UKC Forums - Garmin Astro GPS Dog tracking system

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UKC Forums (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/index.php)
- UKC Coonhounds (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=4)
-- Garmin Astro GPS Dog tracking system (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=167557)

Posted by vrngal on 12-29-2007 08:48 PM:

never mind. I think I got her out of the pacific ocean- I had to reset everything back to default settings and re-introduce the dog unit to the gps unit all over again.
vickie

Posted by Kenny Gates on 12-29-2007 10:27 PM:

quote:
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.

I've heard different things about the collar and decided to go ahead and buy it. I filed a complaint with Garmin about the collar and it wouldn't hurt if others file a complaint, we might get faster results or a better collar.

It’s like this, Sale thousands with a few complaints, why change a product.
Get thousands to complain and we better do something about it or we could lose business. JMO

Tell Garmin what you think:

www.garmin.com/contactUs/

and click product support

KG

Posted by Danny Glista on 12-29-2007 11:08 PM:

I have got problem fix!!

Well, I hunted with the new system last night and saw what everyone is concerned about, collar staying on top of dogs neck!! Getting the best performance out of unit! Had the same problem! I fixed it real good!! I took a comman look approach and decided to solve the problem. Law of gravity and Physics!!{ spelling!} I took and made a counter weight that works from what I have seen! I made a counter weight that is pear shaped so that the entenna always stays at 11:00 or 1:00 o'clock if noon is straight up!! Yes, it works. If you notice you can get sat. signal on receiver if it is laying horizontal to the ground! { level } Well, the counter weight I made forces the collar to stay upright! I have some pics I'm showing but since then I have forced the collar to stay in a more pear type shape and it works great! Don't know the weight of counter weight yet. After hunting tonight I might want to add a little more weight! The pear shape doesn't allow the box and entenna to have a tendacy to drift downward. Keeps it on top!!! Hope you all can make some sence of it!! Here are the pics!! Thanks, Danny G.

__________________
Danny G

Posted by Danny Glista on 12-29-2007 11:11 PM:

__________________
Danny G

Posted by Solid Northern on 12-30-2007 12:15 AM:

Last Night

You got to be kidding me Danny , were drifted big time under snow and ice and your lawn looks like it needs cutting ! Nice to see green grass , maybe I should be coming back down to your place for a hunt , your still welcome to bring Guage north , but bring some warm gear !

Posted by GA DAWG on 12-30-2007 12:32 AM:

Kenny I cant get that link to work...

Posted by Kenny Gates on 12-30-2007 01:08 AM:

Their server must be down. Try: https://my.garmin.com/mygarmin/cust...arminHome.faces

Under mysupport or www.garmin.com/support

You also need to reg for warranty there also.
Serial number is under batteries.

KG

Posted by Danny Glista on 12-30-2007 02:43 PM:

Results of test! Counter weight!

Well, I made just 1 drop last night and treed a coon. I never lead Gauge when I head back to truck, he heels out with me. The other night I hunted and noticed that the collar always wanted to turn or shift downward with shocking unit as counter weight. 2 times on the way out it went almost to the bottom of his neck. Well, the counter weight I made works real good. Did have to tape on a little more weight and bend sides of weight in some so it made collar more of a pear shape. Not sure what the counter weights total weight is. Have to take off and weigh it on scale. I noticed after watching Gauge walk out with me about 1/2 mile last night that the collar stayed upward where it is supposed to. The weight and its design forces the collar to stay on top. He jumped over some fallen trees and he likes to smell up every tree he walks buy on the way out. Collar stay upright the whole time. The weight and the way it forces collar to a pear shape seems to sovle the problem. Now I'm going to try and refine it some. Right now it is fixed to the collar with 2 barrel bolts and electrical tape. Want to be able to slide weight back and forth so it is easily adjustable for different size of hounds neck. Then use rubber bands on collar that you can roll up to each side of weight once you have it on dog and centered below tracking unit to keep it in place. Has to be adjustable so it is always 180 degrees below tracking unit. Different size necks, different location of couter weight needed. Did take pics and design idea and put in envelope and mail it to myself to protect my design for patent rights. It works!!

__________________
Danny G

Posted by Danny Glista on 12-30-2007 05:13 PM:

Worked great!

Here's a pic with weight being bent more and a little more weight added.

__________________
Danny G

Posted by Outback1 on 12-30-2007 05:44 PM:

Danny, what did you make the weight out of?

