Registered: Jan 2007
Location: east tennessee
Posts: 388

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

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Morrison TN
Posts: 4927

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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Registered: Jul 2008
Location: Eastern IA
Posts: 239

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

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Jason Brown

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Registered: Sep 2007
Location: Glenmont,Ohio
Posts: 1185

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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Registered: Jan 2004
Location: North MO
Posts: 2353

quote:

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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?

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Registered: Sep 2007
Location: Glenmont,Ohio
Posts: 1185

quote:

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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.

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Registered: Apr 2016
Location: Lumberton,Texas
Posts: 34

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.

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Registered: Nov 2011
Location: north ala.
Posts: 937

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

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Registered: Sep 2004
Location: Moncks Corner, South Carolina
Posts: 1814

quote:

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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.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Morrison TN
Posts: 4927

quote:

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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.

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Registered: Dec 2012
Location: Northeast P.A
Posts: 104

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

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Registered: Dec 2012
Location: Northeast P.A
Posts: 104

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

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Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
Posts: 5106

Yes

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Registered: Dec 2012
Location: Northeast P.A
Posts: 104

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?

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Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
Posts: 5106

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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Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Waverly,Iowa
Posts: 421

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

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coondog

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Morrison TN
Posts: 4927

quote:

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

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Registered: Jun 2012
Location: McRae Ar
Posts: 3701

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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Registered: Jan 2004
Location: North MO
Posts: 2353

quote:

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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.

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: south carolina
Posts: 86

Got to check this thing out.

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Registered: Apr 2011
Location: Franklin County,Va
Posts: 1149

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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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Morrison TN
Posts: 4927

quote:

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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?

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Registered: Jul 2009
Location: Haughton, Louisiana
Posts: 118

quote:

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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?

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John Haun

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Registered: Sep 2004
Location: Moncks Corner, South Carolina
Posts: 1814

quote:

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Originally posted by Rip
Thanks.

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

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