Hey tnhillbilly,
I use the hand held that Garmin makes. I have temporarily lost my dogs with it also but I have also kept them locked in at 7.1 miles away. I love my Garmin hunting here in SE Texas but Im afraid it might end up being a disappointment to you in Tennessee. I have lost dogs with it just 800 yards away and baying in a bar ditch 0nly 5 feet deep.
It can be a pain in the butt when Im walk hunting but it rigs nicely to the set up I have on my saddle. On a wheeler I have a front basket it can bounce around until I need it.
I ordered it from Gun Dog Supply and it has been worth the money to me.
Im not sure what else is available for a Garmin in long range antennas but I would get the best you can afford. Good luck and let us know how it works for ya in those hills and hollows.
actually it picks up "just" about as good in the mtns as it does in the flat country, so far i have been getting about the same range as you fellers, but like you said it depends on the terrain.
does yours fold up, and how hard is it to carry, just about all of the hunting we do is on foot, so i try to keep as many acceseries as possible tucked in a pocket or somewhere it wont get knocked off. my buddies have one that folds up into nothing, but dont know if it gets the best signal. I guess what i am trying to find is the one with the best signal and is the easiest to carry.
