New Garmin Alpha track and train

[Az Draht]

I was going to make a review of this, but Steve Snell does a good job.

http://garmin.blogs.com/pr....ewsroom

http://www.gundogsupply.com/garmin-....em.html

If you have any specific questions, let me know.

I will respond with my thoughts later.

[Az Draht]

here is another review that shows the features well



http://www.dusupply.com/garmin-alpha-combo.html

[reba]

I would like to know what the range of the "TRAIN" is. The Tritronics I now have is one mile and I need it!

[Cajun Casey]

Does the e-unit come off and is it accepted in AKC and AF events?

[bwjohn]

Do not know if it is akc or af approved, but in one of the videos it says that you can remove the prongs on the collar and install the flush mounted caps if you need to use in a trial.

brandon

[Cajun Casey]

Just found out elsewhere, it's been submitted but not approved by either organization.

[Az Draht]

I would like to know what the range of the "TRAIN" is. The Tritronics I now have is one mile and I need it!

In this unit, how they transmit the "train" signal is different from a regular e-collar. With this one it is broadcast in MURS band radio. So the range of the "train" is up to 9 miles in perfect conditions. In my tests, the range I have gotten has been 2 miles without the extended range antenna.

[Ricky Ticky Shorthairs]

Is the MURS signal digital?

[Az Draht]

Is the MURS signal digital?

It very well may be. That is probably why they couldn't make it compatible with the earlier versions

I will ask.

[Az Draht]

Comparison of the alpha, dc40 and tt g2

The alpha is taller

[phermes1]

Will the DC40 and DC30 collars be able to link to the new handheld?

EDIT - should've just looked before asking. It is NOT compatible with Astro per the dusupply link above.

[Georgia Boy]

This is the one I have been waiting for. I would like to hear some reviews from people that have used them now.

[hi-tailyn]

Is there going to be a similar collar w/o e-collar attach with new radio technology?

Is the new DC40 already outdated? :roll:

I see they have gone back to the top mounted GPS attachment on the collars.

Are they finding out that the DC30 has better reception than the new DC40? :roll:

I was selling one of my DC30's. Should I keep it and sell the new DC40?

[Az Draht]

Is there going to be a similar collar w/o e-collar attach with new radio technology?

Is the new DC40 already outdated? :roll:

The DC40 and 320 will not be discontinued so I doubt they will offer a tracker only collar for the Alpha. Disclaimer: I am not an employee of Garmin, I have no knowledge of their future plans for the Alpha. I am speculating, based on an email from them that said they are not discontinuing the dc40/320

I see they have gone back to the top mounted GPS attachment on the collars.

Are they finding out that the DC30 has better reception than the new DC40? :roll:

The main driver in going back to the satellite receiver on top was the hound guys which is probably a bigger market than the bird dog guys. The believed they got better reception with the DC30 and they would lose reception when the dog was in the water while wearing a dc40. In reality, because of the location of the receiver in the dc40, which was at the end opposite of the rf antenna, there was probably a slight downgrade in satellite reception in certain circumstances, but Garmin felt it would not be noticed by the vast majority or users. Keep in mind, the dc40 came about in response to outcries for a self contained unit that could be mounted on a duralon collar and possibly sharing space with an e-collar. This is still new territory and Garmin is trying to match up with what the consumers think they want.

I was selling one of my DC30's. Should I keep it and sell the new DC40?

If you are happy with the dc40, keep it. The dc30 will sell quicker and bring slightly more money if sold to hound guys.

[nhachman]

This is what I have been waiting for. Pre-ordered mine from gundogsupply

[gregm]

Ordered one direct from tritronics only a 5 to 9 day wait.

[Az Draht]

Ordered one direct from tritronics only a 5 to 9 day wait.

don't be surprised if it takes longer than that.

[Ruffshooter]

Although, I understand the curiosity and novelty of these contraptions, why does it have to be so dang complicated?

Personally, I might get something that simply says your dog is here and on point or moving, beyond that. Why? I don't know.
Of course I do not like gadgets.

Don't we hunt to get away from all the technology and the stresses of life. Do you really want to spend your hunting day looking at a screen and playing with this thing? Maybe, but not me. I also understand many of you are in open country and the dogs have some major wheels and you need to find them as a beeper does not work in windy or very long distances.

When you take your finished gun dog, weather it be a hound or pointing dog, it is trained. You are not going to make corrections based upon what you see on a screen because you could be wrong in your interpretation.

I know many of you tech guys and younger guys like this kind of stuff. And I am always curious to here why you all like this stuff.

