BigGameHoundsmen.com

Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else. This was only the second time I had my garmin out just got it a month ago . I turned 3 collars and receiver on when I left the truck. It picked up 1 collar after I walked a couple hundred yards down the trail. The other 2 collars wasn't picked up by the receiver until I walked a little over 1 1/2 miles down the trail why ? any answers, I'm beginning to wish now I wouldn't have bought them .

Welcome to the world of Garmin bad ass when they work and a pain in that same ass when they dont.

I have found that it works best if you leave the collars and reciever on. Lay them on the tail gate while you get ready, once the reciever picks the collars up the first time, Mine has always worked fine after that.

I agree let them hook up before you hunt. if not they may never pick up until you stop and put them next to eachcother for a min.

lots of post on here about Garmin problems

I turn my Astro and collars on a few minutes before arriving at the hunting area, this way they are all tuned in to each other when I let the dogs out. You never know when you may need to let them out in a hurry, and pissing around turning collars on and waiting for the Astro to pick them up would be fustrating when your quarry is fast disappearing over the horizon.
I have very little to complain about with the Garmin gear, other than a longer battery life on the collars would be great. Signal hasn't been a problem either, even in the steep country around here.

There are a few issues you'll have to work out with them like getting them turned on while your headed to your hunting area, making sure they are set properly, etc. I made up a check list to verify everything is right. After you use them a few times, you'll figure everything out and really like what they can do.

Just turning things on and going doesn't always work if you are in trees.
You have to remember that the collars need to get a position fix (locked on to 3 sats.) and the handheld needs to get a fix before you have anything going on. It takes a little longer if things are moving to get a fix for either unit. Walking down a trail under canopy could be just enough to keep the collars from fixing. Once the collars get a fix they are pretty good at keeping it but they will lose it in heavy timber.
Look for the fast blinking to know if you have a fix on the collars.
Again if the collar can't solve for a position (dogs treed in some heavy timber) it doesn't matter if you are 200 yards or 200 miles away it won't show where your dogs are.

So ls the garmin something to look into buying if I'm just starting out or is there something more preferable?