Posted by Outback1 on 12-30-2007 05:51 PM:

also, do you all think this thing will work where the woods is real thick? my garman map 60 has a hard time picking up satlites in the summer thru the trees.
thanks

Posted by Kenny Gates on 12-30-2007 05:54 PM:

It takes a 1lb to keep it up right and it will help if the collar is a little loose. I like the way the collar weight looks...what is it made out of?

KG

Posted by Danny Glista on 12-30-2007 05:59 PM:

1970 side light housing for Challenger!

Tire weght lead melted and poured into socket! Let cool and cut it like I wanted after that! The thing that makes it the most effective is the pear shape along with the weight. Bending weight inward so when on the hound enables the collar to stay up on top because of the weight along with the side pressure created from the shape the collar forms to when put on hound. Leave loose like regular collar and it remains on top!

__________________
Danny G

Posted by Kenny Gates on 12-30-2007 06:03 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Outback1
also, do you all think this thing will work where the woods is real thick? my garman map 60 has a hard time picking up satlites in the summer thru the trees.
thanks

The GPS will even pick up inside the house.

Go back to page 5 and you'll see were I've been testing it in different terrains and weather conditions.

Buy you books and send you to school and see what happens...LOL

KG

Posted by Danny Glista on 12-30-2007 06:14 PM:

Kenny

When you put this collar on a hound it makes the collar form a upside down pear shape when looking at it on a hound. It acts like a small radius compared to the top of a hounds neck. Just about impossible for the collar to turn around because it create side pressure at counter weight area because of the narrowness of collar where weght is mounted. Being narrow at the bottom also allows the collar itself to create side pressure on side of dogs neck if you try and turn it upside down. It forms to the hounds lower side of his neck nicely. Wasn't going to order maps until I sovled this problem. Problem solved and ordered maps yesterday from BOOBOOBRADY! Still need to do some work to define it so that it will freely move on collar allowing you to use same tracking unit on hounds with smaller or bigger necks. Bigger neck that collar weight has to be able to move so it is 180 degrees below collar. Going to make one like that Monday. When I do I'll post a pics. Rubber bands or heavy rubber O rings slid up to both sides of weight on collar itself should be enough to hold it in position you put it at as long as they are tight enough. I love messing with new gadgets!!

__________________
Danny G

Posted by Kenny Gates on 12-30-2007 06:23 PM:

Re: Kenny

quote:
Originally posted by Danny Glista
When you put this collar on a hound it makes the collar form a upside down pear shape when looking at it on a hound. It acts like a small radius compared to the top of a hounds neck. Just about impossible for the collar to turn around because it create side pressure at counter weight area because of the narrowness of collar where weght is mounted. Being narrow at the bottom also allows the collar itself to create side pressure on side of dogs neck if you try and turn it upside down. It forms to the hounds lower side of his neck nicely. Wasn't going to order maps until I sovled this problem. Problem solved and ordered maps yesterday from BOOBOOBRADY! Still need to do some work to define it so that it will freely move on collar allowing you to use same tracking unit on hounds with smaller or bigger necks. Bigger neck that collar weight has to be able to move so it is 180 degrees below collar. Going to make one like that Monday. When I do I'll post a pics. Rubber bands or heavy rubber O rings slid up to both sides of weight on collar itself should be enough to hold it in position you put it at as long as they are tight enough. I love messing with new gadgets!!

You did good Danny Boy! If you get bored make me one...I'll be happy to pay for it.

Actually, I'm going to make a mold out of thin wall metal conduit and a T. I will also use copper wire or something in the center for extra strength.

Best place to buy the lead? Don't have tire weights laying around and all the tire shops are closed and no old car batteries...hmmm, I can always pull start my 4 wheeler....LOL

KG

Posted by John D on 12-30-2007 07:39 PM:

This is what I've come up with. I had to make a couple stabs before I got the weight right. I've used it just one night, like its shown and every time I saw the dog, the Garmin was on top, where its supposed to be.

For a counterweight, I'm using a Wildlife transmitter and a piece of pipe about 4" long, split in half. It weighs about 5 ounces and fits around the Wildlife fairly good. For now I've got it taped on with electrical tape but if it continues to work I might come up with something else.

Closeup of the split pipe:

The whole thing weighs about 1.6 lbs. It was important to me to not make it any heavier than necessary.

__________________

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Posted by Kenny Gates on 12-30-2007 09:03 PM:

Found the lead at Bass Proshop for $22.00 for 5lbs which will make several counter weights.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...t=SearchResults

KG

John D,

Something tells me that you don't trust the Garmin yet....LOL

Posted by Kenny Gates on 12-31-2007 01:45 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Kenny Gates
I've heard different things about the collar and decided to go ahead and buy it. I filed a complaint with Garmin about the collar and it wouldn't hurt if others file a complaint, we might get faster results or a better collar.

