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| Garmin Astro GPS Dog Tracking System | 
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| Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $624.82
Buy New: $447.50
You Save: $177.32 (28%)
New (56)
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 2614
Platform: Not Machine Specific
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Tracks: 20
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 160 x 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.6
Dimensions (in): 2.6 x 2.4 x 6.2
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: Astro Combo Unit
Model: Astro Combo Unit
UPC: 753759066239
EAN: 0753759066239
ASIN: B000MGN842
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: New! Ships NOW! - from the shelves of our Wide World Maps and MORE store.
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 14 | | NEXT » |
Was very impressed -- until it got wet June 15, 2008
I bought this Garmin setup after looking for a GPS based dog tracking for a long time. Competing models either require monthly subscription (through cellular phone system) or were dog tracking *only*. The Garmin handheld unit is useful as a standalone GPS device, with the benefit of communicating with the dog GPS unit.
I don't hunt, but rather intended to use this to allow my dog to run free while walking him. He loves to track rabbits and deer and for that purpose this Astro worked great. In the area I walk there is much vegetation and he can easily be out of site as little as 20 yards away. After a very watchful eye the first time I used it, I found that it worked far beyond my expectations ... GPS always gave me a distance and position on the map, and the compass always pointed right at him. Occasionally it would lose either GPS reception or RF communcation, but it would always come back in 10-15 seconds. I tried both the backpack and the collar, and actually had better results with the collar even though it would often swing to the side or bottom of his neck. More counterweight would probably help, but he's usually got his head down to the ground and it could easily be a nuisance for him.
Although the dog unit is supposed to be waterproof, I did encounter severe problems when he decided to cross a small river. He doesn't swim so I didn't expect this to ever be a problem, but this time it was shallow enough for him to cross and it seems to have gotten the collar unit wet enough to be a problem. I can't determine if the GPS reception was affected or the RF communication with the handheld unit, but it started indicating that he was 100-200 yards away, even though he still was within eyesight. Eventually it crept up to reporting him as 600 and even 900 yards away (I could still see him)! The compass indicator started pointing in what appeared to be random directions. It took awhile (maybe 15 minutes) but after it dried out again, the reporting went back to normal and was right on. I intend to investigate what was going on, and maybe I just have a defective unit. My dog never broke an antenna like others are reporting ... come to think of it however, maybe it *is* broken and it's just not visible to me.
Aside from the dog collar issues, I love the handheld unit. I'm still finding features that I didn't know it had, and it is far beyond my previous model (GPS 12).
 Two thumbs up May 9, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I purchased the astro primarily for hiking with my dog in the wooded dunes of West Michigan. It surpassed my expectations. My dog will be chasing something 200 yards away, well out of sight and hearing range, and it works great. All of the stress and worry of not knowing where the dog is is gone. Because my dog doesn't stray for more than 200-300 yards, I haven't had a chance to test the full range, but within those yards and in very hilly terrain it's tracked flawlessly.
Garmin Astro GPS April 6, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Fantastic! I'm not a hunter, but I use the Garmin on my dogs when we go hiking. I've found the product to be very accurate. The construction of the product is very rugged. I'm glad I elected to use the shorter antenna because my dogs like to rough house. I'd be afraid they would damage the longer antena when rolling around. The piece of mind I have knowing that I can locate my dog should he chase after a rabit or deer is worth every penny to me.
If you hunt with dogs you want this. March 9, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I had a hard time convincing myself to try this because I already had a traditional dog tracking system. Trust me it would be like comparing apples to oranges.
I've been using this system for two months now. I will never go `coon hunting again without it. It works exactly as advertised. I feel a little guilty because it takes most of the guesswork out of hunting. You will know exactly where your dogs are and where they've been, and you will know when they've stopped moving.
My gripe list:
The dog unit isn't nearly durable enough. The antenna has been lost. The replacement antenna has now been damaged. The clip that holds the unit to a collar has broken.
The battery only lasts for twenty hours.
The topo maps should be preloaded.
It should be compatible with the RINO series, from a layman's perspective it looks like the same technology.
If you buy this unit go ahead and buy:
The mag mount antenna, you pick up some serious distance with it.
Extra pack of antennas, they come two to a package. I lost one right away and I check them for tightness now. They will get damaged, especially if you use the vest instead of the collar attachment.
Extra collar attachment, it might break if your dog decides to go in a hole chasing something.
Extra DC20 for each dog you hunt. I knew exactly what dog #1 was doing and I hated not knowing what exactly what dog #2 was doing.
 Garmin Astro 220 February 24, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am a little disappointed with this product. Technically it works well, but the human/canine usability factors are not well thought out.
On the plus side, the vendor shipped quickly, and the units were easy to set up and use. The main unit works well as a GPS, and locates the tracker unit within at least half a mile if there is reasonable line of sight. Going over a ridge loses the signal, but at least the tracking function lets you know where it was lost. (This was tested by leaving the tracker unit inside a vehicle. The signal might be stronger outside.)
On the negative side, the provided carrier harness is worse than useless. Perhaps it works better on short-coated hunting dogs than my rough-coated border collie mix. Every time we tried it, the transmitter would wind up underneath her within a minute or two. Now it goes in a pocket of her backpack.
Another negative is the lack of topo maps. As shipped, it just has major highways & lakes. The supplied PC map software is worthless - it only works on Windows, which I do not use - so it appears that the only option is to fork over more money for maps on SD chips.
A minor irritation is the fact that the manual and menus refer to all the dog-related functions in hunting terms - and bird hunting in particular. That seems oddly restrictive.
To summarize, it is a good product, and with a little tinkering should do what I want - keep track of a dog who likes to take off on her own - but with a little extra thought, it could have been much better.
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