Whats the best TRACKING collar for a beagle ???

[JUDE]

I was thinking about the new leight weight Strike Collar
or a 3850 from Wildlife BUT any recommmendations would
be appreciated . I know you that have used different ones
will know best .

Thank you ,
Buddy

[bigdogpace]

buddy been using themever since they came out the new quick track is best i ever used , pin points dogs best wildlife are lighter and u can get by withthem .both have changeable battery n field.johnson is agood collar but cost of sending themback @ shipping is ridiculos. pick up pace beagles

[PREACHERS,KENNEL]

garmin astro 220 with the dc30 collar its the bestv thing by far no comparison.i.ve had the others.

[Buckshot101]

garmin astro 220 with the dc30 collar its the bestv thing by far no comparison.i.ve had the others.

Are you testing the collars for Garmin cause the DC30's are not available yet.

[denny606]

Check out the Marshall Collars ,Buddy.They have user changeable batteries and they have a small LED light on them which makes them easier to see after dark than the Johnsons which are very good Collars also. These boys I've been coon hunting with use bothcollars but they all use the Wildlife boxes and they work in these hills on coonhounds pretty well.The 10 channel would probably be all you would need,JMO,Denny

[fletch]

BUDDY,YOU BETTER STICK WITH THE WILDLIFE 3850 COLLARS.FOR THE MONEY AND QUALITY THEY ARE THE BEST.


Fletch

[steve w]

I have used 5 Johnson's Utralite's for close to 10 years and three of the collars were used when I got them, with only one problem in that time. That one problem amounted to a sticky switch that would freeze on and not turn off. Johnson's repaired it for less than 10.00. These collars only cost 125.00 and at times can be bought on specials. As far as range I've not lost a dog yet and I never run without collars.I run hare as well as cottontail and in most every terrain there in. User replacable batteries are OK I suppose but I prefer knowing my batteries are going to last for the entire year. Actualy more like two. If your going to have a problem with a battery it will be at the worst time.Sending them in is not all that expensive, 10.00 or so each way and 25.00 to replace the battery for the peace of mind,security and performance is cheap to me.One more thing is the service from Johnsons is as good as it gets. They had my collars in and out in 24 hours this last June With a 10% discount because of a summer sale on repairs.If your thinking of buying collars from them I would stick to the Ultralite, as tempting as it might be for the same price the 4000 hr collar is a bit big for most beagles under 30lbs in my opinion.I bought two and rarely use them because of the size. The same is true of Tracker's Strike collar, I have one of those too.Good collar with a heck of signal but better suited for big dogs. Check Johnsonsout at http://www.johnsonstelemetry.com I also see them on ebay quite a bit. As far as recievers I have Johnsons Merlin and it is a fine reciever, but 95% off the time I use Tracker Maxima

[fasttrackpa]

I have been using the Astro dc30 for about 3 weeks and it is the best. I also use wildlife 3850 (obsolete). The DC30 will fit my smallest dog and not hang up. The unit is unbreakable. I have 1 collar that I got to field test and I have about 75hrs on it so far . it has not lost signal once. If I have one complaint it is the collar strap, they need to make it out of the same material as the training collars. It gets pretty nasty

[Duke]

The new PICO Collar from Tracker has my vote. Yes, I got to try it out before it hit the market. It is a RECHARGEABLE collar. It can come with multiple programmable frequencies on each collar, in case you go to a hunt and find you have the same freq on your collar as another hunter. It has very tough dual antenae. It was designed FOR BEAGLES and it tapers at each end so it does not hang up as easily on brush or fences. I will check its weight, but I am pretty sure it is the lightest collar now available. It is lighter than the Tracker Supra LIte yet MUCH more durable.

It has a light to tell you not only when its working, by removing the magnet(which is held behind the collar, so hard to lose) and it has a light to tell you when the charge is low. And you guys can use my discount.

If your interested in the new PICO COLLAR or tracking recievers and other models of tracking collars call Jen at 1(800)900-2113 or you can email questions to jbehm@trackerradio.com

Trackeralso has summer specials wher you can turn in old collars and recievers for a discount.

[TurnLeftBeagles]

I've used 3850's since I started, my origional system was a Wildlife. I then switched to a Tracker Maxima to allow me to track more dogs. When I got the Maxima I got the Supra-Lite collars, I hate them because they don't have a magnetic on-off switch. I now use a combonation of the Strike and 3850's for my beagles. The Tracker Strike collar throws a booming signal in comparison to the 3850, and even the Supra-Lite has better range than the 3850's. I recently bought a used Marshall Powermax collar for my coonhound, and that is the strongest collar I have used to date. When checking to see if they were what they advertised or not I could pick up the Marshall 2 gain settings lower than I could my Strike collar! It's definately the real deal as far as signal strength, and the LED lights are pretty nice to keep an eye on your dog at night. The Marshall collar running on double A batteries is pretty cool also and they are alot cheaper to replace than the 3.6v lithium batteries that many of your other tracking collars that have replaceable batteries use.

Unit wise I will keep using the Tracker Maxima (the new Complete unit is pretty sweet!) because of the portability and ease of use of the unit. Don't let guys fool you that the Maxima unit can't track with those little antenna's they do a fine job. And now with the new units they have the SMA jack to hook up the Yagi for when they are really out there. You never have to walk back to the truck to dig out your unit that is too heavy to carry and your big antenna that is miserable to pack around! Collar wise for the beagles the Strike is my all around pick, I like to remount them on a 3/4" collar so that they take up less space on the dog's neck. It turns out to be a pretty nice setup with excellent range even when running hares.

I am curious about the Garmin units

[Duke]

I am with you on the Maxima Complete at the BP World Hunt in SC a while back I tracked 3 dogs for friends with the Tracker that went off on a 9 mile deer race and got them, pretty nice for a hnd held unit that sits on your hip. If you are really concerned about ranges greater than those with the complete you can attach a yagi or vehicle antanae to it. It is the most versatile unit on the market and gives you no reason to leave it in the truck.

Have you tried the new PICOs? The supralites were designed for bird dogs and this new PICO is made just right for beagles and even lighter. It is pretty awesome. I get a very powerful signal from it and have been using it for a while now. Youll save a lot on batteries as its rechargeable, you just plug it in when you get home.

[hillbilly]

garmin that's all that needs to be said.............

hillbilly

[bigdogpace]

nobody uses quick track thats interesting. they also have a rechargerable

[TurnLeftBeagles]

Joe,

I have yet to use the PICO, or even see one in person. I hate charging stuff everytime I use it, how long does a charge last on them?

[Duke]

I run my beagles an average of two times a week sometimes 3 and have gotten into the practice of charging my shock collars, my shock collar transmitter and my PICOs at the beginning of the month, just like worming. With that said I have not had the red light come on on the collar yet, so I must assume there is plenty to spare.

As far as GPS technology, I think its great. I am going to wait until they size down the collars before i go all in with the big bucks.