Gun Dog Forum

I bought a Garmin 430. I THOUGHT but did not ask how long the dog needed to be on point before the astro would notify me. On my new collar it takes 10 to 20 seconds before I get the beep. Today I saw the dog on solid point across a creek. I crossed the creek and advanced 20 yards before the beep came. The point notification is why I bought the collar. Disappointed!!

It takes as long as your update is set. I think I have mine set at a 2.5 second update, so roughly 5-7 seconds.

Many years ago, when beeper collars were new, I went hunting with a guy that had just bought one for his dog. At the end of the day, he said, isn't that beeper collar a great thing. I replied, "Yes, I loved being audibly notified every time your dog stopped to take a crap".

I have a Garmin today and it seems like it might take about 10 to 15 seconds. That seems about right to me, that is long enough that it doesn't go off every time the dog randomly stops for a few seconds.

rinker wrote:Many years ago, when beeper collars were new, I went hunting with a guy that had just bought one for his dog. At the end of the day, he said, isn't that beeper collar a great thing. I replied, "Yes, I loved being audibly notified every time your dog stopped to take a crap".

I have a Garmin today and it seems like it might take about 10 to 15 seconds. That seems about right to me, that is long enough that it doesn't go off every time the dog randomly stops for a few seconds.

Agreed. I can’t say how long it takes because I’m rarely in sight when the dog goes on point anyway but the delay is so your gps doesn’t do off everytime your dog stops for any reason.

I set my updates pretty high. I think it saves the battery. The notification time is fairly long. getting notified a few seconds sooner does not change much. If the birds hold and the dog is steady it saves a lot problems with birdless pauses...Cj

Thanks for the replies. Set at 2.5 seconds. Guess that is as good as it gets. She has an honest point. Still will be good in heavy cover. First day I used it she found a covey that I would have called her off of if I had not known where she was. She was totally in a different direction from where I last saw her and working the breeze. By her movement I knew she was on scent.

Getting used to it now. Yesterday she was 400yds into the wind across a canyon I did not want to cross. Today she was working into the wind in a straight line 140 yds out. We wanted to return to the truck so I buzzed her. Just as I did the point alert came on. Crap. Luckily she dissed me. She was on another covey. There my grandson used the last of his ammo. A Garmin tracking collar is no longer an option. This is an all age dog in heavy cover.

I always use 2.5 sec update the batteries last a couple days 3 or 4 half days. That works for me. Mine seems more like 6 or 7 seconds. It's fast enough that I watch it for a couple seconds to see if they start moving. If they do it was a bathroom break.

I use the lithium batteries on 2.5 seconds. Have 16 hrs of hunting on one set of lithium batteries with about 200 point notifications.