Post your Garmin Astro 220 review

[tman308]

I called Garmin about the track length and they said it should be around 3000 so I plugged the GPS in and connected to the garmin website to try and upload the latest software. Still only getting 620 track points for the dogs. For me it's okay since when I free cast I am usually following the dogs on foot or on horseback so my track shows up.

Hopefully Garmin will figure out the problem and update the software on their website.

[frs123]

im gonna be getting one and a couple collars in a couple weeks and was wondering if the long range antenna i already have for my quich trac will work or what do i need to get. i hunt in some thick mountains and need as much range as i can get. any other useful things i should get with it? thanks

[BIG J]

i need to get an extra antena. what do ya think truck mag. or the other handheld unit

[not color blind]

how much is bruce selling the astro 220 + dc30 combo? the web page doesn't say.

what's the best deal anyone else has seen around?

[whoflungdung]

Google garmin astro 220 sale and you should find the best deals

[jimmyd]

The best price I found was jandhproducts.com The astro combo is $503.73 and the dc 30 is $160.95.

[not color blind]

does anyone with the garmin run regular tracking collars in the 150mhz thru 155mhz? wondering if they had any problems bleeding over, etc with the garmin? from what I've seen the garmin is around the same mhz. I run 151mhz regular collars but I am going to get the garmin, I want to double collar them. I'm pretty stuupid when it comes to new technology.

[BIG J]

I run 151 collars with no problems so far.

[bluedogs249]

What are we going to do when so many of these GPS units get out there and start to interfere with each other.
I talked to Garmin yesterday about this issue and got no concrete answer.
Maybe we need to be careful about buying these GPSs until Garmin addresses the issue of interference.
If there are 12 users on a 5 square mile area there will be interference.
Garmin need to add more com. settings !!!!!!!!!!!!

[FullCryHounds]

Not going to be a problem with me. If anyone is within five miles of me, they're tresspassing. And I don't take kindly to tresspassers.

[sheimer]

Bluedogs249- there are 45 different collar transmission frequencies for just the DC20's and I don't know how many for the DC30's. That allows up to 45 different dogs to run within a 5 mile radius. If someone happens to enter the area that you are hunting in and happens to be on the same frequency as your dog, the astro will alarm you and prompt you to change your frequency. At that point you have a choice, change it or not. If you chose not to, you can just chose to wait until you or the other dog moves enuf until they are not overlapping. If there is more that 45 dogs in a 5 mile radius of me, I would be glad to move!!!!!!


scott

[vann0060]

tman308
The only issue I have had with the track is for the dogs it will only record up to 620 track logs. What this means is that if you have it set to the 5 second upload and you travel a long ways with the collars on then it will automatically overwrite the oldest track point.

I figured out yesterday that the dc30 collar holds track information. I downloaded it and it looks like it stores at least 16 tracks. My longest was over 4400 points from when I was on a bobcat hike in SD. It looks like the collar records everything, but the 220 is limited to 620 points. In my manual the directions for downloading to your computer are on page 60. "To transfer dog unit (DC30) tracks:"

This seems to solve one of my only issues with the system.

[Hounder-]

I have a question regarding the re-charging of the collars?

Say you hunt for 6-7 hours one day and get home; can you just plug it in and re-charge it back to full? Or do these batteries have memory like a lot of the hand-held walkie talkies, where if you charge it at half power then the battery life is cut in half.....


Basically I'm asking does the battery have to be dead in order to charge it?


Thanks,
-Hounder

[The Ole' Guy]

Can't get this unit to change update rate or freq. Says it can't comm. with collar even though it will track it. touching antennae to GPS port on collar, any ideas?
Thanks,Ed

[tman308]

Try only having one collar on at a time. I haven't personally had the problem but it might work.