Re: garmin 320 vs 220


Folks,

Congadulations to all who recieved Garmins for Xmas, no matter which you recieved your enjoyment of your Hounds will be even better when you get used to the Systems!

I posted my thoughts on the 320 vs 220 after testing the 320 weeks before it was released to the public.

Very few Hunters have used the Garmin system longer or as much and as Hard as we do.

The 220 with a GOOD Topo card will do all that you need a system to do to keep you on top of your Hounds.

The 320 still has some software glitches that Garmin is working on. Also the Birseye view system is cumbersome and time consuming to download to your computer then to the 320. You will find your coverage area to be limited to be something over 100,000 acers; when the Hounds leave the Birdseye downloaded info, you had better have a good Topo chip or you will be guessing where the Hounds are.

Now friends who are using the 320 on Deer retrevial in Texas have made several Birdseye view chips with the different Ranches that they work, they swap them out like you do Topos. They really like this feature although they too complain about the time it takes to download BEV info.

I have read more threads on here where folks are giving advise on how to set up your 320. Mine, based on what some other very good Houndsmen are doing would be to download your primary Hunting area with the BEV into the Units memory, then keep a GOOD Topo of the REGION that you hunt under the batteries. As the Hounds leave the BEV coverd area they will show up on the Topos coverage area.

If you decrease the detail of the BEV you are defeating the purpose of the BEV feature! Replacing chips while on the go is very frustrating, which is why using the Regional Topo will keep you on top of yur Hounds!

The 320's do some things faster than the 220's but for us and many other Houndsmen we talk to, not enough to justify the added cost. Also do not expect Garmin to keep the BEV price @ $30.yr.

From some one who uses these things 80+ hours per week, the 220 is still the best value!(word out of Garmin is that they will come out with a DC 50 collar this spring which will be the Improved DC 40 with a Sat. Ant. located on top of the collar.)

C. John Clay
Dads dogboy
diamondctv@aol.com
870-223-2063

Why don't they just fix the problems they have instead of making new models? People aren't going to buy something and be left with a piece of junk in 1 years time (in reference to dc 40)? It is alright to evolve but garmin is alienating its current customers by doing so!

I only disagree with the decreasing the detail of the topo comment. If you run the topo on standard def you can fit the entire SE US on a 16GB card (8.5 states).

The Astro 320 is only capable of on running on 65k color scheme, and on the High Def setting the map is running at 1 pixel per meter. I could maybe see it on a 262K scheme but for what hunters use it for the standard def should work fine....

I do however agree that it only makes it 'prettier' the BEV really has no purpose when hunting. The images on our lease are out dated and what shows as a chop has grown in and some of the trees have been chopped.

Sir, sorry to have not stated clearly: in NO Way would I decrease the detail on the Topo Chip! I have one with every Pig Trail and road on it for the entire Southern half of the US (everything South of US Hwy 50).

I was refering to decreasing the Detail setting on the BEV. I have been told that this will allow more acerage to be shown, but with less enhancement.

The proper Topo Chip with the Astro 220 set on MOST detail, and the Place/Name setting also on Most, and zoomed into a .2 mile Scale should keep most Houndsmen on top of their Hounds. Telling where the Race is, where it is heading (thus warning of roads and the proximity of Private property), tell where that wayward Hound has wandered off too and where you are in relation to all of this.

While I might cuss my Garmin some....I might leave the AMX Card at home, but never the Garmin when taking the Hounds to the Woods!

CJC

Kenny, the 50's or 40i is the same collar we were testing. Bucket has one now and it is the collar I used on Sonny at the Eastern Open. Works great, but the proposed cost per collar is going to be somewhat of a set back. Garmin will be getting on the Tri-Tronics page soon as they own them now.

Mr. Clay,
You have mentioned a GOOD topo card several times, with that being said, what card do you recommend for NC/VA? Also which roof top antenna would you suggest

Thanks in advance,
Lil Man

Joel,

The Chips that you can buy from Garmin dealers are good, however most folks have a Computer Geek in their Circle of friends who love to play on the Computer. They can find some very detailed things out there...we have an old Map Source Chip that has lots of details as to geographic features, trails and roads. It covers the entire southern half of the country.

The Key is to copy with the "Most Detail" and then set your Astro to the Most Detail on your set up. Then make sure that you are "Zoomed" in enough for the detail to Show.

I am sure that there are Folks on here who can make you a very Good Chip (dealers), and others who will be glad to share with you if you buy a blank Micro Chip.

As to the Roof Top Ant. we get along fine with the Garmin Magnetic Ant. There are several other after market antenaes out there that work well. For a back up we have an inexpensive telescoping ant. from Radio Shack that works on the 151? frequencies that the Garmin systems do. By adding a few inexpensive connectors and a short co-ax we have an ant. which pulled out to the appropriate length will give almost as good of range as the much more expensive Garmin Roof Mount Ant.(about 3 miles in Florida, less in the hills of AR.)

