She went all out!
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She went all out!
Nice! shes a keeper!
cool looking for a full report as I am in the market for one as well .just not sure what one to buy with all the reports on updates crashing them in Canada Dutch
they are not crashing,,,,,,,,,,just not approved yet............mine works fine
get the magnetic mount antenna for roof of your truck
Now I gotta get this thing setup and learn how to use it. Wish me luck!
any tips would be appreciated on how to begin
menu has so many options..................you touch your antenna to dogs antenna it will enter it into your garmin
I have it charging now, I will have to read the manual over the next day or so. This thing is pretty advanced.
You get the topo Canada map with it.
I would refrain from doing any online software/firmware updates. That us how they disable the Astros in Canada.
Good, I wasn't sure if maps came with it for us over here.
This thing is built top notch all around, they went all out.
Maps come with it - they are on a micro SD chip. You can replace them with better ones you can buy online. You can also download satellite imagery "birds eye" view for it too - but I haven't bothered. Top maps and roads are adequate. I saw one map set that also has property lines marked (mine shows private/crown, but not individual lots).
The map on it looks like it doesn't include Canada at all, shows Canada as grey when you zoom in.....no roads or topo?
Werner, where did you get your maps? Mine did not come with a loaded SD card.
can someone recommend the best place to buy maps and what are the most useful maps??
GPS City. I have the Backroads Mapbooks maps. they are nice. lots of detail, crown & private land, trails, paddling routes etc. etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mount Sweetness
Is the tracking function working on your Alpha?
Mount Sweetness dont go on line and down load or upgrade anything off the Garmin web site. As all of there up grades will make your unit not track in Canada. Because of are Canadian government they didnt pass the bill to let Garmin make a Canadian version.All of the new Garmin tracking units will not work here in canada. Not sure when they will be on the market. Im a little pissed as i bought 10 collars and the alpha last spring and if any collars go down I cant get them fixed as garmin will upgrade them to the ones that will not work in Canada.
Lots of places sell them. Mine were from gpscentral.ca. Sail sells them to - but did not have the backroads series.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mount Sweetness
Mine is the Alpha 100 TT15.
I haven't used it yet, just playing with it trying to figure it out.
It seems to track, as it shows the dog/collar location....? I will play around with it some more, go for a drive with the handheld and leave the collar at home and see if it tracks.
I am leaning towards the Backroads Mapbook, if anyone has a better one to recommend please do so. If you have seen these on sale cheap somewhere please let me know.
The alpha is a sweet unit. If you have smaller dogs you can order replacement collars from here with no rings so that you will be able to get them a little tighter.
http://www.outdoordogsupply.com/garm...acement-strap/
They have lots of other accessories like cases, screen covers, long range antennas etc. If you do order anything from them I would suggest calling. I have talked to them before and it sounds like there are certain things they cannot ship to Canada due to restrictions placed on them by Garmin.
Overall I like the alpha but they could have done better with the charging system, those clips for the collars are easy to lose.
On another note. Has anyone actually had a unit or heard of a unit going down in Canada? I have heard lots of talk about it but I have yet to hear first hand evidence of an updated unit going down. A friend called Garmin when this all started and was told that the update affected Europe and Japan only. Phone calls since then have been met with a standard corporate response.
I have been trying to figure out the same thing. Have had the "Company line" response from several U.S. suppliers as well. Can't blame them as they don't want Garmin peeved off. Wish I knew a suppliers personally, then could get an accurate answer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jakezilla
My Alpha is brand new, the latest version, it works.
I went for a drive today and left the collar home with my wife, the Handheld tracked the collar for 3km.
Thanks for the update MS.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mount Sweetness
They are a great unit, this is the third year using this system. I like the training feature on them but in actuality prefer the buttons of the astro the touch screen is kind of a pain when driving, and watching the dogs. The tracking part works better as you can get more dogs on there, I think I have watched 10 dogs in one day. My advice is make sure you go into gps advance settings and make sure that you make it north is always up. I have seen the other guys get confused when unit is not set up like this. Good luck and I don't know how anybody runs hounds without these.
that's actually the first thing I changed Millwrong82, North is up, just makes more sense to me
So the firmware in your handlheld is version 4.40?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mount Sweetness
Maybe we can hook up go for a rabbit hunt and I'll show you the maps on mine. It's a tt10 by the way never heard of tt15.
If I knew how to tell what firmware was on it I would be happy to let you know. It is the latest, purchased 2 weeks ago.
ontariobeagler, meeting up sometime for a hunt sounds like fun, we need snow...
Turn on the unit and click on the SETUP button on the main page. In the set up menu scroll down until you see the ABOUT tab. Go into ABOUT and at the top it will say Software Version X.XX
The current version is 4.40
The disable tracking in Canada was added in version 3.20 which was issued in the spring of 2014 I believe.
Just an FYI time of purchase has nothing to do with revision of firmware. the latest release came out two weeks ago, that unit was manufactured, programmed, packaged, shelved, etc LONG before the latest realeases.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mount Sweetness
jakezilla, this one is version 4.20
Ok thanks, that's good news.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mount Sweetness
What kind of range are you guys getting with your Alpha's and Astros?
What I am finding is that mine loses connection anywhere from 1km to 3km. This is on roads testing it.
What good is it if it only tracks a km or two??? Is there something I'm missing here?
I get about the same as you are - but this is in very rough terrain. I don't have a problem with it since if I go to the last reported location, I'll pick up the dog again. But I'm running a small beagle on deer. I have a 14" (or so) whip antennae on mine.
