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garmin alpha

any reviews from actual hound hunters yet?

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GRNITECH PR. RUNNIN REBEL TCSC OLD BLUE 2012 World Hunt Qualified / Top 20
NITECH PR. THE RUNNIN REBEL COWBOY JR DOG 2012 World Hunt Qualified

Had mine out four nights and so far so good.

Range so far seems to be a little better than the Astro although still not near the advertised 9 miles. I've gotten 2 miles in testing with the longer of the two stock antennas. The biggest thing I have noticed so far is how quick both the handheld and the collars acquire GPS signal and I have yet to lose it. Handheld usually has GPS lock in 3 -5 seconds.

I have gotten well over a mile in testing with the shocking, tone, and light features which far exceeds anything I have ever gotten with a TT or Sportdog shocker.

Touchscreen has worked flawlessly so far and it has a lot of nice features that weren't on my Astro 220. Some may have been on the 320 but I never had one of those to compare.

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Golden Woods Bo
Golden Woods Fancy B

What are your thoughts on the battery life now that the Alpha is rechargeable? I personally rather use the AA's like in the Astro. I use the Energizer Lithium (with the Astro adjusted to Li), and I get great battery life that is consistant and I don't ever have to worry because I bring spare batteries. The two things I have concern with when it comes to the Alpha, is the rechargeable battery, which we all know will start to fail in time similar to anything else rechargeable; and the touch screen. Do you have to calibrate it, and has anyone had to use it after getting it wet?

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Walk softly and carry a big stick.

Battery life on the handheld doesn't appear to be a big issue. I hunted about 5 hours Friday night running two collars and constantly playing with the features trying to learn the system so the backlight stayed on most of the time.

When I got home and plugged it in to charge it still showed 91% charged and was back to full charge before I went to bed. If the battery does fail or get weak it is user replaceable and only costs around 35$. Also comes with a vehicle charger.

I did not have to calibrate the touchscreen if that's what you were asking.

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Golden Woods Bo
Golden Woods Fancy B

Thanks Virgil, how well does the touch screen work when it is wet? In case of rain or snow etc. I know a lot of touch screens don't work at all when they are wet. Also, what are your thoughts on the maps? I have heard several people say that enjoy the birds eye on the 320's but they cover such a small area. They can't travel more than a few counties away with the same map loaded. My 220 might not have all the fancy bells and whistles of a 320 or Alpha, but I do have about eight states worth of maps loaded on my memory card.

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Walk softly and carry a big stick.

Haven't had the touchscreen wet at this point to know. As a teacher I have seen kids at school treat touchscreen devices like crap and they continue to work so I don't have a big fear of touch screen problems. I guess time will tell on that.

So far I haven't downloaded any of the birdseye stuff yet but plan to. The Alpha comes pre-loaded with a US topo map which is what I am using now. It is a pretty good topo and I like it a little better than the topo I had on my 220. This one has a few more details and is easier to read although part of that may be attributed to the larger screen.

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Golden Woods Bo
Golden Woods Fancy B

Thanks again Virgil.

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Walk softly and carry a big stick.

ALPHA

Training (Tri-Tronics)
I know I'm missing something but how do you change intensity level in the field & how long does it take ?
David

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NT CH "PR" Turkey Creek Playboy
Dual Grand Ridgeway's Deep Creek Zena
Dual Grand Laurel Fork Mongo
Grand Night Tight as a Cord

Re: ALPHA

quote:

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Originally posted by David Webb
Training (Tri-Tronics)
I know I'm missing something but how do you change intensity level in the field & how long does it take ?
David

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Golden Woods Bo
Golden Woods Fancy B

Are you talking about the long range antenna for the Astros that you are using, or does the Alpha come with two separate antennas? Would any of the previous antennas for the Astro work on the Alpha?

__________________
Walk softly and carry a big stick.

quote:

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Originally posted by michael.magorian
Are you talking about the long range antenna for the Astros that you are using, or does the Alpha come with two separate antennas? Would any of the previous antennas for the Astro work on the Alpha?

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Golden Woods Bo
Golden Woods Fancy B

As far as charging ports go, are they idiot proof like the DC40 and Tri Tronics collars? The original DC 30's were the biggest pain to get them to charge sometimes. Garmin made a great improvement with the second generation DC30 collars, but I still tape mine so I don't ever have to mess with it.

I guess what I really want to hear is what don't you like about your Alpha?

I know there are tons of guys out there that will complain about battery life in the collars and tracking distance. Well, everyone I hunt with overcame that issue by charging collars before each hunt, and if you lose reception, then travel in the direction the dog was last in and the problem is solved. I didn't think it was too difficult. I haven't seen anyone leave a hound out over night that had a fully functioning system who was packing Garmin.

__________________
Walk softly and carry a big stick.

quote:

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Originally posted by michael.magorian
As far as charging ports go, are they idiot proof like the DC40 and Tri Tronics collars? The original DC 30's were the biggest pain to get them to charge sometimes. Garmin made a great improvement with the second generation DC30 collars, but I still tape mine so I don't ever have to mess with it.

I guess what I really want to hear is what don't you like about your Alpha?

I know there are tons of guys out there that will complain about battery life in the collars and tracking distance. Well, everyone I hunt with overcame that issue by charging collars before each hunt, and if you lose reception, then travel in the direction the dog was last in and the problem is solved. I didn't think it was too difficult. I haven't seen anyone leave a hound out over night that had a fully functioning system who was packing Garmin.

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Golden Woods Bo
Golden Woods Fancy B

Just a quick antenna question. With my 320 bundle I got 2 antenna's. I haven't seen any real difference between using one or the other except the short one is handier to use and carry. Is this normal ?

quote:

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Originally posted by Dale Young
Just a quick antenna question. With my 320 bundle I got 2 antenna's. I haven't seen any real difference between using one or the other except the short one is handier to use and carry. Is this normal ?

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Golden Woods Bo
Golden Woods Fancy B