# Garmin Alpha



## redneck_billcollector (Dec 24, 2012)

Anyone on here using it yet, if so how do you like it?  I have been reading about them and I like the maps already loaded when you get them and the satellite photo option on them.  Having the e.t. in the bundle sounds good too.


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## gsppurist (Dec 24, 2012)

I know someone who got it.  He liked it but his dog never wandered more than 30 yards from him.  He got it for his next puppy.  Will see.


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## 28gage (Dec 25, 2012)

My fear has been that any kind of failure takes out both GPS and collar, but don't know this to be the case.  Has the convienence of both on one collar and the new reciever has some nice features.


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## coveyrise (Dec 25, 2012)

redneck_billcollector said:


> Anyone on here using it yet, if so how do you like it?  I have been reading about them and I like the maps already loaded when you get them and the satellite photo option on them.  Having the e.t. in the bundle sounds good too.



I bought a 2 dog unit last month and am not sure if I will keep it or send it back. I have had problems with one of the collars not tracking correctly. Also it shows collar has lost GPS signal sometimes. I own 2 three dog G3 collar units and they have been bullet proof. My 30 day trial period is about to run out. I don't want to get stuck with something that will give me problems down the road. There really isnt anything that the alpha does that my track and trains dont. We foot hunt and my dogs really dont get that far out anyway. How has the Garmin unit you have held up?


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## redneck_billcollector (Dec 26, 2012)

I love my Garmin, I guess I am gonna upgrade my receiver (seeings how I think I lost my old one....) and I was curious as to whether to just upgrade or try the Alpha, I reckon I will just upgrade.  I have a couple of the new collars already so I will get me the hand held unit.


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## coveyrise (Dec 26, 2012)

redneck_billcollector said:


> I love my Garmin, I guess I am gonna upgrade my receiver (seeings how I think I lost my old one....) and I was curious as to whether to just upgrade or try the Alpha, I reckon I will just upgrade.  I have a couple of the new collars already so I will get me the hand held unit.



I actually sent mine back today. There are some changes that I think they need to make and probably will. The icon sizes were too small on some of the most important parts.Also I think they tried to cram too much stuff on one unit. You could even get an optional heart monitor. And I don't need to know the tides either on my dog collar. I did'nt want to spend $1100 on a unit that may be improved on next year. I also had trouble with one collar losing the signal. I am sure most of the units are trouble free though. I will try them again. I just really have no complaints with my G-3's right now.


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## dark horse (Dec 27, 2012)

I have hunted with a guy with a sportdog tec series track and train unit for 1 1/2 seasons and it has been flawless.  Recently bought one for myself and so far i am very impressed.  It does not have as many features as Garmin's but it does a very good job of telling you where the dog is, when he's on point, and the e collar portion is the best I have ever used (always used Dogta before). Quite a bit cheaper than Garmin but it does not have mapping capability.  It's a simpler unit but it does work very well.  2 year warranty.  Very satisfied user up to this point.

Hope this might help.


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## BirdNut (Dec 28, 2012)

Guide in Texas this year used it and loved it for hunting with pointers on a truck...


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## BirdNut (Dec 28, 2012)

one thing to note...the GPS is nice, but a poor man like me uses the remote collar/beeper combo.  Personally, I don't run the beeper till I need to look for the dog.  You can turn it on remotely from the A setting on the Tri-Tronics G2 EXP.  You can get 3 collars and beepers for about the price of one collar/combo GPS and they all run from the same transmitter.  I have hardly ever had to use the stimulation on my pups-its been used almost exlcusively as an occasional locator collar in heavy cover, or when there was a suspicion the dog was on point or getting too far out.


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## Coach K (Dec 28, 2012)

@ David Poole -

I would get the Astro 220. w/ DC30 collars if you can find them.  Mine have held up well even though I put them through #!#%.  I turn receiver on & hand held units when I arrive and set on top of car so GPS links up.  Every once in a while (especially when real sunny) signal may say it's lost, but always comes right back.  Run them with your e-collars & they'll do everything you need them to do for location.  I love being able to just follow the dogs & still go right back to my car after the hunt.  I would not want to hunt without them.  Today had my Bull dog on point 220+ yards from me on a woodcock.  I would not have heard a beeper & this happens routinely.  You can't beat it!  It happens about every hunt.

