Garmin ALPHA 200i Handheld Only w/ InReach Technology

This combo is awesome, I used it on my tracking dogs and it’s awesome.

Great collar, with excellent battery life.

I've been thinking of getting this unit for a while now. Finally pulled the trigger and purchased the unit with 2 T15 collars and I'm glad I did. Last September while Grouse hunting in Michigan, I lost my Drahthaar for about 20 min in the thicket. It was not fun. Now, I will not have to worry about that happening again. The A200 is awesome. Easy to configure and customize to your needs. I would recommend to anyone who plans on running their dogs in various environments.

The Garmin Alpha 200 TT Mini 15 worked great on my pack of Beagles. Quite a step up from the Tri-Tronics Classic 70. The assurance of knowing where each dog is at all times is worth the investment.

The tracking, e-collar combo is great! Having the combo simplies training sessions. The Garmin works like other Garmins, the touch screen is nice.

The e-collar settings took a little trial session again because they were so different from my other e-collar. Dogtra e-collar is 1-120 + vibe, where the Alpha 200 e-collar is 1-18.

Very happy with the purchase

The Garmin Alpha 200i is a definite step up from the Alpha 100. I have used the Aplha 100 for about 5 years and really liked it. The larger more easy to see screen of the 200i, the SOS button and the easily programmable main buttons with the ability to toggle between diffent functions of those buttons is much more user friendly.

I have four small dogs that were in need of training in the field. They would tend to bolt after game. I purchased the tt15 mini and alpha. Best idea ever. The collar is perfect for 50-60 lb dogs. No way the tt15 would fit, too large for their size. Gps handheld and collar pick up signal quickly and work well in wooded areas.
I love the ability to see the dogs and to recall them in a second. The headlight function is cute but not exceptional. A beacon on top might be better to see the dog. Garmin graphics are marginal but you can actually upgrade the maps for free online making the gps better. Screen is okay. Not top of the line screen as on the Montana but it works well and does what it should. Touch screen is okay, not spectacular but does well in rain. Forget using gloves with it. Takes a few hours of use to navigate through the various features but with practice it becomes second nature. I’m getting more collars for the rest of the dogs.

Upgraded from the ALPHA 100 and glad I did.
Really like the larger screen and the various menus are more logical and easier to find with more capabilities. I’m still learning about all the features and there are many tutorials out there to help.

If you want to use the vibrate function on a TT15 collar, you will have to delete one of the other functions (momentary, continuous or tone) OR add an additional page with vibrate on it. For example, my yellow collar has M, C, T, on the first page and M, C, V on the 2nd page. Scrolling through pages is easy using the buttons on the side of the handheld. Very intuitive.

Enable WiFi and the handheld automatically updates the software to the latest version when you turn it on. How cool is that?

Presently, I’m trying to figure out if I can set different radius alarms for different collars. For example, I’d like to keep an eye on my young pointer and know if he wanders past 150 yards while I don’t mind my broke dogs ranging to 250.

Overall, I’m very pleased with my purchase. Much thought went into this device from people who hunt and Garmin listened.

I'm so happy with the changes they've made with the 200i. First off, my eyes are thankful for the larger screen. Having the ability to use the top 3 buttons to cycle screens is such a game changer for me. The side buttons are large enough to easily cycle between the menus and e-collar functions. My biggest complaint about the 100 was having to hit the icons in the bottom corners to switch screens. I have fat fingers, and it was frustrating at times, so I'm thankful they integrated the option with the top 3 buttons on the 200i.

Another huge addition is the ability to see the truck and other hunters on the compass. This is so convenient for me. I have a Garmin Sapphire 6x watch and it's nice to just glance and see where my hunting buddy is without having to shout out for a location check in the grouse woods. I didn't like having to switch between the map and compass screens when I wanted to work the dog toward the relative direction of the truck on the 100. It's really convenient to have both on the compass screen.

