Item # 5465 Garmin Astro 320 ComboRated 5 stars from 1 customer ratings. 06/24/2011
Summary: A substantial upgrade. May be the most amazing new dog product that I have ever used. |
Steve Says: A substantial upgrade. May be the most amazing new dog product that I have ever used.
Back in 2007 I wrote: "It is a rare, rare occasion that I get a product in to test that
amazes me.
Normally I have a list a mile long with changes,
improvements, unnecessary features, features that just don't work, and
features that are good ideas but miss the mark of fitting the needs of
my customers.
"My expectations for the Garmin Astro were really high. I wanted it to
be amazing but I expected it to fall short.
Boy, was I wrong.
The Garmin Astro may be the most amazing new dog product that I have ever used."
Four years later, and I still feel the same about this amazing product.
The Astro 320 handheld addresses many of the things that I felt were
shortcomings on the original Astro.
The new software allows you to customize the map to see what YOU want to see.
See dogs off screen (or not)
Show track history (or not)
Show distance on MAP screen (or not)
You can have as little info as possible or as much as you want. All of it is there for you to use or hide at the push of a button.
The new long range antenna is also a welcome addition for folks that need more range for their bigger running dogs.
Upgrade today!
Garmin Astro 320 w DC 40 Collars
Reviewed: December 21, 2011 
By: Steve Snell17 dogs: Pet. Hunting dog. Working dog. A substantial upgrade. May be the most amazing new dog product that I have ever used.
5 2946 |
c.03 |
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Garmin Astro 320 Bundle (1-Dog GPS Combo)Track your hunting dogs in heavy cover without making a sound.
                      
Garmin introduces the next generation of their GPS dog tracking system: The Garmin Astro 320 with DC 40 collar which is specifically designed for hunters.
Track your hunting dogs in heavy cover without making a sound. With the Garmin Astro, you'll know where your dog is and what your dog is up to.
What's New in the Garmin 320
Hardware changes
- Fully rubberized outer coating with an over molding
- Improved rubber around the RF antenna
- New power button location
- New keypad design
- New location of the lanyard attachment
- New battery cap features the Garmin "backbone" design
- 1.7 Gigs Onboard Memory
- Includes 13 inch Long Range Flex Antenna - Double the range of the standard antenna
Software Changes
- 3-axis compass
- New Dog Set Up Menu
- Universal dog settings including Update Rates and Dog types
- World wide DEM basemap
- Backwards Compatible all DC 20, 30, and 40 collars
MAP customization
- Dog Trails: Choose from three views: Complete History, Partial History, or no Trail History
- Show / Hide Dog Status on Map screen
- Show / Hide Dog Distance on Map screen
- Show / Hide Dog Names on Map screen
- Show / Hide Offscreen Dogs on Map screen
- Zoom to MAP DOGS - automatically have all dogs appear on our map screen -- no matter how far they are from you
- Power Button control screen - including button lock feature
- Dog Alerts - tone only, vibration only or Tone and Vibration
- Wireless sharing of Dog info to other 320 handheld units
- Bird's Eye View Satellite Imagery (Subscription Ready) - import satellite imagery or your own custom maps
Garmin Astro 320 Handheld GPS
Contains top-notch features such as a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, long battery life, a bright sunlight readable color display and a rugged IPX7 waterproof exterior.
This unit also offers automatic routing with turn-by-turn directions.
The Garmin Astro 320 now has 1.7 Gigabytes internal memory as well as a micro SD card slot so you can add pre-programmed data cards with detailed maps such as TOPO, Inland Lakes, BlueChart and City Navigator.
Handheld Features
- Barometric altimeter and 3-axis electronic compass
- Scratch resistant lens on the 2.6" color 65.1K TFT display with backlit display and keypad
- Resolution: 240 x 160 pixels
- Weight: 6.50 ounces without batteries
- Battery life: 20+ hours using 2 AA batteries (not included)
- High Speed USB mini-B connector for data updates with a PC or Apple Macintosh
- Rugged IPX7 waterproof standards
- Quad helix GPS antenna
- Removeable VHF antenna
- Micro SD card slot available for preprogrammed MapSource mapping detail such as US TOPO, Inland Lakes, BlueChart and City Navigator
- Stores 1000 waypoints, 50 routes and 10,000 track points
- Area calculation feature
- Built-in auto routing basemap
Garmin GPS units are waterproof in accordance with IEC 529 IPX7. An IPX7 designation means the GPS case can withstand accidental immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes.