Ask anyone I have hunted with, Beagle, Shon, etc.  Remember, last year when we were hunting & were distracted & I checked my garmin & noticed that "T" was on point clear on the other side of that abandoned building we were hunting on that old farm.  Told us right where he was & we both got to walk up & see that nice covey rise!  That was something to remember!


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## redneck_billcollector (Dec 29, 2012)

Coach K said:


> Get the Astro 220. w/ DC30 collars if you can find them.  Mine have held up well even though I put them through #!#%.  I turn receiver on & hand held units when I arrive and set on top of car so GPS links up.  Every once in a while (especially when real sunny) signal may say it's lost, but always comes right back.  Run them with your e-collars & they'll do everything you need them to do for location.  I love being able to just follow the dogs & still go right back to my car after the hunt.  I would not want to hunt without them.  Today had my Bull dog on point 220+ yards from me on a woodcock.  I would not have heard a beeper & this happens routinely.  You can't beat it!  It happens about every hunt.
> 
> Ask anyone I have hunted with, Beagle, Shon, etc.  Remember, last year when we were hunting & were distracted & I checked my garmin & noticed that "T" was on point clear on the other side of that abandoned building we were hunting on that old farm.  Told us right where he was & we both got to walk up & see that nice covey rise!  That was something to remember!



I have had the 220 for a number of years now (since they first came out pretty much), I recently lost my handheld receiver so I was just curious if I needed to upgrade or not.  The 320 looks to have a number of added features over the 220. I felt since I was gonna upgrade I might as well look into the Alpha....


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## DogHunter4Life (Jan 3, 2013)

i've had the 220, 320, and now the alpha and each one got better and better...

when i had the 220 i said "man it cant get any better than this"...then i got the 320 and i said "man it cant get any better than this"...now i've had the alpha for 2 weeks and i'm saying "man it cant get any better than this"!!

but i dog hunt deer with mine..works real well


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## BirdNut (Jan 3, 2013)

Coach K said:


> @ David Poole -
> 
> I would get the Astro 220. w/ DC30 collars if you can find them.  Mine have held up well even though I put them through #!#%.  I turn receiver on & hand held units when I arrive and set on top of car so GPS links up.  Every once in a while (especially when real sunny) signal may say it's lost, but always comes right back.  Run them with your e-collars & they'll do everything you need them to do for location.  I love being able to just follow the dogs & still go right back to my car after the hunt.  I would not want to hunt without them.  Today had my Bull dog on point 220+ yards from me on a woodcock.  I would not have heard a beeper & this happens routinely.  You can't beat it!  It happens about every hunt.
> 
> Ask anyone I have hunted with, Beagle, Shon, etc.  Remember, last year when we were hunting & were distracted & I checked my garmin & noticed that "T" was on point clear on the other side of that abandoned building we were hunting on that old farm.  Told us right where he was & we both got to walk up & see that nice covey rise!  That was something to remember!



I would have to say I agree with you on the cheaper beeper method-This past Saturday dog got far off enough I could not hear it in the wind except very occasionally.  The dog was not lost, just out of pocket for a while and I had a good idea where it was.  I would definitely prefer one of these Astros, but I have been spending my extra money on shotguns and Christmas presents for other people lately!  Hey, my birthday is in June-maybe I should put in a request with the fam...


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## coveyrise (Jan 3, 2013)

One good point my old friend that is 82 years old made is that with all these new gadgets we have coming out every year, is it really "hunting" anymore? I really don't like to put any dog collars on a dog and rarely do I ever need them. Its just for convenience. Just like those cell phones I am hating more and more every year. I could see the need for GPS collars on coon dogs or deer dogs or even grouse dogs but our woods have been so opened up around here you can see a dog for a long ways. I also did not know how to respond to the 8 year old girl who told me my dogs looked goofy with the antenna sticking up from their head. I had to admit it. It does look goofy.


