Customer Reviews
Garmin Astro GPS Dog Tracking System 
2008-09-19
Garmin Astro GPS Dog Tracking SystemThe products are very good exept the transmitter for the dog, because the antenna is very soon damage or loosen very easy so that it get lost. I have lost one allready and my friend have got it damaged. It is good business for you and Garmin because I have allready ordered 3 new antenneas!!!
Best regards
Kari Hertzberg
Excellent product and delivery with missing option 2008-08-19
Everything was delivered to my full satisfaction except for one thing. The charger was delivered with adapter for US. This is understandable as it was delivered in the States, but there should be an option to change this as there are many of us having stuff delivered in US, and then brought home to Europe.
Superb dog locator 
2008-08-13
My best buy for a long time. And Amazon and the seller did all very well and quick. The Garmin Astro is best choice for hunting dog tracking.
Yours Kai
Finland
Was very impressed -- until it got wet 2008-06-15
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 2008-05-09
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 2008-04-06
Tired of searching for your hunting dog in tall grass or dense cover? Now you can leave the hunting entirely to him. Introducing Astro, the first high sensitivity GPS-enabled dog-tracking system for hunters and sportsmen. This unique system pinpoints your dog's position and shows you exactly where he is, even when you can't see or hear him. The Astro system includes a bright color-screen handheld GPS device and a wireless transmitter, called the DC 20. To get started, just take Astro outdoors and turn on the handheld and transmitter to acquire GPS satellite signals. Then attach the DC 20 to your dog, either with the included dog harness or by threading it onto a 1-inch e-collar. Now you're ready to turn him loose ? no other setup required. As often as every five seconds, your dog's DC 20 transmits his position to your handheld, and you can see his current location and a trail of where he's been on the Map page of your handheld. Switch over to the Dog Tracker page to view a compass pointing to your dog's location as well as his current status: whether he's running, sitting, on point or treeing quarry. Astro can also sound an alarm to let you know instantly when your dog goes on point. Astro boasts a high-sensitivity GPS receiver that can track your dog's position even in the densest cover. You can track up to ten dogs at one time with Astro, at a distance of up to five miles away (depending on terrain). The system transmits information by line-of-sight, so it reaches farthest in flat, open territory. Waypoints/icons - 1000 with name and graphic symbol
If you hunt with dogs you want this. 2008-03-09
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 
2008-02-24
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.
Great concept--poor antenna and harness 
2008-01-22
First my compliments to both Amazon and Garmin, for great customer service and warrenty.
The Astro GPS Dog Tracking system worked great in EZ going terrain, however in much of California, we have low hanging trees, thick brush and fence lines. First time I used it, my dogs bayed up a nice boar "151 yards to the north east". The next time I used it, in about two hours of hunting in brushy terrain, my three dogs broke three antenas and destroyed two harnesses.
The sending unit with antena, is held by the harness directly above and on top of the dogs shoulders, getting hit (and destroyed) when going through or under these obstacles. The optional way of mounting the sending unit (to the dog's collar) does not work very well either.
Garmin was great and willingly sent free replacement parts yet I sent the entire unit back and received a credit. Discussed with Garmin Tecs and they said they are working on another design. They should also come up with a better battery pac system. I anxiously awaiting new design and will reorder if and when available.
The current harness/antena system probably works fine for grassland bird hunting yet not for tough cover where dogs are going all out to catch a pig.
Hurry up Garmin and get it fixed! Perhaps if they don't come up with another design a competitor will come up with a dog GPS system that will stand up to the test.
great product, slow delivery 2008-01-09
The product was exactly as advertised, and what I wanted however I paid 30 some dollars for expedited shipping and it took over 2 weeks to recieve luckily I did recieve it in time for xmas.
