Registered: Jun 2007
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Posts: 197

I am looking to purchase a new tracking system and am wondering which is best? I live in Mountainous terrain.

Thanks,

Mike Maggard

Kentucky

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The Garmin blows away any radio tracking system when it is working right. On the other hand, I will stake my dogs life on a Maxima, I will not stake my dogs life on a Garmin. Atleast not at this point in time.

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Registered: Jun 2007
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Has anyone used Johnson collars with a tracker maxima receiver?

Mike Maggard
Kentucky

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: Dobson NC
Posts: 2112

I just got a tracker maxima and I am using the marshell collars with it. I really like it. Never used the new garmin. But if it is anything like their regular gps's they can keep them.

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Registered: Aug 2007
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Posts: 242

garmin buy far. Don't buy a radio tracker . They don't even compare. Garmin is far better with the new collar!

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: East Texas
Posts: 3970

I use a Tracker Maxima, with L&L Collars, I love it, and have not lost a hound yet. The good thing about the L&L Sealed Collars, is that if for some reason, say an Injury I get hurt, and have to leave a dog in the woods, the batteries will not die for several months. The Astro, Batteries will be dead in a few days, and you may never see your hound again.

Get a Tracker maxima, it works.

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Registered: Sep 2007
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 2713

The garmin would be my choice. I will never ever hunt again in the mountains with a radio tracker. The garmin with the DC-30 collars will track as far as anyone should ever need a tracker to track. Radio trackers are a thing of the past. I used to run a wildlife collar with my old DC-20 but since I got my DC-30 I have yet to lose signal for one second and have tracked the collar as far as 2.8 miles without the truck mount antenna. That was over two large hills.

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Registered: May 2006
Location: Gauley Bridge,Wv
Posts: 2938

garmin hands Down with the new Dc-30 its like sliced bread

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Registered: Nov 2007
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 660

i have never used the garmin but this would be my advice: if you use the garmin get yourself a marshall lighted collar as well. the lights help you and the cars see your dogs if something happens to your garmin he can still be tracked with the radio tracker even if you do not have one I am sure you know somebody who does

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Registered: Apr 2006
Location: Lewis, Indiana
Posts: 129

I just sold my Maxima and Marshall collars and bought the Garmin about a month ago. I would not go back to a maxima if you paid me. I absolutley love the garmin and if your that worried about a car being able to see your hound those little tracker lights for 20 bucks work real well. Never really liked GPS's until I used this one. Very easy to operate, only down side is the batteries in the collars only last 17 hours if if updates every 3 or 5 seconds and I keep having to switch batteries in the hand held unit because I keep staring at it watching the map and seeing how my dogs are hunting. It's saved me a lot of walking and I can turn out at least one more time a night by using it.

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Registered: Nov 2008
Location: wattsville alabama
Posts: 2

Ihave a tracker classic love it with quick track collar once you learn how to read it trow the rest away i can teel if my dog is 4 miles or 20 feet
bar none tracker gps don't always work!

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Registered: Apr 2007
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Posts: 152

Correct me if I am wrong, but the garmin collars do not send the signal to a sattelite right?
So then they are not global positioning SATTELITE collars. It uses MURS which is a radio frequency, making them radio collars, hence why you have such limited range up to 7 miles, the difference is the reciever which uses MURS to track the collars and code them on to the GPS which through some complicated programing fakes the fact that the whole thing is not completely gps but a hybrid system.

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Registered: Jun 2007
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Posts: 197

Very informative.
thanks for the info.

Mike Maggard

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rangerman, the Garmin collars do RECIEVE a signal from the GPS sattelites and that is how the dogs position is determined. That position is then radio transmitted to the hand held. That is why both the collar and the handheld have both GPS and radio antennas on them. The reason for the limited range is because the collars have only 4 watt transmitters. Finding a way to increase the transmitt wattage and still operate the nessessary number of hours between charges with such a small battery is the challenge.
When you lose signal while the handheld is on you have a track showing the position of the dog when it got out of range so all you need to do is get in that area and you will almost always reacquire the signal. My biggest concern with the GPS trackers in competion is that they cannot be on during the hunt. If your dog gets out of range before the clock stops, you have no way of knowing where to go to pickup a signal. That is why mine always wears both a GPS and a radio tracking collar in a hunt if I am hunting in unfamiliar territory.

Chris, I bought a $12.00 Energizer charger complete with 2 AA NiMH batteries for my handheld and that was the last time in bought batteries for mine. You can get them at TSC or WalMart.

Last edited by on 11-16-2008 at 10:03 PM

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Registered: Jul 2008
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Posts: 1310

I've heard in mountains the Garmin can't go half a mile.

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Registered: Apr 2007
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Posts: 152

so you are partially right the collars themselves are 151 radio frequency it is the reciever that is gps, hence the gps enable label that garmin uses. This is from the detailed specs pdf from the garmin website:
MURS performance:
Frequencies: 151.82 MHZ
151.88 MHZ
151.94 MHZ
154.57 MHZ
154.60 MHZ
Range: (5 miles line of site)
Trackable units: Able to track up to ten DC 20 units
simultaneously

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The collar to GPS signal is radio signal. There is a GPS transponder built into the collar and the collar does recieve GPS signals to determine position and that position is radio transmitted to the GPS.

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Registered: Sep 2007
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 2713

quote:

---

Originally posted by smokey7
I've heard in mountains the Garmin can't go half a mile.

---

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Los Angeles, MN
Posts: 4236

It seems the the Garmin is disliked most by those that dont have one.....

Im sold on it, the garmin allows me to hunt places I wouldent without it.

I have lost signal a few times, the dog has always been treed right where the garmin said it lost signal.

I also carry a maxima and will continue to for the reasons JiM stated.

The garmin is an awsome tool, and Im a guy that hates anything new

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