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## Sam H (Jan 4, 2013)

coveyrise said:


> One good point my old friend that is 82 years old made is that with all these new gadgets we have coming out every year, is it really "hunting" anymore? I really don't like to put any dog collars on a dog and rarely do I ever need them. Its just for convenience. Just like those cell phones I am hating more and more every year. I could see the need for GPS collars on coon dogs or deer dogs or even grouse dogs but our woods have been so opened up around here you can see a dog for a long ways. ("I also did not know how to respond to the 8 year old girl who told me my dogs looked goofy with the antenna sticking up from their head.") I had to admit it. It does look goofy.



"From the mouths of children come innocent truths"


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## Coach K (Jan 4, 2013)

coveyrise said:


> One good point my old friend that is 82 years old made is that with all these new gadgets we have coming out every year, is it really "hunting" anymore? I really don't like to put any dog collars on a dog and rarely do I ever need them. Its just for convenience. Just like those cell phones I am hating more and more every year. I could see the need for GPS collars on coon dogs or deer dogs or even grouse dogs but our woods have been so opened up around here you can see a dog for a long ways. I also did not know how to respond to the 8 year old girl who told me my dogs looked goofy with the antenna sticking up from their head. I had to admit it. It does look goofy.



I must say you're right about not hunting anymore!  I'm not hunting for my dogs anymore & I'm not hunting for my car at the end of the day.  So, what it allows me to do is focus on what I should be hunting for.  & I can still say we're hunting for birds.   I don't begrudge anyone for not using more advanced technology, though.  If you don't want to, I respect that decision, as well.  If someone wants to eat spaghetti with their fingers, have at it.  If you prefer to eat spaghetti with a fork????


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## Sam H (Jan 4, 2013)

Well Said Coach...


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## muckalee (Jan 6, 2013)

i think the only reason you would need all that is if you have wide ranging dogs, or hunting off a jeep in Texas/Mexico where visibilty is limited by all that mesquite.  Or maybe you are hunting big country or a big wma that has lots of land that you are unfamiliar with.

I mean most of us are foot hunters any way, and if you have your dog trained where he handles and hunts like you want, why would you have a need for a GPS.  

I agree with Covey Rise on the need for collars, which is sparingly at best.  

I have the the TT Sport Basic Model with the the "pager tone" feature.  Now everytime my dogs come out of the pen, or the crate on the jeep.they have to put it on.  They will actually wait for it to be put on.  But I HARDLY EVER have to use it, and when I do usually the beeper/pager feature is all that is needed.


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## coveyrise (Jan 6, 2013)

Well said muckalee. Some dogs need GPS collars and some don't. Glad I own the ones that don't. Hunted 3 hours this morning and never had to turn my beeper on. Found 10 coveys and we got to shoot into everyone. Never had a question where my dog was. Rain held off till 11:30. Perfect day.


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## Jetjockey (Jan 7, 2013)

I can't say wether a jump to the 320, or the Alpha is worth it.  However, I gave my DC-30 collar to my trainer so I ordered the DC-40. From my experience so far, the 40 is really a step up from the 30. I have yet to lose contact with the 40 and he collar itself is 100% better.  The old cloth collars sucked IMO. My FIl just dropped his LLewelyn off with a trainer to get fully trained and broke.  He will probably by purchasing the Alpha in the near future.  I'll give it a good review when I get to use it.  For those of you who don't know, it's basiclly a combination of the TT Pro 500 and the Astro.  Since I have the Pro-100 and the Astro 220, I should be able to gives good comparison.  Btw..  The Alpha is NOT approved for trials or tests yet by the AKC or AF.  But there is an application to get it approved moving through the AKC I believe.


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## BirdNut (Jan 7, 2013)

I resisted technology for a long time, but relented on the e-collar when I got too old to sprint through the woods chasing an willful pointer down.  I only had one dog that needed it, but I am glad I made the switch.  I almost NEVER use the stimulation, and only occasionally do I have to even hit the accessory button that gives a little low tone the dog hears.  Maybe a few times a season do I need to remotely turn on the beeper, but its a nice peace of mind with roads nearby and dogs out of sight.  Bird dogs and cars don't mix too well.

I do have a good friend who thinks it would be cool to map all the comings and goings of the dogs, and to see points, and where they are in relation to the cover.  He is quite the scientist.  I have resisted this idea thus far, despite its merit.


