Garmin problem on last hunt, something to think about.

[Circle C]

I ran into an issue with my Garmin the other day, and I thought I would ask about it here.

Turned out Annie ( dog 1) and Brandy ( dog 2) Saturday evening, both collars are DC-30 and less than 3 months old, fresh charge on batteries, and the handheld was updated through the Garmin website last week.  Both dogs made a couple of 1/2 mile loops at the start of the hunt, then on their third loop, they left out to the west. They showed to be out at 1.9 miles, then dropped signal. We headed toward them driving about 1 mile, then picked them back up at 1.2 miles on the Garmin. At this point they showed treed, and we started heading their direction. Got to about 600 yards and they broke, heading northwest in the direction of the next county road. After a while, I showed dog 2 to be moving at 1.91 miles, dog one showed a question mark.

Similar to this screen. except that dog 1 and 2 are reversed.


After a few more minutes seeing that dog 2 was still moving, but the distance was not changing, I pulled out Krystal's long range antenna. It still showed dog 1 with question mark, and dog 2 moving, but no change in distance. So on dog 2 I hit enter, to see this screen.


Only on my screen, it showed full battery, no bars on Comm., and full bars on GPS.  That's when I decided to head to the truck, and go find my dogs.  I drove to the next county road the the west, just a little over 2 miles as the crow flies, and I still did not pick up the dogs on the Garmin. I pulled out the Quicktrack and picked them up west northwest on long range. So I headed to the next road to the west, ` 1.5 miles as the crow flies.  At this point, the Garmin picked up both dogs, showing them both treed yet another 1.39 miles to the west. I was able to drive within 150 yards of the dogs, when I turned the truck off I could hear them bayed. No catch dog, no rifle, so I called them. After about 30 minutes of me calling them, they finally came to me.

Here is the problem as I see it. I am used to the dogs dropping in and out of signal, and with one dog still showing to be moving, I assumed the dogs were still in the area. The Garmin never did switch from a dog, to a question mark, so I did not bother to head to them quickly to let the Garmin pick up their collars again, I figured they were still in the area like the Garmin said. I am still not sure why the handheld did not switch over, but I am darn glad that I continue to run radio collars in conjunction with the Garmin collars. If I had relied on the Garmin collars alone, I would still be looking for the dogs, thinking they were 1.9 miles out. When in reality, according to Google Earth, they had traveled well over 5 miles as the crow flies.

Something to think about when you drop the dogs and they only have on a Garmin collar...

[Bump]

Chris...I had this situation happen one time. I spent 20 minutes looking for a dog in a cedar tree and couldnt imagine what happened...My advice to you is....you need to stay closer to your dogs. 

But seriously....is it possible that your id numbers on your collars are too close together? I think sometimes the collars get bumfuzzled and cause problems. Also...I think think the Astro just has issues.

I turned mine off and took the batteries out and then tried again. It seemed to reset everything. A similar situation happened like your twice. I did a master reset and I have not had a problem since.

If you do a master reset it will lose all stored information but seems to clear the issues on the unit.

[Eric]

Good to know.

[Circle C]

Thanks Rex,

   I will do a master reset, and hope that cures the problem.  How do I do a master reset?

 I downloaded the update for the handheldlast week, because it seemed like
I was dropping signal on the collars more often than I used to. Even after I bought new collars.

[kevin]

I've seen it happen 3 times.  The last time it showed the dog 1.2 miles to the west.  As we were finally getting there we closed the gap to 200 yds.  While looking at the Handheld, it went form treed 200 yds to the North, to treed over a mile to the South.    

 Another time it hung up in one spot and I walked around in cold @ss water for 20 minutes looking for a collar that I assumed fell off, as it showed it to be in the water.  Come to find out it was still on the dog around a mile away.

  

[hoghunterdfw]

Not sure if you tried this or not while hunting. but the number one way to fix most electronic gizmos that start to malfunction is to do what Bump said and turn the thing completely off and then back on.  Usually once it resets everything will work like it should

[Mike]

... and that my friends is why every dog we put down will have a radio collar on also.

It bothers me that so many people are selling their radio systems left and right to buy a garmin. After hunting with many, many folks with garmins... they all have problems. While it's a neat little tool... I wouldn't trust my dog's life on it.

