I am glad I read this post. I have been on the fence about buying a Garmin but haven't yet. I know the DC-30 collar is a big improvement over the DC-20 but I am not convinced all the bugs are worked out...yet.
I hunted with two guys a few weeks ago, both had the Garmin Astro and Dc-30 collars. One kept getting an "interference" reading on his collar (while his dog was off hunting) and he said he needed to change something on the collar but the dog/collar had to be within a few feet of you to do so. That isn't any help if the dog pulls out before coming back and you can't get a signal.
The other guys Astro was telling us north was to our east....I had a regular compass and I followed it to come out on the road. If I had used his Astro reading I would still be lost in the woods.....
So I feel there is room for improvement on the Garmin units. Longer range would definately help. Hopefully Garmin will use everyone's input to build a better unit. THEN I may buy one.........
