DC 50 collar?

[deseeker]

Has anybody got or tried a Garmin DC 50 collar on their Astro 320 yet? I see gun Dog supply has them in stock. I'm just wondering if they are that much better than a DC 40 collar.

[roaniecowpony]

If the battery life is improved to the same as the Alpha /TT10, I'd say it's an improvement over the DC-40. But if you're asking if you should spend the money to upgrade from a 320/DC-40 to a DC-50, I'd not be able to come up with a good arguement to upgrade. If you're going to upgrade, just go with a Alpha/TT10.

[Neil]

If the battery life is improved to the same as the Alpha /TT10, I'd say it's an improvement over the DC-40. But if you're asking if you should spend the money to upgrade from a 320/DC-40 to a DC-50, I'd not be able to come up with a good arguement to upgrade. If you're going to upgrade, just go with a Alpha/TT10.

For field trials, the DC-50 is sure to be approved, not so sure about the Alpha.

I am a longtime supporter of Garmin GPS collars, but I am uncomfortable with the combination collars. Not against it, just have questions.

For the non-trialing hunter the advice above is good advice, only if you need to replace both e-collar and GPS system. Otherwise you would be money ahead to just buy the DC-50 collar.

[myerstenn]

It's hard to believe that the alpha isn't going to change as fast as the astro and the collars. it may be obsolete in six months.

[Lucky Dog]

I've had a Dc-50 for about two weeks now.

In a head to head battery test with a DC-40, the 50 beat it by 6 hours. To be fair the 40 was a little over a year old, so it may have not been at peak performance.

The 40 lasted 14 hours and the 50 lasted 20 hours.

The disappointing thing about the 50 is its range. I tested it against my 4 DC-40's and the 50 was the worst of the bunch, losing the signal about 1/8 - 1/4 mile before the 40's.
I tried both antenna's that came with the 50 and the shorter one was even worse.

I ran it on a dog in some pretty heavy grouse cover and had disappointing results there as well. I got dropped signals from 400-600 yards randomly, while the 40's stayed connected.

For me the jury is still out, one more weekend of testing, and if it does not improve, it may go back.
It is hard to give up the added battery life though.

[deseeker]

I've had a Dc-50 for about two weeks now.

In a head to head battery test with a DC-40, the 50 beat it by 6 hours. To be fair the 40 was a little over a year old, so it may have not been at peak performance.

The 40 lasted 14 hours and the 50 lasted 20 hours.

The disappointing thing about the 50 is its range. I tested it against my 4 DC-40's and the 50 was the worst of the bunch, losing the signal about 1/8 - 1/4 mile before the 40's.
I tried both antenna's that came with the 50 and the shorter one was even worse.

I ran it on a dog in some pretty heavy grouse cover and had disappointing results there as well. I got dropped signals from 400-600 yards randomly, while the 40's stayed connected.

For me the jury is still out, one more weekend of testing, and if it does not improve, it may go back.
It is hard to give up the added battery life though.

Thanks Lucky Dog!!! Anybody else have any 1st hand knowledge of the DC 50s??? Good or bad---I need to know. Thanks

[cjuve]

I've had a Dc-50 for about two weeks now.

In a head to head battery test with a DC-40, the 50 beat it by 6 hours. To be fair the 40 was a little over a year old, so it may have not been at peak performance.

The 40 lasted 14 hours and the 50 lasted 20 hours.

The disappointing thing about the 50 is its range. I tested it against my 4 DC-40's and the 50 was the worst of the bunch, losing the signal about 1/8 - 1/4 mile before the 40's.
I tried both antenna's that came with the 50 and the shorter one was even worse.

I ran it on a dog in some pretty heavy grouse cover and had disappointing results there as well. I got dropped signals from 400-600 yards randomly, while the 40's stayed connected.

For me the jury is still out, one more weekend of testing, and if it does not improve, it may go back.
It is hard to give up the added battery life though.

That would tip me over. There is a lot of hype about the additional satellite coverage on the DC 50 but what I have witnessed is that the range is far more dependent on the radio communication between handheld and the collar rather than what satellites the collar is connecting to, but I live in the wide open not in the trees.

[Elkhunter]

Plus the 50 is not accepted to use in FT! Deal breaker.

[cjuve]

Plus the 50 is not accepted to use in FT! Deal breaker.

It won't be long, I am not really worried about that Garmin gives enough to the sport

[Dixiebeagle]

Improved coverage, bark detection & an energy saver mode.