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## redneck_billcollector (Jan 7, 2013)

muckalee said:


> i think the only reason you would need all that is if you have wide ranging dogs, or hunting off a jeep in Texas/Mexico where visibilty is limited by all that mesquite.  Or maybe you are hunting big country or a big wma that has lots of land that you are unfamiliar with.
> 
> I mean most of us are foot hunters any way, and if you have your dog trained where he handles and hunts like you want, why would you have a need for a GPS.
> 
> ...



I hear what you are saying, my dogs tend to work close but there has been a time or two that my Astro came in very handy due to the fact that for one reason or other I lost sight of my dog due to thick brush I was hunting in.  I use the GPS on my Astro for a number of things, when hunting unfamiliar territory I mark my truck on it and am able to find it easy and I mark coveys on it so when I come back to the area I know exactly where the local covey hangs out.     There are also times that the best of trained dogs will get a wild hair up their you know whats and will just do something foolish like chase a fox or something (happened to me once and the astro let me find my dog real quick).  Another thing that has happened with a dog I have owned, I don't care how good your dog is, if it is a male and you happen to be hunting where there is a resident dog in heat that you don't know about....well, all the training in the world ain't gonna help you there if you don't catch him quick.  I have yet to meet someone who uses the Astros that don't love having it (me included) if for nothing else the peace of mind.  I will always have a GPS tracker for my dogs.....and I do hunt WMAs that are large whether in GA or somewhere else that I know very little about.


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## coveyrise (Jan 7, 2013)

I guess I see traditional quail hunting slipping away every year more and more and don't like what I see. We have created a generation of people that think everything should be instantaneous and at their finger tips.Whats wrong with walking around a little to find your dog? Nothing erks me more than to see a kid on his I phone asking you to wait while a dog is on point so he can tell his friends that he is about to shoot quail on his facebook page. When I hunt with people with the garmin units they are constantly looking at the screen and telling me every ten minutes how far we have walked or how far their dog has run. We live in a time of information and computers everywhere. I don't need a computer to find quail or to find my dogs. Also a man a few miles down the road the other day was hunting and had some type of gps tracking collar on his dog and should have been watching where he was walking other than looking at his screen. He stepped in a huge stump hole and broke his femur. At least thats what one of the owners of the land said. 
I do however see when the GPS units can be useful. When you are hunting in very heavy cover or tracking dogs and field trials. Also one guy put it in the back of his wifes Mercedes and tracked her to his yardmans house. Wonder what guage you shoot for yardmen?


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## Jetjockey (Jan 8, 2013)

The thing about the GPS for me is it makes the hunt more enjoyable.  I don't have to worry if my dog ran off chasing a deer.  I don't have to worry if its going to get lost.  I don't have to worry if she's out of sight.  I can also let her hunt an entire area without me being right behind her staying in visual contact.  I don't worry abou going home without my dog because I lost her. Plus, I put more birds in the bag becuse of it since she can cover more ground without me slowing her down.  How many dogs ended up lost before GPS?  How many dogs got out by a road while hunting and  hit by a car because the handler didnt know where the dog was? How many dogs never made it back home, because the hunter lost his dog?  I guarantee its a LOT!  I can hunt without any worry now when my dog is out of sight, and not have a care in the world.  It makes the hunt more enjoyable for me because I'm not a nervous wreck all the time.  Because of that, my dog will not be out on the ground without her GPS.  It's just not worth taking the chance to me.


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## grouper throat (Jan 8, 2013)

I like the alpha from what I've seen and if i didn't own tritronics and dc40s/320, then I would own it already. It allows us to HUNT the deer in front of the pack more instead of hunting the dogs themselves. I still have guys around me that don't use shockers/gps and it's a waste of time to hunt like that IMO because we cannot run alot of races per day, which is the key to killing more bucks. We can also hunt where it use to be taboo to hunt, as in highways blocks and up against private land. All are tools that help, not hinder.