[Circle C]

Mike,

  I figured you would have something to say

hoghunterdfw,
 
   I did not turn the unit off, and back on.  However, even with the long range antenna attached, it did not pickup dog 1, yet it picked them both up when I got close to them.  So the handheld was not totally malfunctioning, as it did pick them up once I was in range. Having the dog picture instead of the question mark is what I think messed me up. I saw no need to head their direction, as I had not "lost" them on the screen. In the future, I think I will pay more close attention to the "Comm." bars on the collar info screen, if I see that the dogs distance is not changing.

[Bryant]

I don't know if you tried this either, but sometime my directional arrows will start acting funny.  Hit the menu button twice, and calibrate the compass.  This has always straightened things out for me.  I suppose your supposed to do this before each hunt, but I don't ever remember.

[matt_aggie04]

Mike,

  I figured you would have something to say

Usually it is more like, hey you got an extra Garmin collar    You know I am just goosing you, I agree with what you are saying, I just still don't feel right not having both collars on at all times.

I know this is a little Monday morning quarterback of me but if at all possible once you see them bumping on a mile, go that way.  I think you just about have to stay withing a mile or a mile and a quarter to have best results.  If they are lost at nearly 2 miles and then you factor in the time it takes you travel that distance by the time you get to where they were they could be another 2 miles from you and then things get interesting pretty quick.  I am not telling you something you don't already know, it is just info on what we have done in the past to eliminate that issue.

[hoghunterdfw]

Yes you do have to recalibrate the compass from time to time not before every hunt but I usually find the need at least once every month or two.  You can tell pretty easily when the arrow is not working properly, it always helps when your buddy has an astro too cuz obviously the likelyhood of both being miscalibrated at the same time would be slim

[Circle C]

Bryant,

 I calibrate the compass before every hunt.  I didn't calibrate it one time, and it had me thinking the sun rose in the west that morning. Now, it is part of my pre-hunt ritual.  I calibrate compass, "start new hunt", mark the truck, and check the battery amount on each collar to make sure they are fully charged, then the hunt begins.


Matt,
  Remember the upside down compass that used to get us out of the woods.

[matt_aggie04]

Matt,
  Remember the upside down compass that used to get us out of the woods.

I think about that and laugh pretty often, dang compass would go on the fritz and you might have to walk a while till it got to working right again haha

[Circle C]

I know this is a little Monday morning quarterback of me but if at all possible once you see them bumping on a mile, go that way.

In response to this, knowing the land I was on, it is not possible to go with them. You have to leave one ranch, then go through another, to get to the next one.  Part of the story that was left out, is that I got within 500 yards of them. ( I was at the cabin, on the oilfield property, and they were to the northwest of me, past the creek.) When I saw that they were headed that direction, I had to go away to get closer. That does not change the issue that came up with the Garmin not updating.  Additionally, at the rate they were travelling ( Garmin showed an average speed of 7+ mph, they were on the ground the entire hunt, no buggy rides effecting their average speed) I could not have kept up with them on foot, had I abandoned the buggy to go after them once they passed the creek.

I do understand the concept of what you are saying though...

[Bryant]

I should have also mentioned this in my prior post, but I have also noticed that sometimes sitting on my four wheeler it will act a little strange.  Get off and walk a few yards away and it straightens back up.  I don't know if it could be magnetic force from the engine, or the metal, or perhaps just in my mind but irregardless it seems like that helps.

[Circle C]

Bryant,

    The metal top on my mule screws up my compass. I have to get away from the buggy to get a good reading. Same if I am in the truck.

[Cristina]

I'm glad you posted this Chris I was seriously about to put our Quik track for sale to get a garmin but I guess ill wait until I have the money to just buy a garmin and have both systems. I really think the garmin would help out a lot to.

[Circle C]

Cristina,

    I don't think there is any denying that the Garmin is a great tool. It usually makes the hunt go smoother. I just don't trust it on it's own.

   

[lazyjhogdogs]

Was there any chance of the collar turning on the dogs neck? That may have a small factor in causing to have to much multi path therefore giving you a bad reading.

[Bump]

I need to get my garmin and see but but I believe a master reset is holding down the map, enter and power buttons.

It will delete all waypoints and saved settings. I need to look back and make sure on the 3 buttons. I know it is the enter and map buttons for sure.