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-- Garmin Astro GPS Dog tracking system (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=167557)

I love mine.Was just wondering if anyone has used any of the accessories yet?Roof mount antenna?Stub antenna? or Dash mount?Personally I use the harness attached to my regular tracking collar.After loosing the harness and transmitter in the brush one night(thank god for gps LOL) I just stitched the collar strap on the harness into a permenent loop and haven't had a problem since.I didn't like using it with an e-collar because like someone else said it just kept trying to ride to the side.I've used mine in fog,heavy brush and most recently a whiteout blizzard and haven't had a problem.Wildlife,marshall and the rest better be getting on the bandwagon cause these are definitely the future.

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quote:

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Originally posted by John D
Are there any maps available for free to download?

I'd go partners with someone to get the maps I need, just to reduce the cost. Seems kind of overkill for EVERYONE to buy the same maps.

P.S. I did some searching for maps and came across these free maps

http://garminmapsearch.com/

You can click on an area and it will find the maps for that area. It appears to me these maps are compatible with Garmin GPS's. The files end in an *.img

Has anybody tried to use these?

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I did some searching and did find some maps I downloaded. They weren't very good. Maybe I didn't find the right ones, but I gave up and bought the Garmin maps.

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accessories

I have used the stub arials and the regular ones at the same time. Did a test and set them on the roof of a truck in the driveway and then drove around. Both picked up signal equally and at one pt I was 6.7 miles from the house and we are not in flat ****ry.

Also have the roof arial and it works really well, in my opinion well worth the money for security and being able to just drive around and not worry about holding the GPS unit up.

I am using the weighted collars and they have not failed yet. When signal is lost and its not for more than a second or two it comes right back.

Google earth works well once you get the on line subscription. Also purchased the Garmin map set and once I figured out how to click and download the maps I put most of the eastern USA on one mini disk in the GPS. The detail is better than the base map and lets you see the terrain a lot better.

JMO

I downloaded mine and some friends tonight we indiana,ill,ky,tenn,miss,missiori,ark,tex,georgia,
,and can't get anything you want, just call me 270-699-1037

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Come on people drop you're ego and admitt you just got beat, made a bad call, dog made a mistake, what ever.You can't get cheated that much

Used mine last night for the first time. Had to replace the Antenna on the DC 20 straight out of the box. I wasn’t happy about the cheap plastic collar mounting bracket for the DC20 but it was nothing to reinforce with plumbers tape.

Once I got it calibrated and setup it’s easier and quicker to use then my Tracker was.

What I really like is no matter what screen I was in I always knew where my dog was.

There was never any question (guess work) about where she was or what she was doing.

KG

PS: I can see some night hunt rule changes in the near future about which GPS system can be used in a hunt

Just got back from my lease and it poured down rain. My lease is surrounded by 10,000 acres of rice fields, tree lines, patches of woods, crawfish farms, two 100 acres lakes, with many creeks, irrigation bayous and a water canal, basically the flattest and most open land around.


Turned Ann loose and she struck in pretty quick, but with the wind and rain I really couldn’t hear much so I drove to the furthest point away from her on my four wheeler. Stopped and turned on the Astro and as soon as the display came up the digital compass displayed Ann running NE 4.23 miles. The VHF signal came and went showing the last known location and distance with a question mark where status symbols normally would appear. Now the GPS stayed strong at 5 bars (most it can get).

I left unit on and drove towards her and when I reach 3 miles(away from her) the unit locked in and stayed locked in. The thing that I thought was neat is when you get close the display says “Ann Near” and when you reach the dog it’s says "arrived at Ann" (something like that)which could be valuable if she’s hurt and can’t move or bark.

Tomorrow night will be the true test. I’m going to the national forest where it’s hilly with large deep gullies, thick cover and etc. Where tracking systems like Johnson, WildLife, F&L, and Tracker couldn’t pick up a signal without moving to the highest point.

KG

Re: accessories

quote:

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Originally posted by cara brook


I am using the weighted collars and they have not failed yet.

JMO

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I can think of one improvement with the use of maps via GPS, It would be great if you can setup certain areas on your unit as danger zones. If a dog get to close to a road, lease boundary lines, rivers and etc that it would send you an alert.

KG

PS: It would also be cool if you could push a button for manual mode and track by RF transmitter and pull out the antennas like the Tracker. The technology is there, just need someone smarter then me to put it all together.

Installed my memory card with the Topo Maps in my Astro and took me a little bit to figure out that you have to zoom in to see all the details like creeks, lakes and FM roads.

Last night I had an emeregncy, had to go home and leave my dog. When I went back today to find my dog she was 3 miles off my lease. I used the map pointer to measure her from a main road and drove around and found her laying on someones steps....lol

Would have never known (exactly)by regular tracking systems without walking or driving around a lot....This system works great!

8-)

KG

I went hunting in The Sam Houston National Forest tonight and found that my Astro doesn’t work that great in thick cover along with deep gullies and/or steep river banks. Lost my signal at .89 miles. Drove around for an hour trying to pick up a signal and eventually had to walk in about .52 miles (my last reading) before it would pick her up again. Found her treed on a cypress tree on the bottom of a steep river bank. The banks were 8 feet above her on both sides.

