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(More customer reviews)This astro should be pointed out that its fixed many of the bugs those of us early adopters encountered (like using velcro to attach anything to a dog was mistake 1).
The early versions featured an orange "box" with a non-amplified antenna built into the top of it, plus a li-ion battery. You got a velcro harness to hold it on the dog and keep it pointing skyward. After 2-3 trips the velcro was full of hair and the antennas were being broken by anxious dogs racing through brush.
Garmin re-designed the astro and fortunately for us all we had to do was buy the upgraded collar design. The (now black) collar works the same but features an amplified antenna on top, the electronics box down below where it naturally hangs, and an improved longer antenna with better range (about 25% better in my testing)
From the top of one mountain I can now find my dog 7.48 miles away with almost full signal strength, so this really works. Getting to the dog is another matter.
The collar transmits either every 5, 10, or 30 seconds. 10 is a good value as you get about 2 days of use from the transmitter before the battery dies. 5 seconds will die in under a day (about 18 hours). These settings are made by placing the collar in close proximity to the handheld tracker and uploading them.
Finally for the radio folk the collar transmits on the MURS VHF frequencies at 2 watts digital. The frequencies are 151.82, 151.88, 151.94, 154.57 (old analog radio channel - not a good choice) and 154.6 (same as 154.57) [all in MHZ]
The 151 frequencies provide the best range near towns becuase every fast food drive through uses the 154 frequencies to talk around. These correspond to the last 2 sets of 10 channels in the Astro.
If you are wondering how they get 10 channels on one frequency, its simple - both the receiver and transmitter have GPS inside, so they know EXACTLY when a second clicks by to a great precision. They then divide a time period (1 second) into 10 parts, each 1/10 of a second long. Channel 23 for example specifies frequency 2 (151.94) and timeslot 3 - the 3rd 1/10 of a second after 0.00 seconds. Since the radio and the transmitter both know when the transmission will happen the radio tunes frequency 2 at 0.3 seconds after a second "ticks" to listen for the 1/10 second transmission from the collar.
The only problem with this is you can not put multiple collars next to each other as the receiver needs time to process the data it receives (about another 1/10 second) so if 151.94 is a good channel for you, pick dog numbers of 21, 23, 25, 27, and 29 if you have multiple dogs on one system or are hunting with another astro user. Also, you can't have the radio tune different channels at the same time, so don't pick dog A on channel 14 and dog B on channel 24 because their transmissions will be at the same time on 2 different freqencies.
Keeping those simple rules of separation in mind you can track alot of dogs a long ways with Astro.
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Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS Bundle with DC40 Wireless Transmitter CollarTired of searching for your hunting dog in tall grass or dense cover? Now you can leave the hunting entirely to him. Astro is the premier high sensitivity GPS-enabled dog tracking system for sporting dogs. This unique system pinpoints your dog's position and shows you exactly where he is, even when you can't see or hear him.
Tall grass. Short dog. Game on.
See Your Dogs' Every Move The Astro system includes a bright color-screen handheld GPS device and the rugged, orange polyurethane DC 40 collar. The collar accommodates most e-collar receivers--eliminating the need to put two separate collars on a dog. Plus, Collar Lock creates a four-digit PIN number that helps prevent others from seeing your dog's whereabouts--a useful feature in field trials to ensure that an Astro is used only as a recovery tool when a dog in competition becomes lost.
To get started, just take Astro outdoors and turn on the handheld and transmitter to acquire GPS satellite signals. Then attach the DC 40 to your dog. Now you're ready to turn him loose--no other setup required.
The rugged, all-weather collar is made of durable one-inch orange polyurethane, ready to stand up to the elements and the hunt.
Track Dogs in Dense Cover As often as every five seconds, your dog's DC 40 transmits his position to your handheld, and you can see his current location and a trail of where he's been on the Map page of your handheld. Switch over to the Dog Tracker page to view a compass pointing to your dog's location as well as his current status: whether he's running, sitting, on point or treeing quarry. Astro can also sound an alarm to let you know instantly when your dog goes on point.
Astro boasts a high-sensitivity GPS receiver that can track your dog's position even in the densest cover. You can track up to ten dogs at one time with Astro, at a distance of up to seven miles away (depending on terrain). The system transmits information by line-of-sight, so it reaches farthest in flat, open territory.
Count Your Coveys After you've captured your quarry, mark the exact spot with Astro's Covey Counter, a special waypoint that tells you the exact location, time of day and elevation where you found your prey, as well as the number of birds you flushed and took from that location. Astro lets you save other special waypoints, such as "Truck" and "Lodge," so you can save the location of these places quickly and easily for each hunt. Astro also offers special waypoint icons to represent food plots, tree stands and other hunting-related points.
Experience Full-Featured GPS Astro shines when you're out on the hunt, but it also excels in getting you back to your truck at the end of the day, or even back home again. In fact, the Astro handheld has all the features of Garmin's top-line handheld outdoor devices.
The barimetric altimeter provides elevation profiles for climbers and hikers, and the electronic compass ensures you get a good bearing. Handy tools like an area calculator and celestial information help you plan your day. With optional detailed city street maps, you can search for over 6 million points of interest and create a route on roads with exact turn-by-turn directions; or download TOPO maps complete with elevation information. Finally, the Astro 220 features a rugged, IPX7 waterproof exterior, ready to take on incliment weather without a hitch.
What's in the Box
Astro 220 Handheld, DC 40 Wireless Transmitter Collar, Carrying Case, AC Adapter for DC 40, Vehicle Power Cable for DC 40, USB Cable, Wrist Strap, Belt Clip, Owner's Manual, Quick Start Manual
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