UKC Forums - DC 40 Hunt review.

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-- DC 40 Hunt review. (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=379477)

Posted by Rip on 10-02-2010 06:41 AM:

DC 40 Hunt review.

So Garmin just up and sent me a DC 40. My power button broke on my old unit, it was two months out of warrenty but they sent me another one free of charge. It was a rebuilt unit and wasn't up to snuff so I sent it back and danged if they didn't just send me a brand new unit, in the box, complete with DC 40 collar.

In testing it for range only it had more range than a DC 30.

But it loses GPS signal more than the DC 30.

I ran them side by side tonight on different dogs. They both did the job, but the 40 lost signal just for a second a couple of times. Maybe 3-5 times in the 2-3 hour hunt. It was just for a second and was back before I could even push the OK button.

The 30 never lost signal.

Also the dogs swam the river too, it seemed to do OK.

So far I like it OK. I love the charging mech. Much better, but with all the stories on here of them I am a little leery of the 40.

It was one night, but it did OK tonight. I'm not out anything if it is junk, but so far it's been OK with the benifit of some increased range as far as the radio signal goes.

I don't like that it loses GPS signal like that, but like I said it was back so quick it was back before I could hit the enter button to say OK.

I am going tomorrow night too. I will update this thread with the results.

I hunt mountains and thick woods, not swamps.

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Posted by barryg35 on 10-02-2010 01:36 PM:

keep us posted on it. i keep hearing so many bad things i havent upgraded and wont until i see a need too!

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Posted by JiM on 10-02-2010 03:06 PM:

Rip, does your collar have the 3.43 update? That is suppose to improve collar to satelite signal which sounds like the reason for your intermitten losses of reception.

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Posted by Rip on 10-02-2010 04:17 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by JiM
Rip, does your collar have the 3.43 update? That is suppose to improve collar to satelite signal which sounds like the reason for your intermitten losses of reception.

I honestly haven't tinkered with it yet. I don't know. I just opened the box and used it.

I still can't believe Garmin sent me a complete system for a handheld that was out of warrenty, but they did it intentionally as it was on the invoice.

I will tinker with both of them today and make sure the hand held and collars are up to date with the latest updates.

But, the loss of GPS signal last night was so brief that I couldn't even hit the OK button before the collar was back. It was quick so even if it kept doing that it wouldn't be a problem.

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Posted by hound-hunter101 on 10-02-2010 04:27 PM:

My 40 doesn't loose signal. A mile and a half is what i get out of it as far as range.

Posted by GA DAWG on 10-02-2010 06:57 PM:

Keep us informed Rip. Id say your woods are bout like mine. I have a old 20 I wonder if I sent it in if they would send me a new 40

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Posted by josh on 10-02-2010 07:17 PM:

I still use my 20 when I hunt 2 dogs. The 20 looses signal noticably more often than the 30...I attributed this to the fact that it is amost impossible to keep it on the top of the dogs neck.

I have read about the 40 loosing signal more than the 30, I cant help but think the 40 is more of a repackaged 20 than an improved 30?

If that makes any sense.

Posted by jamie stall on 10-02-2010 07:49 PM:

garmins suck we have a dog lost from last night because the stupid thing says he close to us , dog still missing today , i dont think ill ever own one . cant trust them

Posted by davebastean on 10-02-2010 08:07 PM:

I have found the same as Rip. My 40 loses the sattelite more often but usually gets it back pretty fast.

Posted by barryg35 on 10-02-2010 09:45 PM:

i'm scared to update mine because its never given me one mins trouble. i know if i upgrade it there will be headaches to come.....lol. it if aint broke i aint gone fix it

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Posted by Rip on 10-02-2010 10:10 PM:

Barry, updating your software will actually help you.

I know it made the on/off function of the DC 30 better etc.

If it needs an upgrade it will help you to do it.

I always kept mine updated and never had any trouble either. Only trouble I ever had was a power button that broke.

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Posted by barryg35 on 10-03-2010 12:45 AM:

ok i have 4 collars, i updated 2 of them to see what happens. first time i've ever updated since i bought 2 yrs ago. hope it dont bite me in the azz.

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Posted by Rip on 10-03-2010 04:24 AM:

Ok no trouble tonight. The 40 worked just as good as the 30. Couldn't tell any difference at all but they never got more than a half mile away either.

They were in mountains and thick brush.

I'll keep runnin them side by side and see what happens.

Pretty happy so far, but I realize that you won't find the glitches right off all the time and it might take several times for conditions to be right to make it act up like others have had the 40 do.

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Posted by rmcmillan on 10-03-2010 03:57 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by barryg35
ok i have 4 collars, i updated 2 of them to see what happens. first time i've ever updated since i bought 2 yrs ago. hope it dont bite me in the azz.

BARRY, HOW DID THE UPGRADE GO. I HAVE USED MY UNIT FOR OVER A YEAR. I LIKE IT AND HAVE NEVER UP GRADED IT. HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED IF I SHOULD. HOPE YOURS WORKED FOR YOU. DID YOU ALSO UPDATE THE ASTRO 220.

MY FEMALE WAS OUT LAST NIGHT OVER 1000 YDS. PICKED HER UP GOOD AND WE WERE IN THE PA MOUNTAINS.

RIP, THANKS FOR UPDATES ON DC 40. KEEP US POSTED. WITH ALL THE NEAGATIVITY ON THEM I WAS SKEPTICAL. BUT IT IS GOOD TO KNOW SOMEONE LIKES IT. YOU KNOW PEOPLE NEVER LIKE CHANGE. ALSO GOOD TO KNOW GARMIN TOOK CARE OF YOU.

