garmin alpha

[lake electric]

wondering what range you get with the alpha with the training portion of the system thanks for replys

[BCBeagles]

I have shocked mine quite a ways. They have not outranged it yet, seems more consistant than the G70 I previously had. Don't need collars quite as tight either.

[lake electric]

jim i saw where the tracking part is up tp 9 miles , i know that would be under perfect conditions but does the unit give any indication on training distance ? 1 mile or 2 thanks

[Parker7]

Never had my dogs get out of range yet, but a rep from garmin told me if you can see them on the screen you can shock them.

[Crow]

jim i saw where the tracking part is up tp 9 miles , i know that would be under perfect conditions but does the unit give any indication on training distance ? 1 mile or 2 thanks

If you can track you can shock whether its 0.1 mile or 10 miles. Here in the mountains 2 miles is pretty common for range, to put hat in perspective the "2 mile" trashbreaker rarely would reach beyond a mile. Usually about 3/4. With the long antenna that come with it I've not saw low signal strengths under 1 1/2 miles (got bars for signal on GPS & "communication" signal strength like a cell phone) & haven't lost signal under 2 miles. The short antenna is garbage in the mountains, rarely keeps signal beyond 400 yards. I've not had mine in any flat ground yet so can't say about that. And yes I do a lot of driving to see how far it'll go, luckily I don't have a lot of situations my dogs range that far out

[lake electric]

If you can track you can shock whether its 0.1 mile or 10 miles

well if thats the case then i guess the training signal uses satellites just like the tracking does , rather than RF signal , thats pretty awesome. guess its time to break the piggy bank !!!!!

[DIXIEDOG]

If you can track you can shock whether its 0.1 mile or 10 miles

well if thats the case then i guess the training signal uses satellites just like the tracking does , rather than RF signal , thats pretty awesome. guess its time to break the piggy bank !!!!!

They don't use satellites to communication tracking or training....it's radio signal that relays the gps coordinates to your handheld.

[Crow]

If you can track you can shock whether its 0.1 mile or 10 miles

well if thats the case then i guess the training signal uses satellites just like the tracking does , rather than RF signal , thats pretty awesome. guess its time to break the piggy bank !!!!!

Like the poster below said they do not communicate by satellite. They use VHF radio frequency to communicate. The handheld and collar both receive their GPS locations then communicate their positions by VHF to each other. That's why if you can track you can shock. The shock side is also done by VHF, therefore you either have both or neither, VHF is the key. Hence the vastly improved range with the longer antenna. I'd still brak into the piggy bank if I could, they have a few bugs sometimes but I still can't imagine going back to the old days

[Swamper AR]

I had an alpha that would drop signal intermitently within a mile. This was relatively flat but brushy/grassy ground. I could forget anything outside a mile. The long antenna didn't help much. No idea how anyone could get 9 mi.

[BCBeagles]

The cover to the ground is the key, IMO.

I dropped signals in massive pine thickets in Maine, but not in the "thinner" thickets we have here...by thinner I mean depth wise.

[Dark Holler Beagles]

I've had brief lost communication notices with the small antenna at various distances. I've tracked dogs up to 3.5 miles away. And I have lost communication once when the dogs went over a cliff and down on a ky river bottom less than a mile. It all depends on terrain. As said previously, if you can track em, you can train em. I've never lost a dog using this system and I've never used anything that even compares. Best investment I ever made for my hounds and my own piece of mind!!!

[S.R.Patch]

I've got to catch-up on this stuff, how you train a hound 3.5 miles away. I find it hard enough to do it right when I'm looking at 1/2 of what they're doing right front of me...

[Crow]

I've never trained a hound 3.5 miles away, don't know many that have. I do know if I have one that far away It'll be a whole lot easier finding it with the gps tracker than without

[S.R.Patch]

Are you running on the primary unit or has it failed and your using the back-up unit?
That's the whole issue here, locking-up/loss of signal.
I really hope they can get all this straightened out, I'd like to have one someday, but like hounds, I hate to spend the money and have to make excuses for it...

[Crow]

Are you running on the primary unit or has it failed and your using the back-up unit?
That's the whole issue here, locking-up/loss of signal.
I really hope they can get all this straightened out, I'd like to have one someday, but like hounds, I hate to spend the money and have to make excuses for it...

I'm on the primary I guess, not really sure what you're asking, I'm making no excuses for anything. It is a great system that has a serious problem that needs fixing. That being said, even with the issues it is still a better system than anything else on the market IMO. If they call me tomorrow and tell me this problem will never be fixed and offer to send me a new Trashbreaker and a full refund on my alpha if I'll send it back to them and just go back to running without one I'd have to pass. They're just that useful to me being able to pull the unit out of my vest during a split or if dogs get out of pocket for what ever reason.