My Review of the Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS Bundle

A good friend of mine in New Zealand phoned me in Canada a while ago with an unusual request, he wanted me to purchase a  Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS  & courier it over to him.

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You see, Neal is an avid “Pig Hunter” (we’d call them Wild Boars in North America) back in NZ, and hunts almost every weekend. Every good pig hunter has a pack of specially bred “pig dogs”. These are trained to track & bail wild pigs in very dense bush country, and sometimes will be on the trail of a running boar for literally miles and miles. Often, these dogs become lost, sometimes gored and too injured to return back to the hunter.

Hence the call from Neal. It seems he’d just lost another valuable dog, and these GPS Tracking Devices were not yet available in New Zealand. I was intrigued enough with the Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS Bundle that I have made this comprehensive review.

“Must Have’s” when buying a GPS Dog Collar Tracking Device

My friend had done his research, and I was told there were some definite features to look out for when looking for a unit.

• A highly sensitive GPS receiver
• Tough construction, with a flexible and removable antenna
• A screen that is bright, but easily read in bright sunlight.
• Rugged buttons that will not break
• A DC Charging system with a long battery life on a single charge
• The ability to load detailed maps

These he considered absolute must have features and warned against making a selection just on price alone, as he knew the conditions it’d be operating under, and buying a lesser model than the Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS would be asking for trouble.

Let’s look at each of these features in more detail, and more importantly, how they make your experience more satisfying, trouble free and lasting.

The GPS Receiver – How sensitive?

One of the most integral parts of a GPS device is it’s sensitivity level, and the Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS excels in this field. Superior sensitivity means means you’ll have no issue tracking your dog in the harshest of conditions and the densest of brush cover. In fact this unit has the power and sensitivity to track up to ten (yes, 10) dogs simultaneously, and (dependent on the terrain of course), up to seven miles away. However, these systems use line of sight technology, so the flatter the terrain, the farther the distance.

The unit is transmitting every 5 seconds, meaning you’ll have a constantly moving position of your dog, plus instantly see his current position, as well as a trail of exactly where he has traveled. There’s also a compass pointing screen that not only points to your animal’s location, but changes color indicating if he is sitting or running. There is even a feature that will send an alarm if your dog is on point, or bailing a pig!

Tough construction, flexible & removable antenna…

The Receiver

No matter what country, or type of hunting you’re going to be using your GPS Dog Collar in, having a rugged and tough construction is essential. The Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS surpasses all expectations here. The receiver itself is housed in a water proof, bright orange polyurethane body.

Why bright orange? You’ll appreciate the color the first time you accidentally drop it in a dense pocket of undergrowth!

The Collar

When a dog is in hot pursuit of something as agile and fast as a wild boar for example, you can bet the animal will be leading the dog through whatever rough cover it can find. Having an antenna that is too rigid would be asking for trouble, easily broken, ripped from it’s mountings etc. The Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS antenna has been designed with the extremes of hunting in mind, and is rugged, flexible and removable.

Rugged:- meaning hitting up against something solid like a tree stump wont be a problem

Flexible:- meaning becoming entangled in undergrowth is a non issue, as the antenna will simply bend when needed to disengage from an obstacle.

Removable:- meaning when the time has come for some maintenance, or the inevitable has happened and it needs replacing, it’s a simple task.

A screen that is bright, but easily read in bright sunlight.

Of course a lot of hunting is done under cover of trees and is shaded, and the bright, extremely easy to read screen of the unit is appreciated. However, there are many times that you’ll be tracking your dog in broad daylight, even under direct sunlight. Unlike many color device screens (think of a Macbook computer!) this screen handles sunlight with no problems and remains as easy to read as ever.

This is one feature that you’ll be very glad you opted for!

Rugged buttons that will not break

Have you ever tried to operate an electronic device, say a cell phone, that has tiny keys and buttons that seem to work just fine when you’re stationary & under a roof?

Try operating that same device when you’re running, out of breath, your fingers are freezing and it’s raining! That’s when you will really appreciate the purposely rugged buttons and rocker pad of the Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS!

A DC Charging System & a long battery life on a single charge.

Every device has a finite battery life, and the Astro 220 is no exception. Though the battery life is an average of 24 hours, and the package comes with an AC adapter, the included DC charging system is a Godsend on a hunt over an extended period, when you’ll find a battery top up is achieved by simply plugging into your trucks DC outlet.

The ability to load detailed maps.

Easily down loadable, maps of different detail are available, including TOPO maps with elevation data, coupled with barometric and altimeter profiles make this indispensable for hunting in higher elevations.

Couple this with the all of it’s other features and you’ll see the Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS has all the features of Garmin’s top of the line, hand held devices for the outdoors, (but without the price tag!) This device is not only the ultimate in tracking your animals, but there’s nothing better than getting you back to your vehicle after a long day in dense bush. It’s loaded with additional features to….

1. Barometric & Altimeter profiles for climbers and hikers
2. An electronic compass so you always have a good bearing
3. An area calculator with celestial information – a very handy feature
4. Hunt & Fish Calendar
5. Detailed city street maps even, great for the trip back home.

What’s included in the Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS Bundle ?

• An Astro 220 hand-held device
• A DC 40 wireless transmitter collar
• A rugged carry case
• An AC adapter for the DC 40
• A Vehicle adapter for the DC 40
• A Wrist strap and a belt clip
• A detailed owners manual & a very easy Quick Start sheet

Is there a warranty?

Of course! One full year limited warranty.

How much should you be expecting to pay?

The Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS Bundle, at the time of this review, is listed on the Garmin website at $649.99, but I don’t think you should be paying anywhere near that.

The best deal I found was on Amazon where you’ll save over $100 from the manufacturers price and they’ll even ship it to you free! Click Here to Save Big Time

What are other people saying?

Check the rave reviews from dozens of users on the Amazon website. Here’s a sample….

• I can’t recommend this highly enough!
• Peace of Mind
• Best Ever
• Great Product
• Perfect for all off-leash activities

Where can I find other reviews for the Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS Bundle?

I‘ve always found a great place for real life, unbiased reviews is on the Amazon website, where the good, the bad and the ugly get equal billing!

Any complaints on the Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS?

Not many that that I could find. This one (on an earlier model) did make me chuckle though….

This Astro should be pointed out that its fixed many of the bugs those of us early adopters encountered (like using Velcro to attach anything to a dog was mistake!).

Where can I buy one?

With their current pricing and free shipping offer, Amazon is hard to beat. Click Here!

I did have occasion to visit with my friend in New Zealand a year or so after he acquired his Garmin, and and I have to say he was still thrilled with it. Pig Dogs in NZ are a hardy breed & trained ones are precious & expensive. Being able to always come home from a hunt with ALL his dogs made the Garmin Astro 220 Dog Tracking GPS one of his best purchase decisions ever.