How the GPS DOG TRACKING SYSTEM Works
The Garmin Astro system consists of two components: a Handheld GPS unit (Garmin Astro 320) which looks like a walkie-talkie and a Dog GPS unit (Astro-DC-40).
- These two GPS units communicate via radio signals.
- The Dog GPS computes its location from the GPS satellites, detects whether your dog is moving or on point, and sends that info to your Handheld GPS every 5 seconds.
- The Handheld GPS then plots the exact location of your dog on a map screen, shows distance, and whether your dog is moving or on point.
- On your Handheld GPS, the MAP SCREEN shows your location, your dog's location, and the path that your dog has hunted. Alternately, view your dog(s) on the COMPASS SCREEN which shows your location, your dog's distance and direction. The COMPASS SCREEN is perfect for running multiple dogs. Add up to 10 dogs to one Handheld GPS system. All you need are extra DC 40 DOG GPS collars.
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DC-40 COLLAR DESIGN
The rugged Astro DC 40 collar / transmitter is a complete stand alone unit. The DC 40 is an improved designed based of the popular DC 30 collar.
The DC 40 is a self contained transmitter. It incorporates the GPS antenna / receiver, battery and electronics into one unit. Garmin has eliminated the multiple parts of the DC 30 and combined everything into one durable smaller package. It does away with the wires that connected the GPS Antenna to the electronics. This allows the unit to be mounted on a standard plastic coated nylon collar strap.
The DC 40 Astro collar has a Whip Style RF antenna that will take all the abuse a hunting dog can give it.
The DC 40 is built tough to handle the rough terrain where your dog hunts, and it doesn't require the use of any additional counterweight, ecollar, or vest to keep the unit on the dog. Just buckle it on and go!
The compact design of the DC 40 will also allow you the option of mounting both the DC 40 and most standard remote training collars on the same strap. This will eliminate the need for two straps if you run both an ecollar and the Garmin Astro on your dog.
Charging Cradle
The DC 40 now comes with a charging cradle that snaps on to the DC 40. This design eliminates the grooves that allowed dirt and mud to collect in the earlier versions of these collars and made charging difficult.
The DC 40 also has a system of blue lights that blink while the collar is charging and glow solid after it is finished charging. You snap your collar into the cradle and plug it up, the light will blink blue. Once it is fully charged, the light will glow solid blue.
"Collar Lock" PIN system
A feature that has been added to the DC 40 is the option of putting a "password" protection feature on your collars.
The "Collar Lock" feature allows you to block other people from being able to track your dog. You select a 4 digit code that the users hand held will require you to enter before it will allow anyone to track your GPS collar.
"Collar Lock" is a pull down selection that you can set on your collar if you want it. It is not required to use the DC 40, and it is easy to reset if you want to change it or stop using it.
2 Minute Update Rate
The Astro DC 40 also has an update rate that is designed to extend battery life. The Update Rate is the time between location information being sent from the DC 40 collar to your hand held receiver. The quicker the update rate the more information you have on where your dog is and what he is doing.
Previous generations of the Astro have allowed update rates of 5 seconds, 10 seconds and 30 seconds. The DC 40 has those updates and it also has a 2 minute (120 seconds) option. This longer update rate is designed for the dog owner that wants the longest possible battery life (48 hours) and is willing to sacrifice location detail to get it.
DC 40 Collar Specifications
- Astro can track up to ten dogs per "Handheld GPS" receiver at one time. Add additional Astro DC 40s as needed.
