Garmin Astro 320 MURS handhelds

KB7MIB · Apr 8, 2015

Interesting radios. Designed primarily for use in tracking hunting dogs with its GPS features, but can be used for other purposes, (including tracking your kids while camping lol)
Not exactly budget, when you consider the ~$450 price per radio, without the dog collar (and ~$600 with), interesting radios none the less.
Similar to the Garmin Rino's for FRS/GMRS.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-trail/dog-tracking-training/astro-/prod89564.html

John
Peoria, AZ

robertmac · Apr 8, 2015

OK. Still looking to see the voice transmit on MURS. Or is it just the position packet that is transmitted on MURS frequencies? Will this just create more digital noise on MURS frequencies. I did note the comment about Industry Canada reversing their decision on establishing MURS use in Canada. Looking through some of the links, I wonder if 155,475 MHz is the same thing as 155.475 MHz [that is, is the comma used in some countries while the period is used in others?]. I guess I will just wait to here someone importing these into Canada and will listen for someone saying "here Fido", "sit Fido", "come here Fido". Oh, and I though FRS/GMRS was bad enough.

toastycookies · Apr 8, 2015

the dog collars do not tx/rx voice.
or barks.

they are for gun dogs.

KB7MIB · Apr 9, 2015

In the US, 155.475 MHz is VLAW 31, aka NALEMARS (NAtional Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Radio System) or VAIRS: VHF Arizona Interagency Radio System out here, and is for interoperability between law enforcement agencies. It's not a MURS or Business/Industrial channel.

IIRC, data has been allowed on MURS in the US from the beginning. (Also, IIRC, Garmin had to get a waiver for this on their RINO FRS/GMRS radios.) How common data use is on the MURS channels, I don't know. But this data use, for tracking hunting dogs, shouldn't bother those users in suburban/urban areas much, if at all, since you don't hunt in suburban/urban areas.
If it's used to track guard dogs and/or their handlers on a large industrial property, then it *might* be an issue for those other users who are relatively close to that industrial area, but, it's not likely to happen, unless those other users also happen to have a decent rooftop antenna on their base station, as well; or you happen to live in a particularly advantageous location that overlooks a good hunting area..

John
Peoria, AZ

robertmac · Apr 9, 2015

I wasn't too concerned about MURS within city limits. However, if I and my hunting companions are out hunting in the same area as people using these radios, how much interference would I expect. I would imagine using PL would eliminate some, but I have a tendancy to not use PLs. Besides that, I would not use these in Canada yet, but if ever authorized for use here, how much interference do these radios cause? By this, I mean data transmissions, not voice at the current time?

toastycookies · Apr 9, 2015

In Canda? None. These units are not sold in Canada.
Different versions of these units are marketed in specific countries according to their regulations on different frequencies / output power levels. Here's a list that might help.
Garmin | Astro Legal

mm · Apr 10, 2015

You don't want to be putting these on children only dogs, they also have a training mode that sends a stimulus, (variable controlled training shock), to the dog for training and discipline purposes.

They are 2 way data only with no voice and both units are tx/rx, meaning that the handheld and dog collar both transmit and receive data only.

Tx power > 3 watts.

The handheld unit sends commands to turn a strobe light on the collar on or off, change the update rate of gps data, stimulus commands, level of dog stimulus command, request for the collar to send a immediate position report and some other control commands.

The dog collars send back gps position, dog perceived health reports, collar remaining battery life, receipt of a command from the handheld unit and other house keeing info in addition to a emergency track mode for the handheld unit if the collars battery drops to a critical level.

The data burst is not continuous but extremely short and typically does not open squelch on a voice receiver.

Default tx/rx is 151.82 MHZ.

Masher,

Now with 10 Astro and 5 Alpha units plus about 50 dog collars in my portfolio.

Our dog trackers were legal and they were being used in Canada for the past ~2 years,on a limited trial basis, but recently this expired and Industry Canada has not acted on a renewal.

KB7MIB · Apr 11, 2015

No voice capability?

That sucks. Oh, well. If they don't have any voice capability, I'm not interested. Voice capability, with GPS tracking of your location on map screens, would be cool to have.

