Help locating a slipped DC30 collar!!!!

[call-me-ish]

We started a cat yesterday morning about 3AM and had a tremendous race that ended up on posted land. Around 5:45 The Astro 220 showed two dogs treed and the third collar (lead dog)gave us an unknown status about a quarter of a mile from the others.

We waited on daylight and began making calls to gain friendly access to our dogs. All three collars remained stationary; distance wise. After many phone calls and a little negotiating, we were able to drive within 300 yards of the collar with no status. As we approached the signal area I could tell the dog was not there, so immediately thought sliipped or broken collar.

Here is my dilima. As we all know (Astro users) the unit registers distance until you get within ten yards or so of the collar, then it displays NEAR. We are not using any additional antenna, just the standard unit. We triangulated this signal for over an hour in a cactus and mesquite pasture without ever locating the transmitter. The basic center of this triangulation does contain a mesquite tree about twenty feet high, but even it is very visible.

The collar will most likely run out of battery early today. Any ideas, suggestions or comments.

We have been focusing on finding the dog which was not with the other two.

[Buddyw]

I've never done it but you might get on of the Scanner Tracking collars and see if you can pick up the signal at or around 156Mhz I think someone has posted the actual frequencies before. You would need and I com or similar tracking box.

This won't sound like a Beep, It might be a Chirp or even just sound like a Squelch break...(Honestly I don't know what it would sound like or if you can do it) But It might allow you to Try and pin point it.

Good Luck.
Buddy

[call-me-ish]

Thanks, I'm not sure any of us have anything outside of Wildlife and Tracker and both are 217. freq. Do you think a metal detector would find it???

[sheimer]

First things first, did you find your dog? That seems more important than a collar. If the dog wasn't with the otber dogs I would suspect it was a collar failure not slipped. Did you get signal and status of the collar when you got to the area of the last signal of the collar? If the collar loses GPS signal it will not send another signal until it regains GPS. Were you near a road that someone could have picked up the dog and shut off the collar? Good luck.

Scott

[call-me-ish]

The signal that we are still able to go back to, is 300 yards from a ranch road and yes someone could have picked up the dog. Does the GPS think the collar is still there, at the last output?

We have two searches going and no the dog has not been found.

Thanks for your help.

[Sammiller03]

I know if I turn a collar off here at the house my garmin will report that as the location of the collar. Hope that makes sense. So if someone did pick up your dog and turn the collar off it would make sense that your looking for something that isn't there. Same if the collar broke or lost communication or battery went dead.

Good luck
Sam

[Ker_man]

Ok C-M Ish I had the same problem last spring and spent about an hour looking for the lost collar. It gave me a location and as I approached it marked near, but no collar.I was even looking for a dead dog but he was gone.
The dog was long gone with the collar and I found him later with telemetry and got gps when really close.. Not sure what happened but better be looking for the dog. Good luck.

[call-me-ish]

Thanks a lot guys, this is beginning to make a whole lot more sense. I'm brand new to garmin technology, and have got spoiled very quickly. Just relocated from California where the GPS is illegal for houndsman.

As usual, the lost dog was my buddie's lead dog. We are believing he will turn up soon. All but one rancher were friendly and I don't think he was the kind to do something malicious even though he wouldn't let us on his 500 acres to take a look. These dogs were two miles from the nearest county road behind locked gates, so access to them would have been ranchers only.

I'll keep you posted on the dog.

Thanks again.

[Buddyw]

Yes, I guess I didn't think about that and just assumed you were tracking the Collar Still. Thanks to everyone else for actually thinking about the issue before posting..

You'll wan to check to make sure your actually getting a signal from the collar, Because Like it was mentioned, the dog is out of range that might be the last place that you received the signal.

More than likely the Collar is still on the Dog and the dog got out of range quickly.. (Or It lost GPS signal there and the dog left the area, Either By Car or Chasing something.

Let me know if you need a quick lesson on the Garmin's and How they work to make sure your not chasing your tail. You can give me a call.

Your definitely need to Get an antenna that is more than the stock antenna to keep up and find the collar/Dog.

Buddy

[call-me-ish]

Thanks Buddy,

There are probably several folks that have gained some tecnical expertise from this event. The system actually belongs to my friend who always hands it to me when I'm along because he doesn't like all the gadgetry. I have had a GPS for elk hunting for years and now realize that the "communication lose spot" was just like marking a "way point" in the Colorado Rockies.

I'll see if I can borrow his manual before I call you, so that I don't bog you down with elementry questions. I sure feel foolish now because during the search I was telling my friend that this would not have been happening if my Tracker Maxima system had been on the dog. That statement had an element of truth that rings out now........we would never have known where the dog dropped out of the picture.

Thanks again

[super white hunter]

This happened to me- kind of- The dogs were all together. Gps said they were treed, had some people with me new to GPS and they I was showing it off. well we dropped out of signal trying to get to the tree, I didn't realize it and kept telling everyone they were in the same spot. well we got about 400 yards away I looked at it and they were 1 mile away and moving. I felt like a fool explaining just how fast my dogs were that instantly they were that far away, HA. They did get him treed again and we could drive pretty close to this tree.

anyways I would focus on the dog, the collar is not a big deal compared to a lead dog. and my money is on the DC is still around his neck (somewhere)

Good luck hope you find him.

[Rod Vinson]

Had the exact thing happen to me next to a steady hghway and I thought my dog had been hit by a vehichle. It kept showing the collar at 12 ft when i got over where it was surpose to be I wouldn't see anything, so I kept walking in circles and nothing.. I said the heck with it and went to back to where I turned the dog loose (4 or 5 miles away) and it popped up on the screen rite where I turned it loose...and really don't think the dog made the trip... I think when I was going hunting that morning it lost signal going down that same road and never picked it back up...the antena was found broken...Them Garmins are nice but will drive you crazy sometimes....as much as they cost it looks like they would be glitch free!!! I have (2) 220's (1) 320 and 10 dc40's and 10 dc30's...

[Unreal_tk]

In canyon country like we hunt here its very common to loose radio signal with the dogs, I always try to stay close or high above them. Like others said, more than likely its on the dog still unless someone picked the dog up.

[warrenj]

Had the same thing happen to me as Ker_Man. My was rite on a logging road but no where to be found, i was so mad thinking someone picked up my hound and took the collar off. it said it was rite there spent an hour looking for it. Lucky a guy came down the road and told me 2 hounds were down the road just running the road. Sure enough 4miles or so down the road i picked up one dog on gps and the one i thought was stolen barked as i road past it, when i got out of the truck she finally picked up on the gps. had trouble early saying they were treeing and walked into where it said they were and no dogs. It was a funny day with the collars that day, only time i had that problem with them was that day Hmmmm

[Ker_man]

Glad you found your dogs, screwed up technology is worse than none since we stop using our instincts and trust the machine.
I still run the telemetry with the gps unless in very small woods.
This has got me thinking about the ultra lite collars with no tree switch for back up.