UKC Forums - Doigtra vs alpha

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-- Doigtra vs alpha (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=928500955)

Posted by southernblueman on 02-28-2018 10:11 PM:

Doigtra vs alpha

Looking to buy new system. What are the pro and cons of each and which one you perfer

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Posted by Rip on 03-01-2018 12:56 AM:

The Alpha is the gold standard.

Dogtra is a great system. I love it.

Pros:
Much, much better maps, you can almost see which tree they are treed up.

Cheaper

Maps for anywhere for free.

Cons: I can't figure out how to get it to have the track up nor can I get it to go toward a waypoint.

Sometimes takes it a long time to sync up to the phone

Alpha:

Pros:

It's an Alpha, rugged, tough and proven.

You can track peoples dog just by knowing the number

You can set waypoints and track to those waypoints

You can set it to "track up"

Cons:

Maps not as good, have to buy maps/cards

More expensive.

I own a Garmin 320, Alpha and a Dogtra.

I like the Alpha and Dogtra both. Don't really have a favorite.

But I am going to trade the 320 in for a Dogtra if that means anything.

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Posted by tripple river on 03-01-2018 03:17 AM:

I get more range out of my dogtra, has that been anyone else’s experience?

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Posted by Sonny Phipps on 03-01-2018 05:42 PM:

Why are they for sale "used once or twice" all of the time if they are as good as the alpha?

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Posted by Josh Michaelis on 03-01-2018 05:57 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Sonny Phipps
Why are they for sale "used once or twice" all of the time if they are as good as the alpha?

They are NOTHING like a Garmin to set up and use really. Some people who have been using Garmins for 20 years dont like something that different.

I loved mine from the get go. Been over a year now and I will never own another Garmin unless they do something drastically different.

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Posted by Sonny Phipps on 03-01-2018 06:14 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Josh Michaelis
They are NOTHING like a Garmin to set up and use really. Some people who have been using Garmins for 20 years dont like something that different.

I loved mine from the get go. Been over a year now and I will never own another Garmin unless they do something drastically different.

I wondered if it wasnt something like that. Some folks dont like putting their phone in "harms way" while hunting, However I understand that you can buy a phone just for this purpose cheaply.

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Posted by Tx Dave on 03-02-2018 01:25 AM:

Dogtra

I like the Dogtra a lot better than the Alpha. I got the Dogtra in September and have not used my Alpha since. To me the Alpha had way to much that I did not need. The Dogtra has just the stuff I need and not anything more. I also get a little better range out of the Dogtra, nothing major but defiantly more range. I think Josh hit the nail on the head with why you see the used ones for sale. I have always thought that Garmin over complicated it so when I tried the Dogtra the simplicity had me hooked. I just need to know where my dogs are and to be able to shock them if need be. The Dogtra does that very well. It has 3 screens, map, compass and shock. All the settings are in the same spot also which makes things easier also. I know of several people that have bought the Dogtra and are more than happy with it. I have also had a lot less problems with it messing up than with the Garmins. Since September my Dogtra has messed up exactly one time and I could still track the dogs then it just would not let me do anything else. I turned it off and back on and it has never happened since. It does take longer to connect in some areas than others, never anything major though. I have started turning mine on when I leave the house and everything is connected and ready to go when I get to the woods. I would recommend the Dogtra over the Alpha hands down.

Posted by 2ol2hunt on 03-02-2018 12:44 PM:

Does the Dogtra perform well in mountains at least as well as the Alpha?

Posted by K. Singletary on 03-02-2018 02:30 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Rip
Cons: I can't figure out how to get it to have the track up nor can I get it to go toward a waypoint.

On the bottom right hand corner of the map screen there is a black compass, hit it once and it turns white, hit it again and it displays track up. Only thing I don't like is you can't zoom in and out on the track up screen, you have to set the zoom you want from the 1st or 2nd screen.