Other nice conveniences is being able to remove all the unwanted apps from the main menu screen, being able to download updates using wi-fi instead of having to USB to a computer, creating groups for buddies and their dogs. Very easy to enable/disable several dogs at once. I will be buying an in-reach subscription as I do hunt alone at times. Nice peace of mind for me.

Caution for those that have the alpha 100 and like the way it functions (I have bird dogs). I was expecting similar functionality but I guess I didnt do enough research. 2 primary examples, on the alpha 100, I had each button assigned to a different collar which was perfect when running 2-3 dogs, on the alpha 200i you'll need to press a side button to go from dog to dog, so stimulation will be delayed. I'm still trying to figure out if I can get a page set so the buttons will represent different collars.

Second example, on my alpha 100, I used battery save mode, so the screen would turn off after so many seconds, then when you wanted to see where your dog was you just touched the screen. On the alpha 200i, it has the same battery save mode, but when the screen turns off you have to press the power butt to get the screen to turn on. This doesnt work so well, and is almost impossible with gloves. So to save battery I've lowered the screen brightness and it stays on for the whole hunt, which consumes the battery pretty quick. You might get 10-12 hours going this route. So I ordered a second battery to help on multi day trips where there are no plug ins available to recharge (the cigarette chargers are to slow to recharge a battery and waste too much gas).

On the positive side, the bigger screen is nice. So far with my pointers I have not lost communication, which happened from time to time with the alpha 100 in the mountains in AZ and NM.

I've only used it for one weekend of hunting pheasants but LOVE IT! I have a 1 1/2 year old GSP who likes to run big but still does an amazing job hunting. Was just using a training collar before and was stuck in the position of deciding when to zap him. Was he to far possibly chasing a deer or was he close, behind cover pointing at a bird? Now I know exactly what he is up to and have confidence when I correct him.

Better information content on the dog page than the 100. Better screen. Easy to use.

Really like the Alpha 200i and the TTX15 collar they are a great combo with all the new features.

This thing has everything i need in one unit. I hunt wild chukar in the mountains and with this i can find my dog, see topographic maps, text the wife when i have zero cell service, and control the dog. All with just one device! When your hiking in the mountains it’s always nice to bring less stuff to cut down on weight. The garmin alpha helps me do this and stay connected with the dog and with family. Also the ability to hit the SOS button to bring in the cavalry is a nice thing to have when your up in the rocks. Both the collar and controller are bigger than my old ones but for the extra features i believe it’s well worth it. They are spendy but what’s the cost of
Loosing your dog?

Just learning to use my Garmin Alpha 200i and TT15X Dog Tracking and Training System. I have an eight-month old male Griff Puppy already at 52 lbs. I expect him to go to 65 lbs. I believe I chose the correct collar size. I am by no means ready to comment on the system. However, the InReach SOS Button alone made me want to purchase this Equipment. I am 65 years old. And having the ability to get help when hunting in the Woods, Fields, and on the Water gives me the confidence of still getting out there and doing it. I’ll be vacationing in Europe later this year. Independent of the Dog Tracking and Training function, being able to use the Handheld anywhere on the Planet. Is also a major reason I purchased the Unit.

My new Alpha 200i works well but I am finding it doer not have the range to stay connected like the Alpha 100 does. Other than that it operates very well. Would not call it superior to the Alpha 100

I have been using the Garmin alpha and two collars on my lion hounds for the past two weeks or so. Hunting off muleback in the wilderness. I am very pleased with the quality and ease of use.

Best improvement yet is with the screen, no more finding a shady spot to view your dogs from previous models. The larger screen and more memory is great.

Am transitioning from the Alpha 100 to the Alpha 200. Love the larger screen and clarity. Taking some time to get familiar with the key setup. I just wish the manuals were not written by extraterrestrials, but by gun dog owners and trainers; so that my learning curve was quicker.

System works as it should. Unfortunately, the colored collar that was sent didn’t fit the TT15 mini.

I ordered this unit from Gun Dog Supply. I received it quickly but the top left button on the front didn’t work. I called them and they sent me another unit that day. I haven’t had time to completely check this one out but it seems to be fine. Really great service from Gun Dog!