That happens once in awhile not all the time.try using the longer antenna you should be able to track up to 8 miles
There is also a car mount mount i think that should greatly increase signal if using a vehicle to track a big running dog like a hound. For my proposes running a bird dog the range is fine with my Astro 320.
I am using the longer antenna, it's over 12 inches.
They advertise 9 miles, they should be advertising 2 miles.........
I want this more to find a lost dog in the big unfamiliar woods, if the dog is lost and has run off 5km.....All a 2km range does is get me lost too....?
It won't do it all the time mine didn't few times. Went out too thick bush today never lost signal. It goes back to normal after a bit. Try changing the tracking settings to 10 seconds or go lower try it out. You got the best of the best don't worry it'll work fine.
I guess there is a learning curve, I don't do well with learning curves...lol
I did another test just now, I left the handheld on my front steps, drove away with collar holding it out of the sun roof. I got right around 3km's worth of tracking.
I can't imagine getting over 5km unless the dog and you were on a wide open frozen lake.
I also learned not to test it with the handheld in the house or under a covered porch, and I figure if the collar is inside the car it will lose signal quicker as well. That's why I stuck it out of the sun roof.
I noticed that if it completely loses signal and I bring the collar back to the handheld start point, the track with just show a straight line fake track from the signal lose point to the return/start point.
Learning curve
This is the email response I just received from a major Dog Supply company in the U.S. after inquiring about the Alpha and its use in Canada. Names have been changed to protect the innocent. ;)
Chris,
Thanks for contacting &%#$ %^& Supply.
The Garmin Alpha is approved for use in the US only. Collar tohandheld communication may be disabled in prohibited areas.
Thanks,
Has anyone ever cut down a collar antenna to make it a little bit shorter?
This Alpha came with 2 antennas, both of them are so long that my beagle nearly trips on them.
Most of my Beagles are the 13" variety , one in particular is quite small, but is also one of my favorite gun dogs. I modified the garmin collar to fit her small neck size. I remove the D ring so there is only a buckle, then I added foam weather stripping to the inside of the collar reinforced with electrical tape. I have also replaced the collar antenna with aircraft cable for less than a dollar.
Attachment 27958Attachment 27959Attachment 27957
Dont cut the antenna, you will compromise its capacity. Just wrap it around the collar and fasten it with tie wraps.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mount Sweetness
I suppose , I should have mentioned that by having the collar fitting snugly, both antennas should ride at the top of the neck this keeps it out of the way and helps reception.
I also wonder if the xmas present was intended as a gadget for you, or to insure her favorite makes it home safe.:cool:
Thanks Swampsinger, the aircraft cable is an excellent idea, I suppose you can select which ever length you'd like....maybe 12" would work well on a beagle...much better than 22" or 19", they are crazy long.
yes, it's piece of mind for the wife too, these are her kids, it's a win win
Sample backroads images:
A couple from SW Ontario near Essex.
One from the hill country in North 55B (note crown with white bg, private with pink bg)
One beagle track (orange) my track blue from 55B.
http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4644f74b.jpg
http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/...ps309142d3.jpg
http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9e6677e7.jpg
http://i1344.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5711d9c7.jpg
Thanks Werner, they look good
The Garmins and Sport Dog are all "Line of Sight" , if you get over two miles you are lucky. With four foot whip aerial on a truck or quad mount you might get better range. If you are on the wrong side of the hill 800 yards is to far, you will lose signal. The units draw a straight line on the track from the last position to the next. If the hound goes into a den, doesn't work under ground.
Compared to the old telemetry system, it is like giving a blind person sight.
Please do all you can to convince Industry Canada to allow their use in Canada. There are about 593 licenced radio holders that are in the same frequency range. I have not heard any reports on interference from the units. All the existing licence holders got theirs expecting some interference.
Safe hunting, protect those hounds.
Has anyone downloaded and actually used the Garmin "Bird's Eye" satellite images?
first hand experience only, please
thanks
I never had problem hounds ran 3 miles away in thick bush never lost signal. Maybe not sitting tight around hounds neck.
I bought it about December 2,2014. I have downloaded 8 or 9 complete downloads. Our coyote hunting ground, the area we deer hunt in, my moose hunting area, and one of the coyote enclosure I run in . It is loaded onto Base Camp which came with my original "Garmin" Ontario east map.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mount Sweetness
It will transfer onto your Garmin, provided you have a mini sd card inside your unit. I think Garmin suggests a 4 GB card will be more than adequate.
I have Garmin maps, Birdseye and TrakMaps. They all work well, the only weakness with Birdseye, my opinion, , the detail is difficult for older sets of eyes. ie I have to wear my bifocals. The Garmin screen is small.
so I have a aunt and uncle in flordia for the winter and thy are willing to bring me a unit with two collars back with them when thy come home .what one should I buy if money is not a issue .I want to us it here at home in Ontario .thanks Dutch
If money is not an issue buy a Garmin Alpha with TT15 collars. With 2 collars it will run you over $1000 U.S.
The batteries in the handheld don't handle the extreme cold very well. Hunted with it for 9 hours yesterday in the cold with fully charged batteries, by the end of the hunt it no longer worked properly. After a battery charge overnight it is fine.
So my advise would be to keep it in an inside coat pocket to try to keep it warm if you can, or hang it on a lanyard close to your body inside your coat. Not the most convenient for quick access but this is only when using in the extreme cold.