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Posted by Rip on 03-04-2018 03:24 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by K. Singletary
On the bottom right hand corner of the map screen there is a black compass, hit it once and it turns white, hit it again and it displays track up. Only thing I don't like is you can't zoom in and out on the track up screen, you have to set the zoom you want from the 1st or 2nd screen.

Thanks.

Have you figured out how to get it to track to a waypoint or the truck?

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Posted by kylej15 on 03-04-2018 01:03 PM:

Can you download the dogtra app on a tablet and track the dogs on a tablet?

Posted by kylej15 on 03-04-2018 01:03 PM:

Can you download the dogtra app on a tablet and track the dogs on a tablet?

Posted by Bruce m. Conkey on 03-04-2018 01:24 PM:

Yes

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Posted by kylej15 on 03-04-2018 01:58 PM:

Thank you Bruce, sorry for the questions but my dad has a hard time see the Garmin so I have to upgrade and I already have tablets. Can you run more than one device off of the same gps finder? And do you have to be within certain distance of the gps finder?

Posted by Bruce m. Conkey on 03-04-2018 02:56 PM:

Yes you can share the connector and pair to more than one device. I have never done it but there is a section in the instruction manual on how it is done. Again you both have to be within blue tooth connection distance of the connector.

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Posted by M MUELLER on 03-05-2018 09:47 PM:

Dogtra

Does it wear down your phone battery quick or use a lot of data?

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Posted by Rip on 03-05-2018 11:55 PM:

Re: Dogtra

quote:
Originally posted by M MUELLER
Does it wear down your phone battery quick or use a lot of data?

It does use battery, but I keep a charger in my truck.

No it does not use data, you don't even have to have a phone activated to use it.

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Posted by joey on 03-06-2018 01:46 AM:

I'm thinking hard about it. My alpha keeps some kind of quirk all the time. Update it to fix this and that just to get a different bug from the update. The other day at a hunt it would not connect to any of my collars. Removed them and it wouldn't let me add them back. I had to barrow a tracking collar and I had five in the truck.

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Posted by Josh Michaelis on 03-06-2018 02:30 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by joey
I'm thinking hard about it. My alpha keeps some kind of quirk all the time. Update it to fix this and that just to get a different bug from the update. The other day at a hunt it would not connect to any of my collars. Removed them and it wouldn't let me add them back. I had to barrow a tracking collar and I had five in the truck.

If you take the time to get used to it you will like it way better.

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Posted by TimmM on 03-06-2018 10:40 AM:

Dogtra

Got to check this thing out.

Posted by pttm08 on 03-06-2018 12:17 PM:

I am guessing the Dogtra goes off cell signal. So in the mountains where I bear hunt and have absolutely no cell service it will not work?

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Posted by Rip on 03-06-2018 12:35 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by pttm08
I am guessing the Dogtra goes off cell signal. So in the mountains where I bear hunt and have absolutely no cell service it will not work?

No it will work. You just have to have that area downloaded before you hunt.

It doesn't use cell signal. It uses the GPS on your phone so the phone has to have GPS and Bluetooth but that's all it needs. It doesn't need to even be activated.

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Posted by LoggyBayouBlues on 03-06-2018 01:35 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Sonny Phipps
Why are they for sale "used once or twice" all of the time if they are as good as the alpha?

Where are all the used Dogtra's that are for sale? I would like to buy one! Thank's

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Posted by K. Singletary on 03-06-2018 04:46 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Rip
Thanks.

Have you figured out how to get it to track to a waypoint or the truck?

I don't think that is available yet, but several people have asked for it in the app review and Dogtra seems to respond to those reviews. Myself, I have never tracked to a waypoint or the truck with a Garmin or a Dogtra. I just use track up and walk towards the waypoint.

My biggest complaint with the system is that waypoints aren't saved when you close the app. Where I hunt there is deep creeks, beaver ponds, and ditches and I like being able to put a waypoint down where I've found a good spot to cross these places without getting wet for future reference and I can't do that with this system.

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