Long range ntenna

[Hollowpoint]

In light of recent discussion regarding people’s differing experiences with the range of their tracking devices, I found a box that had some accessories. A roof mount antenna, a mag mount and a long range, metal, telescoping antenna. I’ve been using the longer rubber duck antenna for years, but seeing that I’m going out in the morning, I installed the new antenna on my alpha 100.

Will report my findings after the hunt.

That is all.

[The Old Man]

 The hound recovery system antenna with the long vertical and 4 short horizontal antennas at the base seems to be the best long range one. On the 300I handheld I use the buzzard roost 16 inch antenna but hunting with other people I don't see much difference in any of the flexible antennas. I did learn just today I needed to enable the GNSS satellite systems in conjunction with the normal GPS satellite system. It has had that capability all along it just wasn't activated. Curious to see if that increases the range, but doubt it will because while hunting I never get a lost satellite reception notice, just the question on the dog due to the lost telemetry signal on the dog.
  What I had noticed was that when I have the handheld in the house charging it says "lost satellite reception, do you want to enable the GNSS" I had noticed it before in the house but was hesitant to enable it because I didn't know what if any problem it would cause, "tech dinosaur" so I inquired about it with Garmin. All it does is enable many more satellites in case of failure to connect with the normal GPS satellites.
  I don't understand why they need the old radio telemetry signal along with the satellite signals. It looks to me like if the satellite is what locates the dog on the map we'd no longer need the radio telemetry signal. And that in itself would greatly extend the range. All I know is that's an fcc deal.
 

[NLAhunter]

I have a hound recovery on my buggy it works better than other long range antennas I have tried

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[cajunl]

When I hunt out of my hunting truck I have a 100 that is mounted on a triple mag mount antenna. I have a tuned truck antenna mounted to the body of the truck also that runs off the garmin frequencies (151-154 mhz) that I have hooked to my VHF truck radio. I can swap them both with each other if needed.

On my buggy I have 2 tuned antennas one for the garmin 100 and other vhf radio. I use the drive track.....because I cant see worth a flip and the numbers are not big enough on the garmin! LOL

I use a 220i on me with a folding antenna because I use the chest rig from dans and the other antennas are in your face all the time. Lot a guys like it around there neck. But it drives me crazy dangling when I am trying to tie a hog.

I think the terrain and location makes the biggest difference. I hunt a place near a huge power plant on the coast. Even with the best long range antenna the gamin struggles at 300-500yds max. I guess from all the electrical interference. Where out in the far places far from anything it gets much more.

[t-dog]

We get pretty good reception most of the time. Usually .75-1 mile before we lose reception. Our biggest reception problems usually happen on places that have a lot of iron ore. I’m guessing there’s a certain magnetism in that stuff that affects it because it seems to affect the garmin compass too.


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[Hollowpoint]

Got out with that new antenna yesterday, the dogs got out around 4/600 yards in a couple different directions so I extended the antenna and was tracking them all. Then I got a question mark on one dog, long story short when I got the dog back the question mark wouldn’t go away. Turns out there is something wrong with his collar, I can tone him but not track him.

It’s one of my first collars a tt15 mini about 8 years old. So while I was sitting in the buggy waiting on everyone to get back I was online ordering a new tt25.

Back to the antenna, it seemed to work fine but the design and durability are the weak points. When I got home and climbed out of the truck, the antenna broke off at the base and hit the driveway. I will be back to the long rubber duck.

[Teaspoon]

When is the last time you updated your collar?

I have a TT-15 that was losing signal, but since I updated the collar, I have not had that issue.

[Hollowpoint]

I just updated all collars and handhelds last week.

[Teaspoon]

Have you cleaned the connection at the collar antenna?

I had that problem with the DC-40s fairly often. 

[Hollowpoint]

No I didn’t, after yesterday’s hunt we found some damage that might’ve lead to the tracking failure. Dan was fighting that boar for a while before the cavalry could get there, his collar took some damage that appears to have severed the wire from the module to the gps unit. Also you can see the tusk got between his nameplate and collar in the same place.

[t-dog]

Hollowpoint nothing is full proof, but a cheap and effective thing I do is use a bicycle inner tube I cut it long enough that it slides from the box of the collar and all the way over the gps box. Your antenna will also go through it and it hasn’t interrupted signal in any way that we’ve noticed but sure has save some damage to the collar. If it gets cut or torn up you can cut it off and slide another one on. You can get several out of one $12-$15 inner tube.


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[Hollowpoint]

Heck yeah t dog, that’s what I’m talking about is a form of cheap protection like that. Thanks for the tip.

[Teaspoon]

I had got some old firehose from the local volunteer fire department to make some kind of protector for the collars but put the hose in the shop and totally forgot about it until now.

I ordered some of these because the rubber antenna holder and GPS wire protector on my older collars are in bad shape and falling apart.... but I'm going to look for that firehose and see if I can add some protection to the box too.

https://suwanneedogsupply.com/products/knot-normal-collar-protector

[Hollowpoint]

It’s funny you mention those protectors, I just watched a video from Knot Normal and he was advertising those. Also fire hose is incredibly tough, I have a knife sheath I made from it 30 years ago and I’d bet a dime to a doughnut it’ll last another 30 years.

[cajunl]

Anything is better than nothing. But I use the use that cover the box and everything. Where the knot normal one ends at both sides is the weakest point. It "scissors" the  wire there. I wa doing good for a year or so and then lost 3 tt15s to broken wires in 2 weeks. The guys I hunted with in Oz used the firehosue covers. It was the best i have seen but they used the non shockers.

I use these and do well. But they will still break with them.
https://hogdoggear.com/collections/cut-collars/products/elite-cut-collar

[NLAhunter]

I got 2 of these for my bulldog collars probably 3 years ago and aint got a collar broke on a bulldog since I have had several busted and broke on bulldogs

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[t-dog]

Cajunl I agree. The knot normal ones I thought left those two spots vulnerable. They’re better than nothing though. I don’t understand why the GPS box has to be so far from the main body. I’m pretty sure I heard someone say once that they moved theirs closer to the body.


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[Hollowpoint]

cajun, I have one of those collars. I might start using it on one of my females, my 3 males I have them wearing those Aussie style short vests with the collars attached, because they’re gonna catch when they get there.