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## BirdNut (Jan 8, 2013)

coveyrise said:


> I guess I see traditional quail hunting slipping away every year more and more and don't like what I see. We have created a generation of people that think everything should be instantaneous and at their finger tips.Whats wrong with walking around a little to find your dog? Nothing erks me more than to see a kid on his I phone asking you to wait while a dog is on point so he can tell his friends that he is about to shoot quail on his facebook page. When I hunt with people with the garmin units they are constantly looking at the screen and telling me every ten minutes how far we have walked or how far their dog has run. We live in a time of information and computers everywhere. I don't need a computer to find quail or to find my dogs. Also a man a few miles down the road the other day was hunting and had some type of gps tracking collar on his dog and should have been watching where he was walking other than looking at his screen. He stepped in a huge stump hole and broke his femur. At least thats what one of the owners of the land said.
> I do however see when the GPS units can be useful. When you are hunting in very heavy cover or tracking dogs and field trials. Also one guy put it in the back of his wifes Mercedes and tracked her to his yardmans house. Wonder what guage you shoot for yardmen?



Hear hear!  I go to the woods to escape technology.

And as far as the yard man, or any other man, I think anything from a .410 to a 10 gauge, depending on how big he is.  However, in the vein of avoiding technology, I would give encourage use of the good old bare hands.


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## redneck_billcollector (Jan 8, 2013)

BirdNut said:


> Hear hear!  I go to the woods to escape technology.
> 
> And as far as the yard man, or any other man, I think anything from a .410 to a 10 gauge, depending on how big he is.  However, in the vein of avoiding technology, I would give encourage use of the good old bare hands.



I agree with you about escaping technology.....I also go to get away from the stress of my job and such......I wear old time clothng....I only use doubles....however, I don't need the stress of having to look for my dog on the rare occassion one of them might do something stupid. I have hunted quail just about every way there is to...mule drawn wagon with only small bore sxs shotguns. Horseback, jeeps, jeep drawn buggys, swamp buggys, golf carts and on foot.....Unfortunately we can't escape the technology all together....we use google earth to look at new areas before we go, we get there in new trucks with garmins or some other gps.  Most use new shotguns with screw in chokes (would cause an old timer a heart attack, you shoot what the gun comes with...either ic/ic or m/f).  High pressure shells with much more shot than the old days.  Gortex boots, the list goes on and on.....I have even heard old men talk bad about folks using o/u instead of sxs.....I guess we all have to come to grips with what level of technology we will accept.  

With all that being said, this thread has gotten away from the original purpose (I am guilty of doing it too) of trying to get reviews on the alpha and how they compared to the other garmins.


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## muckalee (Jan 8, 2013)

BirdNut said:


> Hear hear!  I go to the woods to escape technology.
> 
> And as far as the yard man, or any other man, I think anything from a .410 to a 10 gauge, depending on how big he is.  However, in the vein of avoiding technology, I would give encourage use of the good old bare hands.



On that yardman, its all according to how well you thought of his family.  If you thought a lot of em, go with the 410 so he can have an open casket.  If you didnt, go with the 10 gauge!!!!!!


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## PDSmith (Feb 13, 2013)

I have one and love it.  I hunt in AZ and the dogs cover a lot of country.  The cool thing is you just mark the truck and go hunt.  You can then always know how far you are from the truck and find your way back.  Not sure how y'all hunt in GA, but this is a real nice set up.  Never have to worry about losing a dog and you have the ability to use the ecollar all in one unit.  If you get one you won't regret it.


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## GLS (Feb 13, 2013)

I started out with the 320 and no e-collar.  I'm now using an e-collar and the gps.  I hunt a lot of thick stuff and it's good to know where the  pooch is when she gets out of sight and get back to the truck when it's time to hit the road.  A buddy is considering the new unit because he can't hear the beeper any more.  Before using the e-collar, the gps helped me run her down when she jumped deer or hogs. Those of you that use separate units, are you putting them on one collar or using a collar for the gps and another collar for the e-collar unit?


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## Sam H (Feb 14, 2013)

GLS said:


> I started out with the 320 and no e-collar.  I'm now using an e-collar and the gps.  I hunt a lot of thick stuff and it's good to know where the  pooch is when she gets out of sight and get back to the truck when it's time to hit the road.  A buddy is considering the new unit because he can't hear the beeper any more.  Before using the e-collar, the gps helped me run her down when she jumped deer or hogs. Those of you that use separate units, are you putting them on one collar or using a collar for the gps and another collar for the e-collar unit?