Basically had the same problems in other areas with thick cover and deep gullies but found a high point within 15 minutes which was good because I forgot to turn the unit on and didn't have a reading to go by.

REMEMBER TO TURN ON YOUR UNIT BEFORE TURNING LOOSE SO WHEN YOU LOSE SIGNAL YOU'LL KNOW WHERE YOUR DOG WAS LAST!

Now the GPS system worked great, had no problem getting a signal and finding my way back to the truck.

Weather conditions: 10-15 MPH winds and raining

KG

Where can I purchase one of these units? What are they going for on average? I can't believe the luck, not three months ago I bought a Vista Hcx Bundle and Dicks Sporting goods to use during deer season in the north Georgia mountains. Ofcourse I love it. And Hint: Where the lines get real close together on the topo map, Don't go that way. LOL. But this sounds like a dandy once the collar issues are worked out. And I already know the ins and outs of the GPS itself so it shouldn't be too bad to learn. I wonder If I can get a collar that will show up on my Vista Hcx? Hmm.

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David Padgett

When the tailgate drops,... The excuses just get more frequent.

I got mine at www.buydig.com yesterday for $428, free shipping! Collar, and GPS Unit. I bought my accessories elsewhere and still saved over $100 on the list price of the base unit!

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In Honor of Jim Sizemore, " This ain't no benchshow!"

I ordered mine also at buydig but I think they are out or either fixing the price. I'd say other sellers complained alittle about it myself. The next cheapest I've saw is 469 for both.. Mine came today but I was not here to sign for it dangit!!! Kenny your losing signal huh? I'm still gonna run a regular collar on mine then. We have some pretty steep stuff here. Atleast I'll know how stupid mine are acting now.Want just have to wonder anymore lol...

quote:

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Originally posted by GA DAWG
I ordered mine also at buydig but I think they are out or either fixing the price. I'd say other sellers complained alittle about it myself. The next cheapest I've saw is 469 for both.. Mine came today but I was not here to sign for it dangit!!! Kenny your losing signal huh? I'm still gonna run a regular collar on mine then. We have some pretty steep stuff here. Atleast I'll know how stupid mine are acting now.Want just have to wonder anymore lol...

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Rip Acorn Creek Black Swamp Jester

In Honor of Jim Sizemore, " This ain't no benchshow!"

Mine came fed x ..... Left a note on the front door to sign note and leave it on door and they will leave package.. So I signed it and left them a note to leave it in my hunting truck lol... Maybe they will.

I have had problems getting my packages from UPS before because I wasnt home to sign for them. What I was told last time I ran into that problem was the seller has to pay a little extra for UPS to make you sign for it but then there isnt any "It was delivered but I never got it". Usually if it is a high price item (over $100) the seller will get that added insurance. Thats how its worked for me in the past.

quote:

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Originally posted by GA DAWG
I ordered mine also at buydig but I think they are out or either fixing the price. I'd say other sellers complained alittle about it myself. The next cheapest I've saw is 469 for both.. Mine came today but I was not here to sign for it dangit!!! Kenny your losing signal huh? I'm still gonna run a regular collar on mine then. We have some pretty steep stuff here. Atleast I'll know how stupid mine are acting now.Want just have to wonder anymore lol...

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quote:

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Originally posted by Kenny Gates

This is still a nice system and you’ll find out things about your hound that you didn’t know before.


KG

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got to see one the other night no second guessing plus it shows ya how your dog runs i want one it would be good for tracking pups

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A guy PM'd me that he read somewhere on this site that garmin will be giving free exchange of collars when they come out for coonhunters. Anyone hear that. I am buying pretty soon. Buy.com and Amazon also carry it pretty cheap.

My Garmin 60CX was pretty cheap at Buy.com. Also, Watch you topo map software. Garmin only allows two loads meaning only two GPSR's can have the software off of the same disk. That is at least the situation with City Navigator. I assume the same for Topo map software. You have to pay more for permission to install it on 3rd and beyond.

quote:

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Originally posted by Gunpowder
A guy PM'd me that he read somewhere on this site that garmin will be giving free exchange of collars when they come out for coonhunters.

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Too early to tell!!

Used mine for the first time last night. Dogs treed in river bottom 812 yds in and seem to work fine. Didn't lie either, had a coon!!LOL!Need to figure out how to keep collar upright. Have a good idea how it can be done. Going to work on it today and see what happens tonight.

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Danny G

I've been following all this info, and finally ordered me one- recieved it yesterday (luckily I was here to sign for it- usually UPS just leaves the box at the gate).
I've been playing around with it here on our acreage, one dog with collar (hanging under the neck, no counterweight system yet) and one with the harness. Not much challenge for the system yet, but just familiarizing myself with the unit.

One question: after I've had the dogs out, and come back in to check "tracks" (in gps functions)- one dog comes up on the map, the other dog comes up somewhere in the pacific ocean, near "tern island"!! I initialized both dog units, and calibrated the compass as per the instructions. I'll call garmin when they're open monday (no 24 hr customer service, or email) , but just wondering if anyone else has run into this.

Some photos of the ways you guys come up with for attaching this thing to the dogs would be great- I get equally as good a signal with the harness, long antenna as with the upside down collar, stubby antenna. I'll get it out in some of the rugged wooded terrain we've got around here and see if there's a difference.
thanks
vickie