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Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

Yall I am new to this great technology!! Just got the Alpha 100 and 3 tt15 collars! So far I'm not sure about it, but the training part is great. The tracking part well for the money I paid ain't to good for me in my eyes. I bought the long 48 inch black folding long range antenna!!Before I called Garmin to learn how to update the collars and even if I needed to I would only be able to track my hounds about 280 yards before I would loose them!!! after I updated my collars I did I did a truck test where I turned collars on and put them in plain open view to the sky on my close line and drove off !! I went about .995 of a mile before I loss communication, as I turned around and drove back twords them I had to get within 345 yards before they picked up again. then I drove in the opposite direction and went .87 of a mile before I loss turned around again and had to get within 400 yards before I picked them up!! after I updated everything was about the same of point where I loss communication I just picked the collars back up about 715 yards away. The lay of the land is flat land Sugar cane fields!! guess what my question is , is this normal??? thanks for any input!!! God Bless and happy hunting/Running

Re: Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

If you want range you need to get a roof mount antenna. Don't get the Garmin one. Get one of the longer whip style antenna. If you want more range you can get extended range antennas for your collars that are a few inches longer than the stock version. I have gotten pings on my collars at 9 miles under perfect conditions when I was testing. About 4.5 to 5 miles is the best you can hope for in real hunting conditions. I only have tt10 collars but the tt15 should be about the same.

Re: Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

Spanky....I find that on overcast or cloudy days it don't track as good as on a clear bluebird day......I love mine....got the TT15 mini collars.

Re: Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

Went this morning a beautiful day!! Average of distance tracked about 260 yards!! Really disappointing!! Maybe because it bottom land with a lot of palmettos disrupts service I have no clue!!

Re: Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

what have you got your update rate set at on your collars

Re: Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

Think I finally got it figured out!! After talking to a friend of mine, he mentioned that two of our other friends had the long extending antenna 48' version and said they thought it picked up further than the 13' rubber one that comes with the alpha 100. then he went on to say how another one of our friends didn't see where it was better. So me wanting this thing to work decided to go ride and see if it picked up further at my house so I did a test. I brought my rubber antenna and my extending antenna which was on my Alpha 100. Sure enough it did pick up better than this morning, some 3/4 of a mile till I loss communication. which is way better than 260 yards but i was still disappointed.So i changed antennas and put the rubber one back on and wham all three collars picked up so i said to my self,lets see if this pics up any farther. i went 2.10 miles before the first collar dropped out and went as far as 2.3 before i loss the other two collars.before when this happened i had to drive with in like 500-300 yards till they would pick up again ,with the rubber one as i was driving back they picked back up at around 1.1 miles !! i think the lil wire in the coaxiall cable connector is not long enough to make the long antenna work right!!!any way this is just a heads up!!!God bless and happy hunting/running!!

Re: Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

Jason it's set on 2.5 sec

Re: Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

okay, that's good. Glad you got it working

Re: Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

And who says you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Re: Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

Lol you right Rob!!!

Re: Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

With the thick palmettos ect. Here in Florida mine start going in and out at about a mile, with the little magnet roof mount I can get a mile and a half or two.
But two or three miles has always been about the max. for beep beep collars here too.

Re: Need Help with Question about Alph tracking machine

Thanks Mr. Blaine Just hoping I got it figured out, Gonna try it again in a few days!!