Tracker VS Garmin

[Bulletproof]

Give your comments on whether you think Garmin or Tracker is going to come out with the best system for tracking our dogs. My thoughts are Garmin has done more with the GPS systems and seems to have an edge there however Tracker seems to working towards the needs of the houndsman especially us guys that run beagles and need smaller collars.

Let me know what your thoughts are on the two. I got to see the newest Tracker equipment first hand while hare hunting with Duke last week and I was impressed with the upgrades that I saw. I also got to see the Garmin GPS system one of the bird hunters got from some top secret dealing and I have to say I was impressed with the changes, the collar is basically the size of a shock collar and seemed to be very light.
Jamie and Anthony Coburn
Dark Creek Kennel
513-876-9311

[DIXIEDOG]

I think alot will depend on the equipment you currently own and the type of terrain you hunt. I hunt in mountains quite often and I can't get any signal from my hand held Garmin GPS so I don"t believe the GPS dog tracking system will work for me. I use a Tracker and haven't had any problems. I have heard quite a few positive reviews about the Garmin but until they downsize their collars more and get some better battery life I don't see them as being a major competitor for Tracker or any other telemetry tracking system.

[PREACHERS,KENNEL]

HAVE HAD TRACKER HAVE GOT GARMIN NOW ...wouldnt trade back for nothing be like goin back to caveman days lol!

[Boomerx]

After I got my Garmin Astro, I sold my Tracker 5000. My buddy also got one at the same time and is selling his Wildlife 1000 and all collars. The market will be flooded with telemetry equipment after hound people see the Garmin in action. I used mine at the Canadian Nationals LPH Trial this past weekend, and a couple of fellows thought they'd have some fun. One of the hounds wearing the collar was picked up and they put my collar into a freezer that was in the gallery (used to hold refreshments). I came into the gallery and told the guy who's hound had been wearing the collar "your hound is 12 yards away, but I can't see him". I moved back and forth a bit and the reading kept changing, (but still 8-12 yards). They finally told me where the collar was, but they were all pretty surprised that I'd gotten a reading. Terry McBride

[deerhost]

I 2nd what boomerx says about the Garmin. It is the cats meeeaw. Not like the other hand held GPS's that loose the signal. With the Astro it stays locked even in my house with the collar out side on the dogs. It still tracks the dog. Out of this world....Really

[wildhare2]

We just got our GPS collars and there is no way I would ever want anything else. It's like the difference of night and day. You can tell where they are, what they are doing, how they are running, how many miles they have gone, battery life of the collars, and so much more. The hand held tells sunrise and sunset times, best time of the day to hunt, and it will do anything else a regular GPS will do. We will still hang on to our trackers for now, but tracker might want to get on making these as well. JMO

[TurnLeftBeagles]

I'm waiting on the Marshall gps units til I decide whether to buy, at least that's what I keep telling myself...

One think about radio telemetry, you can use more than one unit to find a dog...

[Boomerx]

With the Garmin, you could have dozens (I don't know how many really, but I think it would be limitless) of your buddies tracking your dog, as long as they all touched their units to your collar before you started out (that's all it takes to add a collar to the unit). Each unit holds ten hounds (or collars) Another advantage of the Garmin's are the topo maps you put into them. You know exactly where the hound is (the far side of a creek or pond etc) Terry McBride

[Spruce Ridge Beagler]

I have a Maxima 5000 and have been happy with it so far. Until battery life is improved on the Garmins I will stay with the tracker. In the MI winter a shocker battery will lock up from cold weather and battery life is dramaticaly reduced, that just makes me wonder what will happen to the 17 hour battery life of the garmin. Maybe Terry can leave one in the freezer and see how long it last . LOL
Dave

[Incahoots]

Garmin Battery life

Battery life: 17, 24, or 36 hours – (user adjustable transmit rate of 5, 10 or 30 seconds)

The fact that the Garmin would make finding your dog/s a lot quicker should be factored in as well. Fact is for me anyhow when I get the Tracker out I'm already a bit concerned. Then I have to mess with it to get due to signal bounce etc. Once I get it sorted out I still only have a general direction and vague distance. Since the Tracker is mainly used once concern has already set in all time messing with signal etc

I like the fact with the Garmin I could just take a look and know where they are before concern becomes a factor. The Tacker can't tell me that they are moving in the direction of a bad situation ie roads.

I currently use the Tracker but there's no doubt in my mind the Garmin would be much more proactive in the safety of our dogs. I'm sure it's not perfect but radio telemetry sure isn't either. You'd think at least Tracker would have come up with a way to at least make their reciever a lot more weatherproof by now.

[Bulletproof]

I got to watch Duke use the new Tracker equipment and was impressed with how easy he was able to get a read on the dogs, it seems to be alot better than the old system. I did not see the Garmin system in action however it is alot smaller than the units I saw when they first came out with it. I appreciate everyones comments, I am always afraid to pull the trigger and buy something thinking something new will be out any time.

[Bryantsville Beagler]

I just bought a garmin. It is probally the best thing I have ever seen. I did not own one of the other system. I can see maybe the range or the battery life being a issue on coon or bear hounds. But I only run beagles. These things are great.

[Hare Hunter]

I will own one someday but right now am concerned about battery life. It is extremely cold here in the winter and the shock collar batteries (classic 70) are useless in less then an hour sometimes. Terry keep us informed how the batteries hold up when it gets really cold. The wildlife tracking batteries are not affected by the weather they go on and on , this stuff is expensive and am done spending money on the latest and greatest until it has been proven. Hare

[Bulletproof]

BTT

[Skeeter41]

I just got the garmin and this past Saturday was the first I used it. I was down in a big hollow and the dogs took a rabbit out over the edge of the hollow so I pull out the handheld and was watching them circle the rabbit in the corfeild 500 yards away. all of a sudden the dogs start heading in a straight line towards the road, so I yell to my buddy to get to the road, and he gets there. When I get up out of the hollow and look at my handheld it said the dogs were on the road. I looked down and there was my buddy walking them down the edge on leashes. Without that we would have been guessing they were still in the corn circling the rabbit. Where the dogs were at on the road was a blind hill where cars fly. A pack of 5 pretty good little rabbit dogs could have been killed at any minute. First time out and i would say the machine paid for itself.

Oh and by the way, the dogs circled that rabbit for 2.36 miles. The tracker can't tell me that.