-2 hours with the Garmin.

Have lost for 1-2 hours a dog that was less than 1/2 mile from me. Just kept going in circles waving tracker in the air trying to pin point where dog was.

Just saying what has worked better for myself.

[Jagerdawg]

How well do these GPS collars work in the grouse woods? I had a handheld garmin eleven years ago and getting reception in the woods was almost impossible. How much have they improved?

[gundoglover]

Some good food for thought here. The garmins look good as the handheld looks easily packable. Being that I would use it more for emergencies where the dog is lost and its getting dark etc. I would want something that has a long battery life and long range.

Jagerdawg has a good question about the applicability of these devices in timbered areas as I too go grouse hunting. I wonder also how the garmins work? Does the collar connect to satellites, then the handheld connect to the collar, or do they both connect to a satellite?

[Wenaha]

Some good food for thought here. The garmins look good as the handheld looks easily packable. Being that I would use it more for emergencies where the dog is lost and its getting dark etc. I would want something that has a long battery life and long range.

Jagerdawg has a good question about the applicability of these devices in timbered areas as I too go grouse hunting. I wonder also how the garmins work? Does the collar connect to satellites, then the handheld connect to the collar, or do they both connect to a satellite?

I am told the Astro works pretty well in heavy cover. I cannot vouch for that. The bis problem is that you can lose contact in very hilly country. The collar communicates with the satellite, and uses radio signals to update the handheld unit.

I have been using an Astro fir some time and it is a quality unit -- I would not like to run a dog without it. Getting spoiled, I guess.

[jimbo&rooster]

I have a garmin, and it is OK, but when I am out of state at a trial I use my telemetry unit. I am more confident in my Tracker than I am in the garmin unit.

Jim

[Elkhunter]

Astro is good for not loosing a dog, since it allows you to keep track of them and know if they are getting out of hand. Telemetry is the best option for "recovering" a dog that is lost.

[Neil]

Garmin.

[DoubleBarrel GunDogs]

I have a Garmin Alpha and have had the opportunity to test it hunting quail in California. The unit has worked well and loss of signal hasn't been a problem.
I purchased mine from Lion Country Supply. Garmin has a good website and videos for you to view on this unit.
If you currently use and own an e collar that you like, the Garmin Astro is a less expensive option. However you will be without the e-collar and gps locator all in one unit. Also keep in mind that you'll need to keep track of two systems with this option. This can be a real hassle, particularly if you run more than one dog.
I've been using my old DT 2 dog system for training and running flushing dogs, but prefer the Garmin Alpha while running a pointer.
You can avoid the giraffe syndrome in using your 2 collars by including an info tag on the e-collar and removing his regular collar while hunting. But again you'll still have 2 separate system/units to deal with.

Nate

[roaniecowpony]

I've had a Garmin Astro 320 and now have the Alpha. Both are excellent, although the Alpha has a steeper learning curve to use.

I'm not an expert on the Alpha, I just use a few features of the many it can do. I will say that it has an excellent version of the Tritronics Pro system that I actually like better than using my Tritronics Pro because you can get a bit more flexibility if you use the Hickox "notify & correct" method and now I'm using tone option as a recall/turn in command to replace a whistle command.

[roaniecowpony]

If you go with a Garmin Alpha, make sure you read this thread viewtopic.php?f=81&t=42092

[mask]

I use an astro and a tracker collar. The country we hunt is rough, steep, and big. The tracker will usually pick up a signal when the astro will not. The tracker will not give you distance or exact direction but it works well enough that if I could only have one it would be a tracker.

[Neil]

I use an astro and a tracker collar. The country we hunt is rough, steep, and big. The tracker will usually pick up a signal when the astro will not. The tracker will not give you distance or exact direction but it works well enough that if I could only have one it would be a tracker.

Take care of the Tracker you have, cause when it breaks you won't be able to get a new one.

I would guess Garmin has 90% of the hunting dog market, that ought to tell you which system is best.

[DoubleBarrel GunDogs]

If you go with a Garmin Alpha, make sure you read this thread viewtopic.php?f=81&t=42092

I did have this problem once. I think I'll add an ID tag, and remove the dog collar when using the Alpha.

Thanks,

Nate