Garmin Astro 320 Problem Centering on Dogs

[lfd13]

I just happened to find this forum by searching online for some issues I am having with my 320 and saw there are several of you on here that are using them. I just purchased a Garmin Astro 320 and am ready to throw it away and get my old 220 back if I can't fix the issue I am having.

On the 220 if you hit the "dog" button and got your list of dogs, then hit "Ent" on a particular dog so that the unit displayed the dog info page (signal strength bars, id, etc.) you had an option at the bottom to "map" your dog. When you selected "map" the screen then would center your dog on the map and you could zoom in and out and it would still follow and center the map on your dog.

Now on my 320 if I do this it kind of just picks a random spot between me and my dog (I think) and uses that as the center of the map. If I zoom in it just loses my dog and shows where he has been. Does anyone else use this feature the way I did on the 220? Is my 320 broken? I can't imagine there being a use for this feature the way it is working on the 320. I use this feature every time I turn a dog out with my old 220 and generally just switch to whatever my lead dog is when they are running and zoom in and out according to what I need from that dogs location.

I am hoping there might be a software button I am not using maybe. I finally figured out how to get the big fat line that connected me to the dog to go away and was hoping maybe this was a software issue also.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Houndhead]

Is it picking a random spot, or zooming in to where the cursor is? I always put the cursor on the dog to zoom in with the 220.

[lfd13]

I know if you just use the physical "Map" button and go with that map then it will zoom to the cursor on both the 220 and 320. On the 220 once you hit the software "map" button for a particular dog from that dogs "dog info screen" it would center the map on that dog and keep the dog the center of the map as long as you never touch the cursor button. Now on the 320 it doesnt matter if you hit the cursor button or not, the dog is never the center of the map and it doesnt follow the dog while he is running. At least I can't get mine to.

[karl robinson]

talked to garmin today and they said that they do not have a version update yet so it will center the dog or handheld... mine 320 is the same as yours... I can't believe they can sell these units like this ...if you have gotten yours to center now please post a reply as to how you figured it out ...thanks for now, Karl

[lfd13]

Nope. I sold my 320 after contacting Garmin. I had to go through several days of back and forth of the lower techs thinking I didn't know what I was doing and then they finally got there software "engineering" guys involved and then they admitted or realized there was a problem. They didnt give a time on a fix so I sold mine and went back to the 220. Pretty sorry of Garmin if you ask me. It is such an important feature for me that I would much rather hunt with the 220 than a Satelite mapped 320.

[tman308]

lfd13,

I am away for work right now but when I return home I will check into this on mine. I have never used this feature but I will see if I can duplicate what you are talking about. I still have my 220 and I also have a 320 so I will see if I can come up with a solution for you. Let me know what software version you are using with the 320 so I can make sure I use the same one when testing.

[lfd13]

I don't have my 320 anymore but when I started this post I had the latest update. I have a friend who has the 320 and is supposed to let me know if they come out with another update that fixes this issue. On another note, if you get used to hunting with this feature you might get upset that the feature is not there on the 320 yet. I hunt deer so I am hunting out of my truck and between driving and talking on the radio and trying to track the dogs (serious multitasking!!), this feature is huge. I really don't understand why more people don't use this feature (the ones that hunt from there vehicles), especially if they know the woods they are in and know where they are at.

Anyhow, check it out since you have both. You will need to turn your collars on and probably have them move around enough so that you can see that the 220 will follow them.

[karl robinson]

Thanks for the response. I agree that this is a disgrace that garmin would sell these 320's to good customers with no remorse or offer to buy the pieces of SH^%$#%^&*&T back!!!! I love my THREE 220's that I own but I would personly like to shove this 320 up the sales executive that decided that a dollar of my hard earned money in their pocket is better than in mine !!!! like I said it was only yesterday that I talked to garmin DEC.15thI also use this function almost exclusively as you discribed... MAYBE GARMIN should have a sh#$%^^^%%$#@tty christmas instead of family, since they had no problem ruining mine !!! Here's hoping they read these postings and DO THE RIGHT THING!!! my # is 519-777-7300

[Houndhead]

I will trade my 220 for a 320 if someone doesn't like the 320.

[DHart]

My distributer informed me Friday that the update to fix the centering on dogs issue was up. Did anyone get to try it yet?

[mondomuttruner]

Houndhead...where do you want to meet me for a trade?

Sorry houndhead, I misread your post. I would trade a 220 for a 320 anyday also.

[12-GAUGE]

Lance,

They just released the newest software version. It fixed the "centering" issue. It is very handy.