Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Mercer PA
Posts: 4837

I have an old 220 garmin one DC30 and a DC40. I had been having an awful time getting anymore than 250-350 yards out of it so I got a very reputable contact, had it fixed and a new battery in the DC30.

I got out tonight, collar up the dog and off it goes, only to lose signal at 300-325...never to get it again til I hooked up the roof antenna and got the dog. I called the fella who is super nice and asked what I could be doing wrong and he assured me that they test them before they send them out, and I totally believe him.....so I got home sync up both collars and lay them on the hood of the car and take a drive in my truck.

DC30 lost signal at 1.26 miles
DC40 lost signal at 998 yards

So I I call my friend and he says maybe the collar is turning on the dogs neck as my DC30 is loose on her. So I decide to test the DC40 on the dog. I get it on her nice and tight with the collar up and cut her loose....at 400 of ABSOLUTELY nothing between me and her but cut corn and cut beans I lose signal. I start that way and pick her back up as I am walking for seconds at a time all the way from 600 to 222 yards.....at 222 I got solid permanent signal. She is on the first tree on the edge of a field, not a leaf between us.

What the heck??? why will the collar work laying on the hood of the car, but not on my dog at half the distance?? Any help???

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Ron Ashbaugh
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Last edited by Ron Ashbaugh on 12-06-2013 at 02:53 AM

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Indiana
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Ron,

My next spot to suspect is the antenna connection in the 220. I always suspect that when I hear someone has a truck antenna and a 220.

The connection has a soldered joint, and in the process of removing the rubber antenna and putting the truck antenna on, sometimes the solder breaks loose.

The problem is likely not the collar, but rather the reciever.

Might have someone check the connection inside the 220 reciever.

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What vhf antennas do you have on the dog collars. Stock Garmin or a replacement antenna?

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Mercer PA
Posts: 4837

I have extended range antennas on both collars the testing in the truck was done with my stock Garmin antenna with a new SMS connector not the food antenna im at a loss

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Ron Ashbaugh
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I assume you have a light on. Have you tried turning it off and see if the signal comes back. Some lights will cause the gamins to quit tracking at 500 or so yards.

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Location: Mercer PA
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quote:

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Originally posted by Bruce M. Conkey
I assume you have a light on. Have you tried turning it off and see if the signal comes back. Some lights will cause the gamins to quit tracking at 500 or so yards.

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Ron Ashbaugh
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This makes great sense Doug and thank you for posting!! What I am hoping to do is borrow another 220 and see if it does the job better than mine. That way we can compare side to side the two units.

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the reason driving down the road and testing is not accurate is because you travel a good distance past the actual range limit before the garmin handheld will show the lost connection.
with the collar right next to the handheld and your collar and handheld connected up. shut the collar off and watch how long it takes for the handheld to show lost connection with collar.
you will then realize the distance you can drive past the actual range before the handheld shows it has lost connection to the collar.
as far as your 220 I would suspect the wire connecting the antenna base on the hand held is broke and losing connection.

Last edited by toe cutter on 12-06-2013 at 03:01 PM

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Location: Brookville, PA
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quote:

---

Originally posted by Bruce M. Conkey
I assume you have a light on. Have you tried turning it off and see if the signal comes back. Some lights will cause the gamins to quit tracking at 500 or so yards.

---

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Registered: Mar 2005
Location: Thomaston,GA
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quote:

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Originally posted by Bruce M. Conkey
I assume you have a light on. Have you tried turning it off and see if the signal comes back. Some lights will cause the gamins to quit tracking at 500 or so yards.

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he's using the G2 led head.

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Lone Pine North

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quote:

---

Originally posted by toe cutter
the reason driving down the road and testing is not accurate is because you travel a good distance past the actual range limit before the garmin handheld will show the lost connection.
with the collar right next to the handheld and your collar and handheld connected up. shut the collar off and watch how long it takes for the handheld to show lost connection with collar.
you will then realize the distance you can drive past the actual range before the handheld shows it has lost connection to the collar.
as far as your 220 I would suspect the wire connecting the antenna base on the hand held is broke and losing connection.

---

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Mercer PA
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quote:

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Originally posted by garminguru
Think about what this gentleman is saying. He is absolutely correct. The update rate you are on will make it look like you are getting even farther distance too, like if you run 10 seconds like I do, it will take double the amount of time to get the lost signal message than it would if you were on 5 seconds.
I can cover a lot of yardage at 50 miles an hour in 10 seconds, and, if you recapture the signal another 100 yards on down the road, then loose it again almost immediately, the process starts over.

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Ron Ashbaugh
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My electronics training / ham radio experience tell me antenna problem or an interference source, ie led light....

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I have the same sort of problem but I don't think it's coming from my head. Some nights I haven't even been using a light much at all and lose signal or have a weak signal anywhere from 300yd to mostly 600-900yards. I rarely get over .6mile and I have extendable everything. Could the LEDs I have running on my collars interfere with signal?

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Joe, Ron - I had the same problem. Had a new collar antennae put on at B&T Days. Fixed that problem Sometimes I was losing signal at 200yds. What I think my G2 head was doing was locking up my handheld at times. If I have it on at all now I make sure my headlight is turned down or off. I keep the backlight turned down low to keep from using the batteries up in the handheld. My wife just got me a new 320 with DC50 for Christmas...headed to my brother's to download everything. Probably find out tonight what kind of range I get out of the new system.

Almost forgot to mention...I put a very small dab of dialithium grease ( I know I butchered the spelling on that!!) on the handheld antennae connection. Seemed to make a difference, also.

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Last edited by Randy Tallon on 12-07-2013 at 04:37 PM

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First thing is find a friend with a unit link up to his and that should tell ya for sure if it's the hand held

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