BigGameHoundsmen.com

i just had my first astro for one year. the nut that holds the antenna jack in place backed off. it happens to be 5/16" so while in the field i tightened it and noticed i lost distance.sent it off to garmin, got my reman unit and used it two days and the same problem the nut backed off. i grabbed my socket and snugged it down. lost my distance again.....coincidence? dropped all collars with l.r. antenna at 200 yds. boxed it up and now i'm working on number three.
don't know if i spun the post and broke the internal wire that is probably soldered? i get my new one i'm going to super glue the outside of the nut to keep it from backing off.this is an easy fix if they would use locktite. i also think you can over tighten your antenna and cause some problems.

i also had a dc 30 collar that dropped at 20-50 yards. problem solved by replacing the antenna. i cut the outer rubber shield off the old one and found the problem in the internal wire. looks like a stainless wire the first three inches is straight from there it begins to look just like a small spring coiled up and loaded to abot 36" overall in length from where it leaves the collar happens to be a stress point that over time will flex and the wire inside breaks leaving you with no distance. for 20 bucks i would keep a spare on hand and try this first. garmin charges 79 bucks to fix the collar if you send it in. i'm also using electrical tape between the sheath and lower unit to add strength so the antenna does'nt flex as much. i see the d.c 40 has no support and my guess will nickle and dime you to death if you don't support the antenna.

sucks to need it and can't use it....if this helps one person it is worth while. might save you some money as well.

Mike thanks for the good advice. My Wildlife Materials antenna's on the collars eventually gave similar problem after five years rough use. A friend and I unscrewed the antenna at the base of the power supply and drilled out the stainless cable that remained in the socket that screws into the power supply. We took some ordinary cooper wire ( braided ) and soldered that into the socket cavity and covered it with heat shrink. Collars are working fine !!

I have recieved my Garmin kit with 3 collars but have not got to use it yet. Dont know if it's going to be as durable as the old style tracking equipment. Only use will tell.

Roy Sparks.

roy,
thanks....i'm envious of your hunting and culture. enjoy learning about hunting out of the u.s. also like the looks of your dogs.
the garmin is simple once you have stripped the insulation off the antenna. the reason i stretched out the coil was to see just how much load it has. looks like your system would work just fine. might not be as pretty as factory....who cares.

especially when you are a world apart from replacement parts. any hardware supply sells eyelets. just cut your wire at about 36" and crimp it and coil the wire and screw it to the collar. shrink wrap is a cool idea. i bet you could build your own antenna for under a dollar. works in a pinch.as for the wildlife materials i run them with garmin since i keep my updates at 5 seconds. you have an honest 12 hours of battery life. i refuse to buy the d.c 40 from what i see. i'm not impressed with two minute updates either.

your track style hounds can be out of the country before you get the updated reading. as for being rugged....they are not even close to wildlife for being rugged....they are what they are and i will put up with the issues associated with them.my complaint is in the charging jack....given the short battery life i charge mine after each hunt... maybe in your more open region you will see some solid distance. here in the pacific northwest i'm happy to pull 6-7 hundred yards out of mine. the best distance i have seen on my garmin under ideal conditions and flat ground is about two miles and when the snow is flying and clouds are dence about 4-5 hundred yards. if your expectations are higher you will be disappointed.please let us know what kind of distance you get from yours in south africa.
take care. mike