It’s like this, Sale thousands with a few complaints, why change a product.
Get thousands to complain and we better do something about it or we could lose business. JMO

Tell Garmin what you think:

www.garmin.com/contactUs/

and click product support

KG

Link is working now.

KG

Posted by english33 on 12-31-2007 02:49 AM:

garmin

went with a guy last night that had one i will have one before i go out again they are GREATTTTTTTTTT .................

Posted by WattsFlatsRedbo on 12-31-2007 07:38 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Kenny Gates
The GPS will even pick up inside the house.

Go back to page 5 and you'll see were I've been testing it in different terrains and weather conditions.

Buy you books and send you to school and see what happens...LOL

KG

I own a Garmin legend gps unit. Just a plain old regular GPS. I just turned it on inside my house about 6 ft from a window and it picked up the satilites just fine. However it don't get any signal in the woods around here when the leaves are on unless you happen to find a spot in the woods where there is a hole through the canopy of the trees. I don't even use the darn thing to get back to the truck at night because it takes twice has long to find the spots where it does work to tell you what way to go to the truck. A compass is faster and even had to prove it in a nite hunt one night to a guy that thought his GPS was the only way to get back to the trucks. He was back behind me about a couple of hundred yards still following me out trying to get signal when I was yelling back to him that the trucks are right here. I've used enough GPS units in heavy timber with leaves on to be skeptical about how these GPS tracking systems are gonna work. I'm sure they would and do work great in small patch woods and thin timber, but in heavy timber thats 5 or 10 miles wide with no view of the sky I don't see how it could work any better than any other GPS out there and around here in the woods thats practically not at all. As far as range goes, sounds like Marshall systems can track a dog just has far if not farther.

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Posted by Rip on 12-31-2007 07:48 PM:

Trust me they make very good GPS units that do well in heavy cover in the summer. Cover you have to crawl through.

The E-trex, throw it away it's useless and I am pretty sure the Legend is the same as the etrex when it comes to antenna/power/components with more bells and whistles. Their more expensive units are much better though.

The Magellen units are pretty good, I got a 315 that isn't the best in heavy cover, but it's 2-3 times better than the etrex for about 15 bucks more.

The Lowrance global nav 100 was the best I ever seen, got signal even in cover we were crawling through, but it was over 200 bucks when it was bought too, seems like 260.

It all depends on how strong the units antenne and power source is.

The military ones (ones we can't get) are much, much better.

The dog tracking system may work really good depending on what unit they have in the collar. If it's the etrex set up it ain't worth a penny in heavy cover. Garmin makes much more expensive units that are much better though and I would bet judging from the comments people that have used the tracking system that the good one is in the tracking unit.

__________________
Let's go huntin

Posted by WattsFlatsRedbo on 12-31-2007 08:48 PM:

Thank's for the info, Rip.

My GPS is a Garmin, E-trex lengend and the other units I have messed around with were E-trex or other cheap units. (JUNK) So the Garmin Astro must be a lot stronger GPS. I am interested in buying one of these. I am just concerned about how well this unit works through cover. I know that a lot of people are posting that it works great now. I'm just wondering how well they'll work in the same situations when the leaves are on.

Posted by Kenny Gates on 12-31-2007 08:54 PM:

The Astro GPS works better then any other GPS I’ve every used and as soon as the screen comes up it has all 5 bars. I’ve used the GPS inside a 13 story building marking each corner of each floor (even basement) to get square footage and it had a signal the whole time. Comparing the Etrax to the Astro is like comparing a Geo to a Corvette. I’ve also put the tracking system to the test in bad weather, flat lands, national forest, deep gullies, hilly and thick cover even tested distant. You can go back a page or two and see my findings.

For those of you that are having a hard time using the unit, it would help you a lot if you read the owners manual. There is nothing that you can screw up that the factory didn’t want you to mess with and if you did mess things up you can set everything back to the factory setting (defaults). Most important things to remember is to calibrate the unit and turn both units on outside until they find each other......If that doesn't work replace the DC20 antenna because mine was bad out of the box.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

KG

Posted by Danny Glista on 01-01-2008 12:29 AM:

Kenny

Happy New Year to you and yours!! How's the counter weight coming along for ya!! Later, going hunting! Danny G.

__________________
Danny G

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