gps tracking systems good bad ugly

[MT.music]

any one use them gps tracking systems on there dogs do they work as good as a regular tracking system how fare do they work tell me all u no thanks mt music

[d_j__c]

I use them and I love them. With gps its a whole new game. you are closer to the action. you can help you dogs more. you can tell who is in tight and who is hanging back. they are great. get em.

[MT.music]

do they work in the mountains how many miles how good comperd to a regular tracking system

[d_j__c]

Ya they work inthe mountians I live in south east Britsh Columbia. and they work great. They work for about 10-15 miles but they work so well that you never get even a mile away for the dogs. you stay right in the race the whole time.

[krk hunting]

d_i_c,

Thats the biggest bunch of shit I have heard. I dont know what type of gps you are using for you dogs but mine are good in the mountains to about 1 mile and i can stetch that out to about 1.5 to 1.75 if I change the antenna, but it is definalty nice to know what is going on with all the dogs during the race.


Junk

[The Ole' Guy]

They work great,mostly 1 1/2 -2 mi. range for me,but the ping box isn't any better for range. The astro uses a LOT of AA batteries if not plugged into the p/u.It will keep you much closer to the race and you KNOW which dog is doing what.I mostly use the roof mount antenna should have saved the monry spent on the LR antenna,only used it once and had no change in signal,different in other locations from what i've seen posted.Range will depend on location same as telemetry.Wouldn'tbe without one again,get it.

[Steve White]

d_i_c,

Thats the biggest bunch of shit I have heard. I dont know what type of gps you are using for you dogs but mine are good in the mountains to about 1 mile and i can stetch that out to about 1.5 to 1.75 if I change the antenna, but it is definalty nice to know what is going on with all the dogs during the race.


Junk

Krk- Really it is not. A basic understanding of LINE OF SIGHT would dictate the possibility of many more miles than that. Given there were no obstructions to the transmitter. So using the formula if you were at 10,000 ft looking out across a very large flat ground line of sight would be 200 miles. LOS= 2x sq rt of height. In reality that does not work as would be hard to not find a small hill or something to block the signal.

I know guys that have gotten 12 miles in the mountains of NM with just the stock antenna.

[krk hunting]

Steve,

That is not reality, the man is asking about your daily use not talking about standing on a 10,000 foot mountain and checking a dog with no restrictions across a valley floor, lets get real here. The man is asking for some real time use and what he can expect, not a bunch of B.S. Just my input on the thing.

Junk

[Jim Meacham]

Buddy of mine has the gps system. We love it but I would always recommend using the telemetry with it also. We hunt the green mountains in vermont and most of the time have good signal but have lost signal as close as a quarter of a mile when the dogs dropped into the ledges. Don't get me wrong you should have one but nothing is perfect. Its all machanical. Just my opinion. Thanks

Jim

[inchtowntracking]

If you hunt in a lot of tree cover siganl will go in and out. I try and stay above them on the hill and that seems to help out alot. I broke my long range and lost my stubby antenna so i just plugged it into my beep beep antenna and it helps with the range. Always run both types of collars or else you will be losing dogs, this has happened to me and others.

[bluedawgs]

i use them as well. tons of mountains and lots country. east kootneys british columbia. love em. best invetsment.

[houndnem]

I love the gps now that they came out with the new 220 collars. I never get more than 1.5 miles out of them though. you will never recover a lost dog with them. Short battery life and bad range in canyon and thick trees make it a necessity to run telemitry and gps. They do help you stay close to the dogs during the chase and avoid extra hiking. Good luck Houndn'em.

[pete richardson]

do they work as good as a regular tracking system

yes and no short battery life- less range

tough to compare-i love mine . , i wish i had bought one sooner -

when you have a signal , they are so much better than a telemetry system- they show you exactly where the dog is -they show you much more than telemetry can -


i have always found my dog or collar with the beep beep- sometimes it was days later- --one time ,it was months later-



maybe i would have never lost a dog that bad with the astro


with stock antenna,on foot in the woods , i get 7 tenths of a mile most the time-
i have lost signal for a short time at very close range- 300- 400 yards- i lose signal everytime i get on snowmobile ? interference ?

longest so far was 1.75 --only owned one a month , just cat and rabbit hunting -

some of my buddies use them bear hunting-
they dont use beep beep anymore ,but run both collars
-
if cant get a signal with astro--they act like its a huge chore to dig beep beep out -
i tried one out a few times in bear season,, i didnt like it at first-
range too short with stock antenna
then i used a rooftop with my buddies astro in bear season , 3 miles most the time, sometimes only half that sometimes better than that - very close to same range as beep beep if u can get to a high open spot
-id guess they get about 3/4 of the range of a beep beep on average -in the right place they can equal or maybe even beat the beep beep-

this is how it worked for me bear hunting

i always have to beep from many places to get a good guess where dogs are with telemetry -

with astro , get to a high spot and know exactly-

in the valley ,
whats it worth to know which side of river swamp or lake dogs are on -



in mountains-- theres usually an old skid road from landing very close to where dogs are treed-


look at astro- ok they are on that side of a brook ,so i know they hauled all the wood from that side of brook to such n such landing-


in ledges , rocks ,, where you get lots of bounce from telemetry , astro shows you exactly-

naaaaaa , they arent as good , but they are better ,as long as you can get collar back to recharge it before it goes dead

[not color blind]

My $.02 on getting the most range out of your Garmin, I have tried most all the antennas (roof mount, garmin long range, etc). They all are MUCH better than the stock rubber ducky.

But by far the best range I have gotten, is a antenna/yagi for the 150's frequency beep beep collars (just point it in the direction the dogs should be, we all remember how to do that right ), it gets me AT LEAST twice the range of the other "long" range antenna's. There is an adapter you have to get to connect it to the astro.

I know I've posted this once before but I thought I would put it back up on here, hopefully it will help someone out.

[nmplott]

Mr. White,
What mountains in NM have they been getting that range out of?
Stephen