Garmin Astro

[richmond_rod]

I have been thinking about buying one of these systems and I have a couple of questions .

I see them for sale at LCS with a few extras , most notably the counter weighted collar and an upgraded antenna for $579 . I also see them on Amazon for as low as $450 . Quite a price difference , aside from the counter weighted collar and antenna upgrade is this apples to apples , the same thing for $130 less ?

I have read about lots of broken and missing antennas. Have any of you that already own one used the after market stub antenna and if so does it negatively affect your range to any great degree ?

Finally has anyone heard about Garmin coming out with the next generation , a new and improved version of the Astro , any ideas on a release date ? I'd hate to make such a big investment only to find out a month later they came out with a new and improved model .

Thanks ,

........rodney

[richmond_rod]

35 views no responses , hmmm wonder it it's my breath

[natetnc]

sorry, don't kow anything about the specifics of the astro. they are too pricey for me and since my dogs run fairly short a beeper does just fine.

i have heard of antenna problems in the thickest of grouse cover but anywhere else you should be fine. have not heard of a new model coming out but then again i havent been looking. i will say this, there have been a number of folks trying to get rid of them. that comment says nothing about the astro itself, it is just a fact. my assumption is that people get them and find out they are more than what they bargained for (maybe too difficult to use in the field, so many features they will never use them all, ect) heck i feel that way with my outdated handheld gps.

there are some on here who have or have had them, maybe they will get back to you

[phermes1]

i will say this, there have been a number of folks trying to get rid of them. that comment says nothing about the astro itself, it is just a fact.

I've noticed that too. It looks like a really cool toy online, but I have to wonder why used ones keep showing up for sale.

I'm in no hurry to get one and the $500+ is better spent on other things. I plan on waiting until the transmitter gets to a more practical size and they resolve the antenna issues before considering one for purchase. Ideally, they'll manage to shrink it small enough to be approved for field trials, but I think that day is a LONG way off.

[richmond_rod]

When I do the math and add everything up a $500 investment that will potentially keep me from losing my dog is worthwhile , sort of like an insurance policy , even if you never need to use it there is a certain peace of mind that comes from having it . Having the $500 to spend on other things is pointless if you lose your dog , unless of course you use that money to buy a replacement dog .

.................rodney

[natetnc]

sort of like an insurance policy

that will get you into trouble.... quick. most dogs that get lost make it back in a reasonable time, its the things that happen in between that get them into trouble and for the most part it would be hard to run them down before they got into whatever.

[phermes1]

When I do the math and add everything up a $500 investment that will potentially keep me from losing my dog is worthwhile , sort of like an insurance policy , even if you never need to use it there is a certain peace of mind that comes from having it . Having the $500 to spend on other things is pointless if you lose your dog , unless of course you use that money to buy a replacement dog .

.................rodney

GPS technology, while unbeatable for navigation both on land and on water, is at its earliest stages when it comes to practical use for hunting dogs. Give it a few years and it'll catch up, no doubt. Until then, I'll spend the $500 on a regular old tracking collar. They might not be as user-friendly as an Astro, but they're reliable and time-tested.

[nj gsp]

I wonder if Tri Tronics would ever come out with a combination GPS/E-collar? I think seem to remember that I might have heard a rumor they were doing just that, but maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part.

[PrairieGoat]

I hadn't really thought about one of these before, but the last 5 days I was on vacation up in the mountains and one could have definitely come in handy. One afternoon we took the pup out for a walk through the black timber where I generally hunt elk....turned out to be a very nerve racking experience, I was more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! My pup ranged out at his normal range which in this case was completely out of sight. Add to this scenario the many excursions chasing squirrels and/or rabbits and I could see disaster written all over it. He did have his e-collar on and I have trained him to check in with me when I use the "pager" function, but given the fact that he was totally unfamiliar with this country and could have easily gotten out of voice range (or gotten disoriented by echoes....happens extensively in mtns) even when paging him, he could have gone the exact opposite direction. Needless to say, we abandoned this exercise fairly quickly...

I was thinking the Astro would be just the trick for this kind of terrain, but it sounds like it may not.....hope someone chimes in that has used it in these types of conditions. I figure the best thing would be just leave my pup out of my black timber explorations, but I try to get him all the exercise and experience that I can given that he is confined to our backyard 5 days a week while my wife and I work. Of course all the exercise in the world isn't worth losing him....

[nj gsp]

I was talking with a guy last fall who hunts deer with his dogs (mostly leopard curs) on the east side of the Blue Ridge. He said the Astro was the best money he ever spent, as he can load in all the local topo maps, and find the roads and trails to get to the dogs quick when they are about to take down a deer. It's pretty rough country with heavy tree cover, and he said it works great.

[phermes1]

I was talking with a guy last fall who hunts deer with his dogs (mostly leopard curs) on the east side of the Blue Ridge. He said the Astro was the best money he ever spent, as he can load in all the local topo maps, and find the roads and trails to get to the dogs quick when they are about to take down a deer. It's pretty rough country with heavy tree cover, and he said it works great.

When it comes to GPS units, Garmin has it nailed. I have a Garmin 60CS and it is awesome. I took it grouse hunting in Maine last year and it is the main reason we're still not out there in the woods somewhere.

[phermes1]

Now THIS is more like it!!!

http://www.lcsupply.com/Product/New-Pro ... ollar.html



That collar looks a million times better than the previous version.