Gil....I use seperate collars for both....I really don't "NEED" the gps...But I use it for convienance....Bella ranges out 200-300yds if I let her...Colt hunts , usually in "eye shot",which I like having a ranging dog and close dog...and with the gps , I always know approx where Bella is,because I do hunt Alot in the woods on my place , by myself...haven't learned how to "mark the truck" yet...I am a technology slow learner,kind of as I take time to use/learn it


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## GLS (Feb 14, 2013)

Sam, when I get home I'll take a look at the unit and guide you on "Starting a New Hunt" which gives you an option to mark the truck as a wavepoint.

One feature of the unit that I find informative is the "Show Info" option.  It gives you the distance traveled by the dog as well as average speed.  They cover a lot of territory in a hunt.  With the compass rose showing "Dog", enter the menu.  Then enter "show info".  This gives the distance and speed of your dog.   If you put the dog in the truck for going to another location, you can Pause tracking by entering Menu with the compass rose in Dog mode.  Hit resume when dog hits the ground again.  Be sure to "start new hunt" next day or you'll just add to the distance and average speed of the older hunt.  Gil


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## PastorRay (Feb 14, 2013)

I love mine.  Last year on a hunt up in Mich when Ella got lost and then paniced, I happened to be trying a friends Alpha and was able to get to her without problem.  That was enough reason for me to get a tracking collar.  Hunted with friends who used TEC and the Alpha, borrowed both and decieded that for the extra $ the Alpha won hands down.  Have been delighted.  Love the mapping, interface with computer, route info etc etc.


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## TailCrackin (Feb 14, 2013)

Anyone else had a dog rip the rubber coating off the antenna leaving only a coiled spring?  Had this happen last week and was wondering the best way to remedy...other than compressnig and wrapping with electric tape?


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## GLS (Feb 14, 2013)

Radio Shack has silicone tape that will seal and large enough diameter heat shrink tubing to protect the silicone tape.  Last resort, buy another antenna. Gil


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## TailCrackin (Feb 14, 2013)

GLS said:


> Radio Shack has silicone tape that will seal and large enough diameter heat shrink tubing to protect the silicone tape.  Last resort, buy another antenna. Gil



thanks GIL!  I think that is what someone else suggested as well.


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## Coach K (Feb 14, 2013)

muckalee said:


> i think the only reason you would need all that is if you have wide ranging dogs, or hunting off a jeep in Texas/Mexico where visibilty is limited by all that mesquite.  Or maybe you are hunting big country or a big wma that has lots of land that you are unfamiliar with.
> 
> I mean most of us are foot hunters any way, and if you have your dog trained where he handles and hunts like you want, why would you have a need for a GPS.
> 
> ...


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## PastorRay (Feb 14, 2013)

Just a note that I should have put in my comment: Lost is probably not the right word, she freaked when she came up to her first Elk and took off in a panic.  For the rest of the week everytime we came across fresh elk sign she was spooky.


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## GLS (Feb 14, 2013)

I read a story about a "lost" gun dog that was tracked into an abandoned building that had wedged himself in a down position in the structure.  Had the dog not been gps'd collared, he would have died as it never dawned on the owner to look in the building otherwise.


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## Jetjockey (Feb 14, 2013)

IMO there is never reason to put a dog on the ground without a tracking collar.  My dog doesn't get put on the ground without her GPS.  She needs it, but even if she didn't, it only takes once to lose a dog and to have to drive home without it.  It's the cheapest insurance you can buy.  I use the DC-40 (had the 30 before) and a TT Pro 100.  The DC-40 goes around the neck and the e-collar goes around the flank.


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## GLS (Feb 15, 2013)

Sam, to find  your "truck".  When you start the hunt, at main menu, enter "start new hunt" enter "clear previous hunt information".  Next pop up menu is "do you want to mark the current location as "Truck".  Enter yes.  If you want to find the truck, go to main menu, enter "Find". On next menu, enter "wavepoints".  Truck will appear at top.  Even without entering "truck", the bearing and distance is displayed.  If you enter truck, a map appears with your current location, the dog location and truck depicted.  I just use the bearing and distance feature when "truck" is first displayed.