- Fully Backward compatible with the Original Astro 220, DC 20 and DC 30
- Collar strap fits neck sizes between 9 and 22 inches
- K9 metal collar buckle with metal keeper
- 14 inch Whip style antenna
- Rugged IPX7 waterproof standards
- User replaceable Li-Ion battery pack (rechargeable)
- User replaceable collar strap
- Improved on/off power button
- Collar Battery Runtime: 20 hours with 5 second update rate
- Collar Battery Runtime: 27 hours with 10 second update rate
- Collar Battery Runtime: 36 hours with 30 second update rate
- Collar Battery Runtime: 48 hours with 120 second update rate
- Weight: 8 ounces with collar strap and antenna
- Range: up to 9 miles
- Electronics case is 3.5" wide x 1.75" height x 1.25" deep
PLEASE NOTE: Garmin GPS units are waterproof in accordance with IEC 529 IPX7. IEC 529 is the European system of test specification standards for classifying the degrees of protection provided by the enclosures of electrical equipment. An IPX7 designation means the GPS case can withstand accidental immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes.
BATTERIES
COLLAR BATTERY
The DC 40 GPS Collar uses a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery pack. Average battery charge life is ~20 hours using the standard five-second update. You can increase battery life by using longer update modes. A wall charger and a car charger are both included. One cradle charger is included. Allow 3 to 4 hours for a complete charge for a fully drained battery.
HANDHELD GPS BATTERY
The Astro Handheld unit uses AA batteries (not included). Average run time is 25+ hours.
GARMIN ASTRO GPS RANGE -- The Garmin Astro transmitter and receiver have a "line of sight" range of up to 9 miles using the included long-range antenna. The Astro communicates using a VHF radio signal between the Dog GPS collar and the Handheld GPS unit, so to get the full range out of a system there should be nothing between the transmitter and the receiver.
Realistically, this isn't going to happen in most of the places that we spend time with our dogs, so the actual usable range will be MUCH less than 9 miles depending on hunting conditions, including weather, terrain, and the presence of cover.
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ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF THE GARMIN ASTRO
Downloads -- The Garmin Astro has some additional features that many dog owners might find useful. Using the Waypoints and Tracks and the Dog Tracks feature from the Astro Handheld you can download your days hunt into your PC using either MapSource or Motionbased.com to see your hunt on a topo map or Google Earth. This allows you to see the ground that you and your dog actually cover in a days hunt on a map.
Covey Counter -- The Garmin Astro also allows you to mark the exact location of your
coveys using a special waypoint feature. This will allow you to place your coveys on a map and mark the time of day, elevation, number of birds in the covey and number of birds taken from a covey.
Icons -- Astro also comes with waypoint icons designed for hunting, letting you mark and identify additional waypoints such as your truck, hunting lodge, food
plots, cover, ATVs and other outdoor-related features.
Additional Uses -- While the Garmin Astro is designed for the hunting dog, many of our customers that don't hunt but enjoy spending time outdoors with their dogs and allowing them to run off leash will find the Astro incredibly useful.
The Garmin Astro is perfect when your dog is not by your side. Hiking, camping, horseback riding or bike riding, the Garmin Astro will allow your dogs more freedom but allow you to keep a close eye on them and help you locate them if they get lost. Since the Garmin Astro 320 serves as a full-featured handheld GPS unit, it will keep you from getting lost, too.
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Your Astro Combo Unit includes:
- Garmin Astro 320
- Lanyard
- Belt clip
- USB cable
- Standard and long range antennas
- DC-40 GPS Collar transmitter
- Collar strap and whip style antenna
- AC charger
- Vehicle power cable
- Charging cradle
- Carrying case
- Owner's manual
- Quick reference guide
1-Year Garmin Warranty
Not available to Canadian Addresses.
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FREE!
Quick Start Manual Download
Astro 320 Quick Start Manual, downloadable in .pdf format.
Click here
to read the Astro 320 Quick Start Manual. |
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FREE!
Owner's Manual Download
Astro 320 Owner's Manual, downloadable in .pdf format.
Click here
to read the Astro 320 Owner's Manual. |
Read my GARMIN ASTRO 320 COMPLETE REVIEW
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Garmin
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