As for interference, if the data burst typically doesn't break squelch on a voice radio, CSQ voice users probably wouldn't be aware that they could be interfering with the tracking use. And if the users of these radios aren't monitoring with a voice radio or a scanner in CSQ, they may not be aware of voice users who could be interfering with them.

John
Peoria, AZ

mm · Apr 11, 2015

As long as a voice user is not transmitting continuously or blocking the dog collar or handheld units receiver then any on channel interference would have minor negative effects.

The protocol is designed for random interspaced transmission intervals and eventually a data packet will get thru.

The FCC requirements were for a asynchronous data transmission at random intervals so that the minimal interference to voice users would occur.

And I agree I would like to have a voice mode only because in some environments VHF is better than the UHF frs/gmrs Rino voice/data radios.

Now there is what's called the 'Nordic Rino' which is a voice/data Rino model which is only available in Northern Europe.

This model uses the VHF band with a very narrow FM deviation bandwidth just above the 148 MHz range.

KB7MIB · Apr 13, 2015

i think Garmin should come out with a MURS version of their Rino's. I wonder how well their current FRS/GMRS Rino's sell, and how well a MURS version would do?

John
Peoria, AZ

SCPD · Sep 30, 2015

i know this is an old thread and i may be off topic but i absolutely hate the sound that all tracking collars make on my murs base radio. sure, i can use ctcss tone on my dakota alert base radio and not hear the tracking device break my squelch but my friends don't like using tones or don't know how. it seems that the guy who is using the trackers leaves it on sometimes all day and it is on most every night. anytime that we choose to talk on another channel, it is not long before we start hearing the chirping and squawking sounds. it has become very irritating and i sometimes feel like catching the guy and smashing his chirping toy.

khaytsus · Oct 1, 2015

Track it and figure out where it's coming from, but do it for fun, don't go knocking on the guys door. I doubt anyone has one of these on a dog full time but it's possible that he has an escape artist and he has to?

It's more likely you're hearing a Dakota Alert product. They have quite a few products which send alerts based on motion or other input, even have remote doorbell units etc... And their HT unit does do voice.

Web Catalog - Dakota Alert Wireless Security Equipment

The Astro units in this thread are strictly for hunting.. I'm sure they could be used for other things, and it's a pretty neat system, but it is expensive.

SCPD · Oct 1, 2015

it has been tracked. it is not a drive way alarm or gate sensor. i know what those sound like and are stationary. i hear the alarms on ch5 and they stay on ch5. very rarely do i hear alert zone 1 or something similar on any other channel.
this guy drives around in his pickup and i did track him when he was at his house. waited for him to leave and the chirping noise went with him. i followed him down the road for a few miles to see what road he travels. no trouble making by me.
this happens every night. as i mentioned before, he changes the channel to where we talk. if we change channels, so does he. this is aggravation. he will sometimes have all 5 channels chirping, squawking, bleeping and blooping. most frequently on ch.1 and 2.
i have never noticed any dogs in the bed of his pickup although he does have a small box not big enough for a large dog.
i think he enjoys chirping or maybe his wife if tracking him. lol.
wish i had a way to record the noise for all of you to hear so you could determine it for yourself.
feel like throwing my radio out the window.
only solution for me is to use the ctcss tones and not hear anyone or anything because my friends don't understand how to use the tones.

SCPD · Oct 2, 2015

Sorry to those that think I am bashing the use of the dog training collar.
As with any tool or device there is a right way and a wrong way to use it.
With any tracking device, it is a useful piece of technology with many features, that should be respected in regards to other uses of the frequencies also.
Even though, the trackers make noise on the murs radio receivers that is annoying to me,
I am sure they are no more annoying to anyone than having to listen to me and my friends talking on our base radios.
Once again, I apologize to any user of the dog collar that is using them in a respectful manner.

KB7MIB · Oct 2, 2015

It sounds like this guy is deliberately causing interference. Reporting him to the FCC would be in order. You may not think that they'll do anything, but maybe they will, and it won't cost you anything to make the report.

Secondly, if you know how to set tones, you could always set them on your friend's radios for them.

John
Peoria, AZ

Garmin Astro 320 MURS handhelds

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