This e-collar is easy to set up and use. It’s a little pricey but, with all of it’s functions and the added security of the inreach function I think it’s worth it

Easy and fast. I ordered the wrong collars T5, my fault. Called Gundogsupply and they said send them back and get the the ones I wanted for a slight increase in price for the TT15.

I ordered the 200 I around Christmas and even with the holiday I still received it in a timely manner it was shipped the next day very pleased with the service from gun dog supply I have two alpha 100s and wanted to up grade we run hounds for coyote and tracking is very important they are very good instruments and we depend on them on every hunt the alpha 200I is definitely a worthwhile update the bigger screen is awesome for us older folks and the ability to group packs of dogs separately is a great feature so far I love it and would recommend it to anyone handling dogs if you’re looking for a good tracker this is the one and I would recommend that you look to Gun dog supply for your purchase I’m sure you will be very pleased with their service
Chuck

I have been using the Alpha 100 for several years and really loved it. I recently bought the 200 and am still trying to get used to the differences. Overall, I love the 200! It is somewhat time consuming to get used to the different operating system, but I believe it will be well worth it. I love the slimmer, more streamline, look and feel of the 200 compared to the 100.

At this point I only have one issue and I am sure it's just an issue I have not figured out yet; however, when adding dogs, other than mine, I am having a lot of interference issues even when grouping them differently. I have yet to figure out how to add dogs in each individual group. As of now, I have only recognized one way to add dogs and then group them. This is where the interference is coming into play. If there is a way to add dogs specifically to each individual group my problem would be solved. However, I have not figured that out yet.

Overall, this seems to be a great product!

I'm a big fan of tech and use it a lot. GPS trackers are great and knowing where my dog is and has been makes for a better hunt. This GPS, however, has a steep learning curve. Its no problem sitting at the kitchen table playing around with the features. In the field it is a different story. I often found myself tripping over ground cover while trying to get out the GPS and get back on the right screen to give a command or find the dog. With a gun in one hand, walking through sage or creek bottoms, using a gloved hand I would often get frustrated because the screen would have changed due an inadvertant touch while trying to get the screen in view.
I know much of this is my fault because I didn't learn the lock feature (assuming there is one) and was not so familiar with the device that I could reliably operate it without looking. I ended up putting a cow bell on the dog which let me know where she was at all times and then used the GPS collar much more sparingly. That seemed to do the trick. No more tripping while starring at the screen like a millennial.
Other than that Garmin always makes great quality products with their own special twist on usability features and high prices. The product works as designed and it is up to you to bring your skill level up to its ability.

The first unit I received was defective: the compass would not calibrate properly and the pointer sometimes literally spun in circles on the screen when I tried to find my pointing dog. Worse than useless. I spent hours testing and recalibrating the compass, calling Garmin's tech support (basically useless), and finally reached out to Gun Dog Supply for help. GDS is awesome and their staff know more about Garmin products relating to dogs than Garmin. They suggested some things to try that Garmin didn't, and when I got back to them that their suggestions didn't work and that I thought the unit was defective, they sent me a replacement. I'm happy to report that the replacement Alpha 200i works as it should (I've now used it on two chukar hunts in extreme terrain and the compass works as well or better than my trusty old Alpha 100).

I am a long time Alpha 100 user. I have been waiting for a new one for a log time. I like the new features but it is missing a few of the old ones. The one I miss the most is when running different dogs on one screen. I use to be able to touch the button or screen and be able to change the function from Tone to M, C or V. This is annoying. You can work around it by having different training screens for each option but it is more work. I contacted Gun Dog and Garmin and I am hopeful they will be able to bring this feature back.

Sold the unit to my friend at a discount instead of returning to Gun Dog Supply. Garmin took a big step backwards by not including compatability for the OnX Hunt chip. I upgraded from the Alpha 100 and expected the same OnX experience. I was disappointed. Most Garmin units recognize the chip, not the Alpha 200i. I expected the latest and greatest from Garmin to do the same as their previous units.