HI all,
I thought some of our Scandinavian members might be able to advise on the best GPS tracking collars out there.

A friend of mine wants two collars. One for a Jack russel and one for a Ridgeback. Either with a hand held controller or with a link back to a smartphone would be fine.

Tanks,
K

I've seen the Garmin Astro system being used and it is brilliant.

Two things to be aware though..the older collar transmitters seem to be more reliable than the new ones (although this may now be sorted) and they are not strictly legal in the UK although the are in the US and other parts of Europe.

The dc-30 collars work great for us but the dc-40s aren't as reliable. Wish Garmin would put the dc-30s back on the market. If you want 30s try biggamehoundsmen.com and look in the classifieds. Almost always some for sale. Expect to pay about $200 each used in good condition.

K - another vote for Garmin Astro - either 220 or 230 usually with DC 40 - most of the pro trackers around here (+Austria and Germany) use those...

Kiri,

We use the Garmin Astro 220 handheld GPS o keep a track on our moose dogs, but there is now an Astro 230 version which has had a lot of problems recently, though that might just be the Scandi version.

As Southwesthunter said the DC30 collar is considered to be a better more reliable option than the DC40.

One more thing, be careful where you get it from, different versions transmit on different frequencies and this could land you in some trouble.

Atb.

Astro is used by the most doghandlers here to.

Kiri,
I have the Sportdog Tek1, similar system to the Garmin but $100 cheaper.
I used mine the other night and tracked the dog being walked from 4.35 miles.
My only critisism is that the collar would fit a St Bernard, and that is the only size that they do!

regards
Griff

Hi,

The only one I've seen used - and I mean it's ysed by everyone - is the Tracker.

With the modern systems where the dog's position is shown in relation to you and a fixed point like you hunting cabin or your car means the dog will in effectnever be lost.
This is a major consideration with the Norwegian grey hounds (or whatever they're called in English) as they can run after the moose for hours!
All this is done via your mobile phone.

Don't know if they actually were the first one to come up with one but they've been in the business since 1977.

If you write your mobile number on the dog's collar, people can call you if the dog nevertheless gets lost (this, of course, can be done, tracking collar or not....)

BTW, the harness they show on the website has proven to be a real life-safer for many a dog. Fitted with reflection bands they show up in the headlights of a car thus avoiding accidents. The red color is brilliant inasmuch as a dog won't be mistaken for game and shot.

As a final note I didn't find the list or resellers/distributors on the website. I suggest you utilize the webshop or just contact the manufactrer directly.

- Lars/Finland

Hello

thanks Lars for the great introduction of Tracker. I work with Tracker as Key Account Manager and am in charge of European sales.

Yes, we were the first who came with GPS/GSM based tracking collars and are still the technology leader.
One of the major advantages of our system is the unlimited range. It doesn't matter how far is the dog, you can still call him and listen to the surroundings and e.g. see the barking frequency. Furthermore, you can track as many dogs and friends as you wish at the same time (no frequency problem).

The tracking is in real time every 3-5 second in real time modus or 1 minute as default and positions are sent via GPRS. The costs per hunt are about 20-50 cents with our special roaming sim cards. Of course you can make waypoints etc. like with Garmin and additionally enjoy the advantage of being online and sharing it immediately with your hunting group. So, you shot a deer, then mark the position, share to your hunting group and later somebody who is closer can take it.

We have no problems with maps, since the majority of worldwide maps are for free and downloaded automatically.


Our devices work excellent even in areas with very poor GSM coverage and we have tested many areas across Europe. Furthermore, we have done several independent tests with excellent results. Just yesterday, we officially received 5-stars in one test in Finnish Erä Lehti and were the only one. Astro Nordic was is the test as well. Further test in Norway and Germany are coming soon.
Here you can find another test (in German): www.trackerhunter.com/de/reichweiten-champion

I'm building the reseller network, so you can check the reseller in your country
www.trackerhunter.com/en/about-us/contact-details

or contact sales@tracker.fi directly.

I'm looking forward to receiving your comments

Tomas