CJC

I run beagles on deer here in northeast NC. I have absolutely loved my 220 for two years until 2 weeks ago (with 3 weeks of hunting season left!) All of a sudden I lost tracking range on my unit for some unknown reason. I've searched the internet over for clues, downloaded the latest software and updated the DC-30 collars and cannot find anything other than the VHF marine radio issue where the radios burn out the 220's if antennas are too close. I don't use a marine radio so that can't be the issue. I went from tracking 3-4 miles consistently to less than 800 yds of tracking range and have almost lost my dogs as a result. Anybody else had this issue? Apparently many have around the country and they are getting ****** about it. At least we could get 10 years out of a Wildlife box but only 2 years service from a 220 is ridiculous. Now I'm faced with either ordering a new 320 unit or paying $150 repair fee for mine and I've lost the last part of a very important hunting season. My problem I know but just frustrated!

Mr. Kitchen,

I feel your pain!

The Astro 220, the 320, and any flavor or Garmin Collars are all very sophisticated "Computers". No matter how hard Garmin or the other companies coming out with GPS Systems work to make them "Hardy"enough to withstand the punishment that we give them, they are still subject to fail.

In the 80's I bought a new Ford F 250, drove it home, loaded up and left for a short trip....it was short allright, I got just past the City Limits when the wiring Harness failed.

The point is that while I sure wish our 220's would never "just stop working"....they do. We jostle them dowm miles of rough roads, drop them, maybe slap a Hound with one, and generally do things with them that the engineers who designed them never thought about!

We run 14 active collars and therefore keep two 220's in the windshield. We also keep two in the console with the collars preloaded as backup for those "Oh S--t" moments. This is not as expensive as some of you might think....we have stumbled on several fellows (usually right after Deer Season) who sell out for pennies on the dollar.

While We love th Garmins, not a Hound leaves our Truck with out a Johnson telemitry collar. Kinda like wearing a Belt and Suspenders...if one breaks I do not have to worry about Showing my A--!

I would check the Antenae on the 220 to make sure it is not broke, then reboot the 220 (remove batteries and let sit for 30 min. or so). Also check the nut on top of the 220 where the Ant screws on, this may have worked loose, when it does you drop signal almost instantly. If it is loose, take care when tightneing it with needle nose pliars, not to get it too tight as it will break.

Also if you are using a Roof mount Ant. have your co-ax checked to make sure that a Door or Window closing on it has not cuased a break. Any CB shop or most Radio Shack stores can check this out and put a splice in to remedy the problem!

Good Luck!

If your 220 can't track any collar then it is probably the unit. Which is what it sounds like.

If you read the new manual on the 320 it doesn't specify that the radio signal has to be VHF to burn out the unit. There has been a lot of chatter online about radio collar tracking boxes damaging the Astro's.



But, If you are having trouble tracking one specific collar then replace the VHF antenna on the collar. They aren't made very durable and when they break you can be looking at the dog and not able to track it.

Also, we have sent 3 220s back and about a dozen DC30s back this year. They didn't 'repair' any of them. They send you a brand new piece of equipment. So for the $150 you will get a new 220, not a bad price. But if you have an sd card in it, take it out, they won't take it out and send it back to you.

Thanks for the replies! I appreciate it. I will send the unit back this week because I replaced the collar antennas and it didn't help a bit. maybe I will get a late Christmas present of a "new" unit but I won't get my hopes up.

It seems Garmin has pretty good customer service but out of the average hunter who cant afford 3 boxes and 10 extra collars this scenario of sending back collars and boxes is really aggrevating. I understand things break but when everytime you go hunting another collar has an issue then they need to tighten up their product. I love mine but last time i went out all of my collars dropped of the map at 800 yards but my friends box kept tracking them fine???? I have used them maybe 12 times each and if that is all the use i can get out of a new box or collar then they are not worth the box they came in???? just my opinion

i was dead set to buy one friday when i got paid but im not sure maybe i should wait till they get these bugs worked out i have to buy something to use so was just going ahead and getting the garmin the way u guys talk maybe i should wait anybody no whenthe dc 50 collar is suppose to be released

They will always be working on the bugs I imagine jamey? It is still 500 times better than beep beep. Once u get 1 the pro's out weigh the con's big time.

When they first came out with the DC20s everyone on our lease burnt the box up in a month (50+ people). We were all also using the roof antennas. Garmin said that was the reason.
We have sent a lot of stuff back this year for replacements but most of the collars have made it through 3+ season and the box aren't because they are burnt up. We haven't burnt a single box since the first season when we quit using the roofs antennas.