ROB

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Posted by rmcmillan on 10-03-2010 06:33 PM:

BTT

Posted by Rip on 10-03-2010 06:39 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by rmcmillan
BARRY, HOW DID THE UPGRADE GO. I HAVE USED MY UNIT FOR OVER A YEAR. I LIKE IT AND HAVE NEVER UP GRADED IT. HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED IF I SHOULD. HOPE YOURS WORKED FOR YOU. DID YOU ALSO UPDATE THE ASTRO 220.

MY FEMALE WAS OUT LAST NIGHT OVER 1000 YDS. PICKED HER UP GOOD AND WE WERE IN THE PA MOUNTAINS.

RIP, THANKS FOR UPDATES ON DC 40. KEEP US POSTED. WITH ALL THE NEAGATIVITY ON THEM I WAS SKEPTICAL. BUT IT IS GOOD TO KNOW SOMEONE LIKES IT. YOU KNOW PEOPLE NEVER LIKE CHANGE. ALSO GOOD TO KNOW GARMIN TOOK CARE OF YOU.

ROB

Hey, I don't mind at all. I am not ready to anoint it as good yet by any means. Still way skeptical of it cause of all the problems others have reported.

BUT in the very limited time I have used it (2 hunts) it seems to do just as good as the 30 and I know it has about a third more range so I MAY be satisfied with it.

Only hard hunting in swamps and night after night to check durability will tell. But I will continue to post my results on here just to give others an idea.

My huntin partners are also waiting on the results, one of them has a 30 that needs to go back but he wants to see how my 40 does before he does it so he can make his decision LOL.

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Posted by GA DAWG on 10-03-2010 06:41 PM:

Rip have you tested it with your long range ant to see how far it picks up?

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Posted by Rip on 10-03-2010 06:47 PM:

No, only with my short range and I get over a mile with it, which is an improvement over the 30 doing the exact same test.

With the 30 on my drive around putting the collar in the exact same place I was getting .9 to 1 mile.

With the 40 I was getting 1.2 or so and it seemed to pick back up in places the 30 didn't and if I remember right some places I got nearly 2 miles when I topped out over a hill which I never did with the 30 but it could have just been weather conditions. I drove the same route and hung the collars in the same place on my fence.

But don't forget that range is a two headed monster. One is the radio frequency, the other is the sattelite reception.

I just can't see how the receiver under the dogs neck can get as good a sattelite reception as the one on the back of their neck so I am still leery.

However it does seem to have a stronger radio signal.

I do wonder how far I can get with the long range antenna. I do know I was picking up the 40 with the hand held in places I could only get it with the long range on my drive around with the 30.

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Posted by BWSupplies on 10-03-2010 06:51 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by rmcmillan
BARRY, HOW DID THE UPGRADE GO. I HAVE USED MY UNIT FOR OVER A YEAR. I LIKE IT AND HAVE NEVER UP GRADED IT. HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED IF I SHOULD. HOPE YOURS WORKED FOR YOU. DID YOU ALSO UPDATE THE ASTRO 220.

When I talked to Garmin the other week he told me that you need to run the update on your system at least once a month. The down load also works as a disk clean up or a defrag like on your computer...

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Posted by Skull Bones on 10-03-2010 07:04 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by josh
I still use my 20 when I hunt 2 dogs. The 20 looses signal noticably more often than the 30...I attributed this to the fact that it is amost impossible to keep it on the top of the dogs neck.

I have read about the 40 loosing signal more than the 30, I cant help but think the 40 is more of a repackaged 20 than an improved 30?

If that makes any sense.

josh,sounds like you have the old 20 with the short ant. that stays under the dogs neck.Try give'in Kevin Rianwater a call at 606-305-1905.I bought two 20's from him over ayear ago that he had rerouted the ant. that works just as well as the 30's.I don't have any 40's yet,but I run two 20's and two 30's and with the factory ant. on the reciever at around 900 yrds. it changes to tenths of miles and gets to around 6 to 8 tenths of a mile before I lose signal and not be able to pick back up with out gett'in closer or plugg'in up the roof top.With it I get up tp 6 miles.

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Posted by Dan Dogs on 10-03-2010 07:33 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by barryg35
i'm scared to update mine because its never given me one mins trouble. i know if i upgrade it there will be headaches to come.....lol. it if aint broke i aint gone fix it

same here

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Posted by Huntinwalkers on 10-03-2010 08:26 PM:

GUYS

I just got a new garmin with the dc 40 about a month ago, so far it has been fair, it does however loose signal quite abit here in the mountains, how do you run the update on them?

Posted by barryg35 on 10-03-2010 09:27 PM:

Re: GUYS

quote:
Originally posted by Huntinwalkers
I just got a new garmin with the dc 40 about a month ago, so far it has been fair, it does however loose signal quite abit here in the mountains, how do you run the update on them?

you should be up to date on software if you only had it a month or so. i wouldnt think you need to update

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Posted by rockett42 on 10-03-2010 09:27 PM:

garmin

got mine last christmas and never have did anything with it but just use it. I updated mine and went last nite. I have never got over 900 yds out of mine. Last night, same woods and i got over a mile and a half. I would advise averyone to do the update. I love my garmin!!!!!!!!!!!Roger

Posted by barryg35 on 10-03-2010 09:30 PM:

i havent hunted since updating 2 of mine but gonna try to go tonight.

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