garmin astro

[BMichalak]

just wanted to tell anyone that was thinking about buying a garmin astro 220 tracking system that they are great! i just bought mine last mine and tried it out hunting the other eneving and i love it! them things are worth the money!

[Mr. HG]

What kind of tracking system did you have before and what makes this unit so great Realdogs was talking about buying one for our second unit we had a Quick track 10 for a second worked great but worked even better for trading it for a dog. Des

[Bryant]

I don't mean to be a harsh critic, but most anything is nice when it's brand new.  Please let us know what you think of it when you have spent a few months hunting with it real hard.  Most everyone I know that has one either hates it, or has sold it already.  Battery life, water resistance, effective range, and antenna problems are a few of the complaints I have heard.

[BMichalak]

well the hog we caught was in a 5ft deep creek with my dog latched onto the side of its ear and the collor was completely submerged at the time.. it hasnt messed up on me yet...another thing that is good about the garmin is the facet that it is not ONLY used to be a dog tracking system... it can be used for the deer hunter, hog hunter, making big trips on the road... i guess what im saying is it is more of a multi use deal for me.. but i ll let you know if it craps out on me

[rabbiter]

I have had my Garmin Astro for some time & a number of hunts .I use to own, a number of years ago ,a radio tracker ,but this GPS stuff is just that much better .You can tell not only which way each dog is ,(up to 10 at anyone time)but how far away in yards it is from you .Then if you press the "map" page it runs up a map of the area you are hunting & shows where the dog is on the map and if the dog is moving or not .Time & time again it has led me to the dog & the pig ,some of which have been large boars ,who would have perhaps either badly damaged or even killed my dogs ,before I had "found" them without the GPS trackers .

[BMichalak]

yea i havent used mine but a few times... but i already love it... just like you explained of how the gps send u info on how far away your dog is from you, what he's doing.... i love mine!

[rabbiter]

I don't mean to be a harsh critic, but most anything is nice when it's brand new.  Please let us know what you think of it when you have spent a few months hunting with it real hard.  Most everyone I know that has one either hates it, or has sold it already.  Battery life, water resistance, effective range, and antenna problems are a few of the complaints I have heard.

I havn't had any problems with battery life ,and my dogs have had a number of swims to cool off while wearing the transmitters .Effective range hasn't been a problem either ,as the hunting in New zealand with its steep high hills & mountains ,longwith the very tight bush is tuff on both gear and dogs .The antennas are a problem and I replaced mine with right angle after market aerials from valley creek hunting supplies which have proved to be very effective ,and tuff showing no signs of wear after a good number of hunts .

[Black Gold]

I was able to hunt with a pair of them over a 2 week period.  I really liked the accuracy, but the durability was horrible...both antennas broke and had to be "rigged".  The body harness was shredded and the plastic molding was cracked.  I was at the Shot Show in Las Vegas earler this year and went by the Garmin booth to speak with one of their "higher-ups" to give them feedback on the unit and recommendations to improve it for hog hunting.  I was shut-down in a few seconds and told that Garmin is not a company that promotes hog hunting and was not interested in even hearing about their product being used for such......It was made for bird hunters and well trained pointers I was told.  This response really hacked me off and I wont buy one.....Tracker is coming out with a GPS unit real soon....I believe I'll use theirs instead......You wont catch me throwing my money to a company with an anti point of view.....

[pig snatcher]

I was able to hunt with a pair of them over a 2 week period.  I really liked the accuracy, but the durability was horrible...both antennas broke and had to be "rigged".  The body harness was shredded and the plastic molding was cracked.  I was at the Shot Show in Las Vegas earler this year and went by the Garmin booth to speak with one of their "higher-ups" to give them feedback on the unit and recommendations to improve it for hog hunting.  I was shut-down in a few seconds and told that Garmin is not a company that promotes hog hunting and was not interested in even hearing about their product being used for such......It was made for bird hunters and well trained pointers I was told.  This response really hacked me off and I wont buy one.....Tracker is coming out with a GPS unit real soon....I believe I'll use theirs instead......You wont catch me throwing my money to a company with an anti point of view.....

That is a rather unwise statement for the maker of a tracking system to make.  I promise they stand to make a lot more money off of hog, coon, bear, and cat hunters than they do bird hunters.
 

[Mike]

That should tell everyone something right there... stay away from Garmin!

[BMichalak]

that was pretty dang sorry for that represenative to tell you that... if i had some one tell me taht like he did to you, i prolly wouldnt of had bought mine either... but i still like the product... i know i havent had it very long but its been submerged in water and everything else along the line of testing durability and i havent had any problems... so i really do like mine but i disagree with the way that guy treated you about asking him about their product

[TXbud]

That is sorry and unprofessional for the Garmin rep to say that.  We have spoken with many reps at Garmin and all we have spoken to wants to make the Garmin Astro and the collars better for hog hunters, bear hunters, cat hunters and coon hunters. 

[Black Gold]

Who knows....that guy individually could have been a tree-hugger and really not been giving the true opinion of the company itself......One bad experience like that sure does leave a bad taste in your mouth though!

[kiwibacon]

The  DC 30 looks like its the real deal  will be trading up asp

[TXbud]

We are being told that we will have the new DC 30 collars on July 11, 2008.  We already have a waiting list.  The Garmin Astro Bundle package (Astro w/ the DC 30 collar) should be here on July 26, 2008.  If anyone would like to be put on the waiting list give us a call. 

Read more about the DC 30 on our website:
http://www.valleycreekhuntingsupply.com/Products/tracking/Garmin.html

[kiwibacon]

Bryan have you got ifo on the  New portable handheld antenna for the astro 220 

[TXbud]

As of right now I do not have any information on the new Garmin portable antenna.  If I find something out about them I will let you know.

[TXbud]

Here's some information I found on the Portable Antenna for the Garmin Astro:

Garmin developed this portable long range antenna especially for the Garmin Astro GPS Dog Tracking system. This accessory is designed to increase the range of the hunter's handheld receiver. When a dog travels outside the Astro's range, the antenna can be lengthened to 3 feet and attached directly to the Astro 220 via a 3 foot coaxial cable.

This new antenna is perfect for folks that need longer range for the big running bird dogs and hounds. The beauty of this antenna is that when it is closed, it gets better range than the standard antenna. When you need more range, all you do is extend the antenna out to a maximum of 3 feet and you will get better range in those heavy cover and rolling terrain situations.

The antenna features a molded handle and lanyard, and measures just a quarter meter long when stored -- small enough to be carried in a hunting vest when not in use.

[kiwibacon]

  Looks good !  I have been  Carring the Garim truck antenna  on me ,  thanks Bryan