Two of our boxes were because the USB port broke and we couldn't send up date it, the other was because it was ran over and cracked the screen.

ALL of the DC30s that have gone back is because the case cracks in the corner where the 4 screws go into the bottom. Eventually water will get in it and it will quit working.


So take it for what its worth but since we dropped the roof antennas we haven't had a single box get fried. And between the 5 leases that I build the TOPOS for and work on the gear we are talking about 125-150 GPS and over 300 collars....

Mr. Hag you r saying that if we use only non roof mount antennas we should have no box problems. The only question i have then is what is the point. If you hunt in a big club and turn loose 6 or 7 hounds then in 8 minutes they will be out of range of reg antenna????? You seem to have alot of experience with these units so be ready to answer some questions.

If you have any suggestions how to get 2+ miles out of your box without roof mount i would certainly appreciate it. Thanks

This is all good discussion. I am sure it's something in my unit because I am losing all 3 of my collars at the same distance. If it were only one DC30 that I was losing at 800 yds then i would replace it but they all worked 2 hunting trips ago at 3 miles then last time i went out they all were dropped prematurely and a question mark would replace the dog on the screen at about 7-800 yds. That's just my story. i have been using a rooftop antenna since I had the thing so I doubt it has anything to do with that.

Same here????? Woodie one of my pals said check your wire ( that comes out of end of coax) coming out of rooftop antenna it might be bent? Take a pair of needle nose pliers and pull just a little out and that might do the trick. I believe when the box goes it just goes no gradual thing.

kenny with the long antenna that came with the box im getting about 1 mile at cheerybranch havent tried the roof top yet

Thanks Kenny. I bought a new long range antenna just to make sure it was not the old one I had and the range did not pick up any. Bought a new portable antenna for the unit itself and the range did not change. I'll remember your tip and the others shared with me for the future though. BTW, The range dropped immediately from one trip to the next the best i can figure. Hopefully my friends at Garmin will be able to help me but more importantly build these units more reliable and field worthy in the future. it's great techno that we definitely need.

I had been getting 2 1/2 to 3 miles range and then it dropped to 800 yards but my friend could still track them on his box farther so i figured it was a problem on my end. I hope it is just the coax because it doesnt take long for a pack to get 1 mile. Darin thats what i heard about a mile but that isnt going to cut the mustard deer hunting.

The 800 yards is key to me, every box that has "burnt up" that we have used has lost the collars at the exact same distance (800 yards).


We hunt in NW FL, so I'm assuming you guys have a much different style of hunting/terrain than we do. We NEVER should be 2-3 miles from our dogs. With a 320 and Buzz's Long antenna I tracked one at 1.89 miles this year. There is generally always a truck or 2 within a few hundred yards of the dogs.

I'm by no means an expert but just from our experience we haven't lost a box from running the standard antennas. And we don't run the big VHFs either, strongest ones we use are around 15watts. A lot of guys run theirs on 1 watt.

Jack i run a 2-15 watt ham radio and try to run it on low but it is nothing to have dogs get 2 miles from u when we turn loose a bunch of hounds. There are people close to them but not everyone has a box. I guess i will soon find out when i go back top the deer woods friday if mine is toast or not. If it is then i better get a replacement fast. I didnt pay good $$$$ to sit on my hands and wait especially since i havent had it for no more than 2 1/2 months. I was told as long as your vhf and garmin antennas were more than 3 ft apart you were ok. I guess that isnt true either.

Here's the freqs.....
151.820 MHz
   151.880 MHz
   151.940 MHz
   154.570 MHz
   154.600 MHz

They are MURS channels.... That means multiple use radio service. If you have a VHF hunt channel close to them then you may burn one up. If somebody parked beside you fires off a 100 watt Motorola like I use, again it could affect it. I've seen telemetry boxes lock up at deer trials because of this same reason. THIS IS A RECOVERY COLLAR. 913-397-8200 is the magic number to Garmin.

Boy chris you should have saved all that info for tomorrow. I believe our channel is pretty close to one of those? I guess next time i buy something i will have to hire a electonic engineer to see if i can use it for more than 2 months before it explodes. I hope that magic # is really magic.

Woodie, sounds like you have a broken connector on top of your box. I have a man in KY that can fix that for $45 shipped back to you. I can send you a message with his contact info. He's fix many for customers of mine.

Buzz cand u send me that info also im having problems with my asto 220 thanks can email or text me at (910-289-6331)

Well guys i wnt through 5 220 in one winter. What you have to do is put the ariel from your fm or marine at the back of the truck and cut down the gain of the ariel to about a 1.5. Then put the extened range antenna for the 220 or 320 at the front of the truck,no closer. If you send a collar or 220 back to garmin most times or not uou are just going to get a refurb and as far as i know they are pieces of junk. Hope this helps Robert

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