Registered: May 2012
Location: Birmingham,Al
Posts: 89

What are the best antennas for the alpha handheld and the best for the collars?? Thanks

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

One important thing whenever this question is asked. A person should also consider how they carry their Garmin and just how they use it. The best antenna for range might not always be the best antenna for the way they carry their Garmin.

One example. Say you always wear bib overalls. You carry your handheld in the front chest pocket of your bibs. A 14 inch flexible antenna which I think is an excellent all round antennas probably would not work for you. The reason is because even though you would be happy with the range. It would be slapping you in the face most of the night.

Not all antennas are created equal. I have cut enough of them apart to know what catches your eye on the outside. Doesn't have the internals to give you the quality tracking you want from one. The internals is what counts.

Back in 2007 when the DC 20 came out. If you were getting a half mile out of the system you were doing good.
Lots of improvement since thing and Garmin as actually improved their product to the level of many after market antennas. So on the Dog Collar the Garmin antenna works well along with several aftermarket ones. The ones you want to stay away from are the ones that are made cheap using the core of many cable leads. They are limp and won't stand up to capture the signal you need for longer tracking. Antennas with a nylon coating work best in my opinion. The sad thing about antennas is the builders have got lazy and the buyers don't really care what they are buying and are getting caught up into the advertising instead of quality. When we were selling a lot of antennas for the DC 30's and 40's we tested and made them to a specific size down to 1/32 of an inch in length of what worked best. Those days are gone. People that make them just cut the 22 inches or 24 inches and advertise them as the greatest. Anyone that has tuned an antenna for a radio know exactly how it is done and trimming the length of the antenna to an exact measurement gives the peak performance. One thing that has allowed being sloppy with the length of these antennas work is the Garmin's work on a range of frequencies and not one specific one. If you want peak performance. Once you get an antenna you like. Test your unit for range and change the frequency/ID number of your collars to see just ID works best for you.

Many people never get the range out of their Garmin's they should because the use the equipment improperly. Many of the Bear and Yote hunters use the quick disconnects so they can quickly swap back and forth between a truck antenna and a short handheld antenna. Those quick connects cost you range. Any cut or splice in a communication line affects how it works.

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Registered: Jul 2018
Location:
Posts: 23

Bruce in amateur radio it is a cardinal sin to have a radio tx without a load(antenna). I have been looking at the quick disconnect for yote hunting like you mentioned, but should the handheld be powered down to prevent damage before the antenna is switched?

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

I can only give my opinion here. Do the low wattage output of the unit there should not be a problem.

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Registered: Feb 2016
Location: va
Posts: 283

so in your experience bruce, which antenna's for the handheld unit seem to be the best. long and short in length. i use the dan's chest pack often so i use a shorter one alot of the time. but i hunt in steep mountains and really need to use the longer one for more range. thanks

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

Buchcoonhunter. I think an ideal situation for someone like yourself is to use the shorter antenna that is comfortable for you to carry. But since you have a pouch. Carry one of the metal extendable ones that goes out to 47 inches and put it on when needed.

I don't like keeping the 47 inch one I mentioned on the handheld all the time because it is slightly heavier and if you hit a tree with it or anything you can break the sma connection on top of your handheld. That is the beauty and curse of this equipment. Everything has its pros and cons.

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