Garmin Astro
 

Wondering if anyone has a Garmin Astro dog tracking unit with the updated collar and how you like it.
I hunt with Beagles and Brittany's and it sounds like a great unit.
Thanks

And it is!

I even place one unit on the truck dash and no longer mark a waypoint.

the Handheld has to main pages - one is the map which will show you where the dog is on the topo map if you downloaded that in.

the other screen is a compass with arrows of different colors if you are running more than one dog and it points the direction the dog is and how far from you. It can also tell you if the dog has pointed, treed or is sitting. the hand held will beep at you when this happens.

Has a digital compass.
Garmins 100K topo you can download both your track and the dogs track on Google Earth and tha is fun.

Battery life will last better than 14hrs and if they need to be replaced you do not loose information at all. I carry an extra pair of Double As in all my bird vests.

The GPS has all the features of finding anything you can dream of.
I have both the old DC20 collars and the new DC30s. Both are waterproof. Comes with a car charger and wall charger for the collars. The handhels uses AA batteries.

Those are the pros

Con

You need to buy an extra microchip (they are not real expensive 10 to 20) extra to download maps too. that does not come with the unit.


But all in all I never hunt without it anymore.

I even use it for training.
For example

I turn the GPS on
Drag my dead bird threw the weeds and brush into the treeline and I can see where I have walked.
I then attach the collar to the dog and send the dog watching the handheld to how close to the track I just walked the dog covers. I can tell when the dog gets to the bird and if the dog goes back into a search or stops and icks up the dead bird which I require be brought back to me.

JW

What a great name for a dog tracking unit!

I have an Astro unit and absolutely love it. I coonhunt 3-4 nights per week, sometimes my hounds may range out 1/2-3/4 mi to find a track. The Garmin shows every step they take. As a training tool its has no equal, the Garmin tells me when my dog hunts covered ground, tells me when she is working a back track or even when she is paying too much attention to other dogs while hunting. Not to mention I can tell what side of the creek or river she's on or when she gets close to roads.