BigGameHoundsmen.com

My buddy was sitting on a ridge 7.6 miles from his house and picked up his dog that his wife had just brought home with the collar still turned on! Of course that was ideal conditions, but in the steep and deep canyons your range is limited to under 2 miles.

Hi

I am new to this forum but i use the Astro for my hunting dog, hounds (Plott, Laika).

I have made some "new" antennas of coax cable and RG58 contacts, SMA male. This antennas will improve the distance with several miles and they will not breake! You can use the DC 20 with collar or vest depending on what you are hunting and what dog you are using.

If some one tell me how to upload picture i will.

Best Regards Big Swede

If I knew I'd tell ya. Someone help the big swede. I'd like to see what he's made!! Paul Conway.

Big Swede I sent you a pm.

Blue Man wrote:Big Swede I sent you a pm.

I have sent you the pics on mail.

Remember that this homemade antennas must be 49cm long, something to do with the radio wave (1/4). The coax better be made of solid copper 0,8 mm. Soldering the coax to the RG58 contact and then fill it (rg58) with glue. Use shrink tube on the coax and then you are finish.

Sorry for my spelling!!!

Best regards BIG SWEDE

wanna see those pics guys!!

You have to click on the link.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=fu14eh&s=3
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=1z5uq9z&s=3
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2u5s589&s=3
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2u5s589&s=3
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=24zlm5i&s=3
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=8ybd06&s=3
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=245xyl4&s=3

Wanna sell a couple of those antennas?

big swede how much do you have tied up in one of those antennas. I'm going to an electronics store tomorrow to buy the stuff to make one. I have to try it. In REAL NASTY arizona country I've got VERY little range. I had a dog in a rock pile hole with a lion the other day and couldn't find her. Very scary. THANK GOD for quick track.

az_gogetem wrote:big swede how much do you have tied up in one of those antennas. I'm going to an electronics store tomorrow to buy the stuff to make one. I have to try it. In REAL NASTY arizona country I've got VERY little range. I had a dog in a rock pile hole with a lion the other day and couldn't find her. Very scary. THANK GOD for quick track.

Hi
My guess is that you will probably get away with 20$ if you have the tools. It`s much more expensive in Sweden if you buy an antenna in sweden it will cost 40$ + shipping thats way i made them!

They are easy to do and they will last a long time, they wont break like "others". You need RG58 male SMA "L" for the DC 20, coax cable solid copper core 0,8mm (49cm), shrink tube 4, 5, or 6mm. Solder (1mm), glue for the RG58 contact after the soldering use a gluegun!!. Biothane collar to attache the DC20 use self amalgating tape or something like it.

When you attache the antenna to the DC20 make sure that the contact is pointing forward and not down, drag the antenna on the same side as the on and off button to minimize the disturbence to the GPS this is when you attache it to the collar!

BIG SWEDE

lets see if I've got this right.

I have the RG 58 male L adapter. I am going to solder the coax to that. and then fill with hot glue. then cover with shrink wrap.

I need to basicly twist the DC20 unit 90 degrees on the collar, right? So that the antenna comes off on the side and not pointing straight at the ground. then just tape it to the collar?

If I understand all this correctly i think I could fabricate a bracket to bolt the DC20 to the collar instead of tape. something like this maybe. i know it looks like a 2 year old drew it but i couldn't save as a picture on a cad program. so paint it is.

the blue lines would be somesort of metal, most likely aluminum to keep it light. the red would be the screws or bolts (using existing holes) and the green is the antenna. or instead of sliding through could also rivet the bracket to the collar so it doesn't slide around on the collar..... that actually seems like it would be a lot easier.


i'll try and post pictures when i am done.

couple of things. The modification to the antenna as shown is for the radio signal? Yes? Well if you do this and put the unit on the underside of the hounds neck your GPS signal would go all to crap as it does at times when the unit gets spun around and sits underneath the dogs neck like a normal radio telemetry unit. You end up with a question mark on your screen and if close enough to the hound your question mark will move with the hound but no track will be shown and checking the collar info on the GPS unit shows that the radio signal is ok but the GPS signal is not. OR you get a non moving question mark and when checking the info on the collar it shows both the radio signal and GPS signal to be low or lost. Wouldn't this mod improve radio signal but send your GPS signal to pot??? Also we've been working on fabricating a metal plate to replace the plastic one but if you did this for a collar that was going to be worn upside down so to speak wouldn't you block out the GPS signal even more effectively?? If you know what I mean?? Big Swede is your mod meant for the unit to be worn underneath a hound neck? Thanks for your time and your work! Paul Conway.

the worst thing ive found on the system is the collar mounting plates, i have 2 that are cracked and one is only a month old. im working on machining some billet aluminum ones, thought about carbon fiber first but aluminum is easier to work with

az_gogetem wrote:lets see if I've got this right.

I have the RG 58 male L adapter. I am going to solder the coax to that. and then fill with hot glue. then cover with shrink wrap.

I need to basicly twist the DC20 unit 90 degrees on the collar, right? So that the antenna comes off on the side and not pointing straight at the ground. then just tape it to the collar?

If I understand all this correctly i think I could fabricate a bracket to bolt the DC20 to the collar instead of tape. something like this maybe. i know it looks like a 2 year old drew it but i couldn't save as a picture on a cad program. so paint it is.

the blue lines would be somesort of metal, most likely aluminum to keep it light. the red would be the screws or bolts (using existing holes) and the green is the antenna. or instead of sliding through could also rivet the bracket to the collar so it doesn't slide around on the collar..... that actually seems like it would be a lot easier.


i'll try and post pictures when i am done.

Hi
"I need to basicly twist the DC20 unit 90 degrees on the collar, right?" Yes this is to improve the GPS signal. You could probably do like you say but anything that will penetrate the DC 20 shell will make it weaker.

BIG SWEDE

Paul Conway wrote:couple of things. The modification to the antenna as shown is for the radio signal? Yes? Well if you do this and put the unit on the underside of the hounds neck your GPS signal would go all to crap as it does at times when the unit gets spun around and sits underneath the dogs neck like a normal radio telemetry unit. You end up with a question mark on your screen and if close enough to the hound your question mark will move with the hound but no track will be shown and checking the collar info on the GPS unit shows that the radio signal is ok but the GPS signal is not. OR you get a non moving question mark and when checking the info on the collar it shows both the radio signal and GPS signal to be low or lost. Wouldn't this mod improve radio signal but send your GPS signal to pot??? Also we've been working on fabricating a metal plate to replace the plastic one but if you did this for a collar that was going to be worn upside down so to speak wouldn't you block out the GPS signal even more effectively?? If you know what I mean?? Big Swede is your mod meant for the unit to be worn underneath a hound neck? Thanks for your time and your work! Paul Conway.

Hi

In Sweden i use differant solutions for differant dogs. For exampel i use the vest for Plott and dogs that uses their "nose" to hunt, dogs that are looking for tracks in the ground and not in the "air". I use collar for Laika and swedish moose dog, they use their nose in a differant way. They use the air in search for game. You are right in when you say that GPS signal could be lost, but the problem with astro is according to me the radiosignal that will disapere now and then!! I use the "new" antennas even hunting with the vest so that the dog can "roll over" and not break the antenna.

BIG SWEDE