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## PDSmith (Feb 16, 2013)

Once you use a tracking collar you probably wont want to be without one.  You will always know where your dog is and how far away.  You can also mark covey locations and bird counts.  I agree with the other comments on the collar being great insurance.  I have lost dogs before and it is a horrible experience.  The gps collars allow you a level of comfort and really add t the enjoyment of the hunt.  Prior to the collar id I did know where the dog was I would call her back in.  Now I know where she's at and can let her do her thing.  Also no beepers or whistles or hollering for the dog for me.  It is actually interesting how these collars add to the hunt and no I don't work for garmin, LOL.


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## coveyrise (Feb 16, 2013)

When they come out with a unit with a smaller antenna I will be interested in getting one, I just don't like the way my dogs look with a CB antenna hanging 2 feet off their head. I can still see where some people with bird dogs and coon and deer dogs would like these collars.
Nothing worse than having to stop a hunt to look for dogs. Still love my G3. Pointed 14 coveys this morning and never lost a dog.


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## Coach K (Feb 17, 2013)

I don't think the DC30's are that long.  Plus, I put a rubber band around to hold it a little more curved over their head.  Wouldn't trade my 4 dog unit for anything, not even the "supposed" Alpha upgrade.


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## TailCrackin (Feb 18, 2013)

GLS said:


> Radio Shack has silicone tape that will seal and large enough diameter heat shrink tubing to protect the silicone tape.  Last resort, buy another antenna. Gil



the heat shrink tubing seemed to work....thanks!


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## GLS (Feb 18, 2013)

As long as both ends of the tubing are sealed tight it should be enough to keep out water.  Did you also use the tape?


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## Sam H (Mar 3, 2013)

GLS said:


> Sam, to find  your "truck".  When you start the hunt, at main menu, enter "start new hunt" enter "clear previous hunt information".  Next pop up menu is "do you want to mark the current location as "Truck".  Enter yes.  If you want to find the truck, go to main menu, enter "Find". On next menu, enter "wavepoints".  Truck will appear at top.  Even without entering "truck", the bearing and distance is displayed.  If you enter truck, a map appears with your current location, the dog location and truck depicted.  I just use the bearing and distance feature when "truck" is first displayed.



THANKS Gil......Now that the season is basically over , I am going to "try" and educate myself with my Garmin....This will certainly give this Old guy a good START on one of the "most useful functions"..IMHO , of the unit when hunting in unfamiliar territory...which I like to do....Thanks again for the help!


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## GLS (Mar 3, 2013)

Sam, once "truck" is displayed, you can enter "go" and it will lay out a path towards the truck.  

For $18.50 delivered, you can buy a SIMS card on ebay with all topo maps of the SE on it.  Remove the batteries from the Garmin, slide the card holder towards the bottom, open from the top, drop in card, slide holder upwards.  Not as nice as the sat. photos (heckuva lot cheaper), but useful in showing contours, water, etc. 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOPO-Map-Ca...3896?pt=GPS_Maps_Software&hash=item3a7cd4cc58


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## zzweims (Mar 3, 2013)

GLS said:


> I read a story about a "lost" gun dog that was tracked into an abandoned building that had wedged himself in a down position in the structure.  Had the dog not been gps'd collared, he would have died as it never dawned on the owner to look in the building otherwise.



That would be me.  Heat of summer, just out for a walk.  The dog got wedged in a crawl space in the barn and couldn't move.  By the time I found her, she was too weak and heat exhausted even to whimper.  Without the garmin, she would have died.

Another reason why I like my garmin is when I am guiding with two dogs and one goes on point, I can quickly glance down and say, "second dog, 9:00, 50 yards," so the hunters know not to shoot in that direction.  It's much faster and more efficient than doing a 360* trying to spot the second dog.

Aline


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## GLS (Mar 5, 2013)

zzweims said:


> That would be me.  Heat of summer, just out for a walk.  The dog got wedged in a crawl space in the barn and couldn't move.  By the time I found her, she was too weak and heat exhausted even to whimper.  Without the garmin, she would have died.
> 
> Aline



Small world.  I believe I read it on the F&S gundog blog.  If I were you, I know what I'd name my next dog. 
Gil


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