CoonDawgs.com
http://coondawgs.com/forum/

New Garmin Tracking System
http://coondawgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=44465
Page 12 of 13

Author:  coonscry [ Wed May 27, 2009 3:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

MTCoonHunter wrote:
In my area the actual water marks that the Garmin shows me aren't necessarily perfectly accurate. On my screen I can see my dog is actually in the lake, but really he's not. He's on a pennisula. Perhaps if I downloaded stuff I'd have a really accurate screen, but I am quite okay with the readings I have.


Mine was doing the same thing with the water. I have 2 comments. One is that it apparently shows high water marks. Which one lake I hunt is rarely that full so I suppose the dog is by definition in the lake bed. The garmin has no way of telling where the water level is. The other is that if you zoom in, you can get alot better detail and probably be able to tell that your dog is on the penninsula.

Author:  doghunter [ Tue Jul 28, 2009 12:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

The roof mount antenna and the long range antenna both make a huge difference. They about double your distance.

Here in Florida we only get about a mile if we are lucky. Never over 2 miles.

The dc 30 collars do not get anymore distance where I hunt but they do hold up a lot better (no broken antennas).

If you are having trouble with loss of range after you use the unit a while. It may be because you are using a radio in close proximity to the unit. Garmin now admits using a raadio with over 25 watts close to your unit can damage it.

I would like to know what exactly is being damaged so may be we could find an after market fix.

Author:  coonhunter79 [ Tue Sep 22, 2009 3:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

i got my garmin right after they came out with them,the dc20 i didnt like it because it turned around allways upside down so i would tape it to the other collar,and it was very hard on antennas and the backing plate .i got the dc30 and i love it i will not turn my dogs loose without it, we hunt in alot of hilly country and it might loose my dogs for a few seconds but it always picks them right back up. my oppinioun its the best tracker on the market,mine has outdone the tracker brand sev eral times

Author:  WV Bearchaser [ Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

I get upto 3 miles with mine in Wv. :D

Author:  zebradunn [ Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

I have been skimming through the post and it seems that I should try the garmin astro. Where is a good place to buy one. I have been looking around but does anyone know where to find a good deal on a setup for 3 hounds.

Author:  ArmyTaco [ Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

Looks like thing are getting better with the tracking system. I am wanting to get one but I am not sure how the newest systems are coming along. I have talked to some folks who do not like them, but I do not know how old a system is, Anyone got the newest one? I have seen one in a wide open line of sight get 7.47 miles. I would think 4-5 miles would be more than enough if I could get that in the woods.

Author:  doghunter [ Wed Oct 14, 2009 7:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

I have just started hunting again with my Garmin after getting the upgraded board that is supposed to prevent it from getting fried from using a high radio at close to it.

Hunted each night from dark to about 8:00 the next morning. I also had two other garmins friends had tracking my collars.

My roof mount antenna was not working for some reason I guess I slammed it in the door or something so I had to use the regular antenna that comes with it. Both friends also had the regular antenna.

If laying on the dash or in the cradle with antenna touching the windshield I would get about 400 yards before loosing signal. If I held it upright or stepped out of the truck with it I could get right at .5 miles but not an inch farther. This was true with all three Garmins tracking a total of 4 different collars.

I have ordered another roof mount antenna and it should be here before this weekend and I will report back. So far so good with the new board I just wish the tracking range was better.

There is also some good infomation on BigGameHoundsmen.com

Author:  chasefan31 [ Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

I just ordered one. After searching at least 10 hound related online stores I found it on Amazon for $493. I know it's not supporting our dog supply stores, but couldn't turn down that much price difference. It's the exact model number and has all the exact accessories with it as all the other places selling it and is brand new. It's not one of their "buy it used" deals. Signed up for amazon prime which gave me either free 2 day shipping or 3.99 1 day shipping. I'll cancel that as soon as it gets here and it won't cost me a cent. So it's supposed to be here tomorrow for a grand total of $497. I would have done the free 2 day shipping but didn't want to risk waiting til monday to get it since the weekend is coming up. Can't wait to try it out since my dog has treed out of hearing distance several times in the last couple weeks. I'll post a review after I've used it a couple nights. The wife isn't too happy but I think she'll enjoy me getting home earlier instead of out all night searching for dogs.

Author:  coonhunter79 [ Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

i have had the garmin for about two years,and it works just fine in the hills where we hunt as well as the flat ground i would highly recomend anyone that wants a tracking system to get one "get em treed walker style"

Author:  chasefan31 [ Fri Nov 13, 2009 7:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

Got mine today. I haven't had it out to try it on the dog yet, but I did load a detailed 24k topo map of my area and surrounding counties. It's amazing some of the stuff those maps can show. I setup about 50 waypoints already including starting points of all my hunting spots on the computer before I transfered it to the unit. I was even able to tell exactly where my river crossings are since the topo maps show where the hills/ditches around them. As long as the dog part works decent the GPS part alone is going to make it much easier to hunt. I don't think I'd get as much out of it if I hadn't loaded the detailed maps.

Author:  chasefan31 [ Sat Nov 14, 2009 10:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

Well After having it out on a squirrel hunt and then a coon hunt today I love it. Never lost the dog, but I did notice when I transfered the tracks to the computer afterwards that some of the legs went more than 5 seconds. I assume that means it didn't communicate during those times? Never lost signal though. Only got about 200yards from the dog so hard to tell. I hunted a really small section full of coon so he didn't get to stretch his legs much. One thing I was thinking about when I almost dropped it once was they should put a button on the dog collar that's like a "find receiver" mode. If I dropped the handheld I'd be screwed. Maybe add a function to make it beep loud or something. I suppose you could backtrack with the collar and keep making it report treed so it beeps or something, but something like "phone home" would make me feel better about carrying $500 around in my pocket at night. It does take a while to sync up with the collar sometimes. I turned it on as soon as I parked the truck and had to hold the dog for over a minute before it communicated. How tight is everyone putting the collar on? I had it a little looser than a e-collar and it kept sliding around and the heavy box part didn't always stay on the bottom of his neck, so the antena wouldn't stay pointed up at all. Maybe it doesn't make much difference. Overall I don't see how I ever hunted without one. Gives you so much info about the hunt and your dog it's amazing.

Author:  Will M. [ Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

I put my dc-30 collar on snug because when the collar get's wet it stretches some and then it's just right.

Author:  MTCoonHunter [ Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

It would be nice to have a way to find the hand-held unit. I just make sure it's in a snug pocket and every so often I make sure I haven't dropped it.
As far as how tight the collar goes... I have my dog's ecollar on the same collar as my dc20. The dc20 is so top-heavy though that I eventually set up more weights for the bottom of the collar so it wouldn't slide around and also so I wouldn't have to choke my dog having the collar so tight. So my dog looks kinda ghetto... I have a few big, heavy nuts tied to the bottom. Collar is still quite snug, but it sure doesn't have to choke him anymore.

Author:  ccsd34 [ Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

ive had my unit with one collar for a few months and I love it. I have two young dogs and it is so much more relaxing to know where the dogs are when I turn them loose. I will be ordering another collar for the other dog in the coming weeks. I havnt used any of the topo software for it yet but may look into that after reading some of these posts.

Author:  chasefan31 [ Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: New Garmin Tracking System

ccsd, I wouldn't buy the maps from Garmin. I think they charge $100. There are lots of websites and people who offer them free to download. I got mine here http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/. The 24k are the most detailed if you can find one of your area.