I had a Rhino, GPS that I thought would be great for deer hunting, to know where my buddies were, I liked the idea that you could locate your buddies if you needed to, maybe someone did not show up back at camp or had a long walk back you could go ifnd them or you could mark your position where you had a stand or shot your deer. But I found my self distracted, The batteries would not last. They could not hold up to bad weather, BLA,BLA,BLA,BLA.

Any way, I still use my compass and have a simple etrek if I need it. I am much more happy. The dogs have bells and the other bigger running dogs have a point only beeper.

Just a Rant.
Rick

[gotpointers]

I feel the same way, all i ever used my old garmin gps for was to get an accurate speed for my bass boat. But now that there's a new latest and greatest out there, i am looking to buy a used 320 fairly priced. Pm me if you want to get yours sold.

[calpalmer]

Does the e-unit come off and is it accepted in AKC and AF events?

It appears the GPS/transmitting device in the collar is part and parcel to the training device - so I'd guess No, it doesn't come off, and No, it will not be accepted in AKC and AF events. Just a guess.
Cal

[calpalmer]

I'm skeptical of this product, but will enjoy being proven wrong. Many (most) times, all-in-one universal products are not great at any one thing. I have the best Android "Smart Phone", and it is very smart and does a lot of cool things.... but as a straight Phone, it isn't nearly as good as my V60 Motorola of 10 years ago...

Cal

[RoostersMom]

One of the Garmin guys came to our local Quail Forever meeting and showed us some of the technology - I admit, I've never used a GPS... but I think I'm going to end up getting one of these combo collars. My dogs are generally easy to find, but I have had a few bad moments in the past couple of years - and if a GPS will help me to know they're near a road or chasing a deer then I am willing to give it a try. There were 4 guys that use garmin units and really swear by them - they're just hunters, not field trialers. We asked all the questions on here at this meeting - this fellow said they're working on those issues (battery life/range and field trial rules prohibiting collars).

I'm not so much an early adopter, but I've been saving up this summer to buy a set of these collars.

[MO_GSP]

since my 9 month old dc40 just quit working maybe garmin will just replace it with one of these bad boys! :roll:

[nhachman]

Has anyone received their pre-ordered Alpha yet? Still waiting on mine to ship or show up.

[JIM K]

Although, I understand the curiosity and novelty of these contraptions, why does it have to be so dang complicated?

Personally, I might get something that simply says your dog is here and on point or moving, beyond that. Why? I don't know.
Of course I do not like gadgets.

Don't we hunt to get away from all the technology and the stresses of life. Do you really want to spend your hunting day looking at a screen and playing with this thing? Maybe, but not me. I also understand many of you are in open country and the dogs have some major wheels and you need to find them as a beeper does not work in windy or very long distances.

When you take your finished gun dog, weather it be a hound or pointing dog, it is trained. You are not going to make corrections based upon what you see on a screen because you could be wrong in your interpretation.

I know many of you tech guys and younger guys like this kind of stuff. And I am always curious to here why you all like this stuff.

I had a Rhino, GPS that I thought would be great for deer hunting, to know where my buddies were, I liked the idea that you could locate your buddies if you needed to, maybe someone did not show up back at camp or had a long walk back you could go ifnd them or you could mark your position where you had a stand or shot your deer. But I found my self distracted, The batteries would not last. They could not hold up to bad weather, BLA,BLA,BLA,BLA.

Any way, I still use my compass and have a simple etrek if I need it. I am much more happy. The dogs have bells and the other bigger running dogs have a point only beeper.

Just a Rant.
Rick

ruff, here in pa the garmin legend or etrax does not work well in mtns.AS YOU SAID.
you said about bell. with alpha you can get rid of bell. grouse are very spooky to bells with all hunting pressure.i am old school bell guy too and just bought a flewelling bell today.v
this alpha gps works real good on getting signal from above, my other garmins did not work well.

if your pup goes after deer,is caught in trap or someone trys to steal your dog etc,at least you have chance to find him or her.
sadly some will steal your dog in woods now.new snare traps are catching many dogs now.

[JIM K]

One of the Garmin guys came to our local Quail Forever meeting and showed us some of the technology - I admit, I've never used a GPS... but I think I'm going to end up getting one of these combo collars. My dogs are generally easy to find, but I have had a few bad moments in the past couple of years - and if a GPS will help me to know they're near a road or chasing a deer then I am willing to give it a try. There were 4 guys that use garmin units and really swear by them - they're just hunters, not field trialers. We asked all the questions on here at this meeting - this fellow said they're working on those issues (battery life/range and field trial rules prohibiting collars).

I'm not so much an early adopter, but I've been saving up this summer to buy a set of these collars.

i bought alpha today just for reasons you said. at 59 yrs old,less worry for me. at 18 yrs old, NO FEAR.