intellectualist
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Registered: Feb 2008
Location: Near Asheville
Posts: 981 |
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Your question is not very easy to answer. The ATS tracking systems use the 155Mhz range. This range is very good for distance but the antenna at both the transmitter and receiver has to be somewhat larger than 200mhz tracker transmitters and receivers. The 200mhz range will have diminished performance because it is affected more by terrain and such but once again, the antennas are smaller making them more user friendly.
Garmin collars send their signal by "data bursts" and are on the 155 mhz range such as the ATS units, but here is where it gets complicated. The ATS units, as do other "beep beeps", utilize a beacon for the collar and BFO to demodulate the signal at the "box" or receiver. These units have very high signal to noise ratios thereby making them excellent with the BFO utilization at pulling out these weak signals heard as a beep. That is why the battery lasts so long in the collars is because the signal is very weak and the receivers design is what enables the collar to be heard in the first place! Double the signal output on the collar and you will reduce battery life by half.
The Garmin receiver on the other hand has to demodulate a FM signal with a much lower signal to noise ratio, and not to mention, this data burst has to be "captured" in its entirety by the receiver or the data will not be displayed.This is why folks wonder why they are not getting 4-5 miles out of their Garmin like they were their wildlife materials system. They have no concept of radio frequency and how the signal is conveyed and demodulated. Which is no real problem, they just are not into that side of it as much!
I would not give a nickels difference in 155 beep beeps and 200mhz beep beeps as far as useability in any terrain.
Some folks will compare this tracker to that but none of those folks have the lab grade equipment to perform the proper test that would yield trustworthy results.
You may have a tracker that gets a signal on a collar that mine will not quite pick up but turn another one on just like mine and it may pick it up. Conversely, turn another on just like yours and it may not pick it up.
Here is something I will guarantee you.Take ANY beep beep that is functioning properly ie, receiver, collar, antenna properly tuned, coax not damaged, etc. etc. and it should almost 100 percent of the time be copied at further (and in some cases much further) distances than any Garmin that is working properly even if the Garmin was attached to a three element yagi like the beep beep would be.
That is not a knock on the Garmin because even trying to compare these two units on what they are designed to do is comparing apples to oranges and there is such a broader range with what can be done with the Garmin it is rediculous!
Last edited by intellectualist on 01-21-2011 at 12:10 AM
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01-20-2011 10:59 PM
