Houndsong

Has anybody, especially any hunters here, used or investigated the merits of the various devices on the market for tracking dogs, whether in the field or if the dog has strayed from home?

From what I've seen these products or services seem to fall into three categories.

1. True GPS trackers. I think Garmin makes one but I don't know if it is dependent on a cellular technology in any way. Seems to be marketed to bird hunters. One-time purchase, no service purchase required.

2. Cellular technology trackers. These I think are dependent on a reliable cellular phone signal in the tracking area. Marketed to folks afraid of losing dogs who tend to stray. Up front purchase of the devices plus a monthly service charge. Pricey over the long haul.

3. Radio frequency trackers. These seem to be standalone products with a signal emitting collar and a finding device. Up front purchase price only, but are they any good?

I'm thinking about getting something for my dogs to wear whenever we go out. It's bad enough all the time spent and mostly wasted looking for these dogs when they get loose, not to mention the worry and the danger of losing the dog for good.

Thanks,
Art

murraysmom

Here's a link to a discussion earlier in the month that you might be interested in:

http://www.heatherweb.com/cyberhound/board...?showtopic=4725

Lightning&Stomps

I've tracked cheetah (in Africa) that are wearing radio frequency collars. The worked great, but you have to be in the general vicinity of an animal wearing one to pick them up. Now they'e going to GPS tracking collars, which sounds fascinating. I would think the standard radio frequency collars are becoming obsolete with the new technology. Some foxhunting clubs use some sort of tracking devices on their hounds. I can try to find out what the one here uses and let you know what I find out.