Garmin Astro 220 review

UPDATE: Garmin has announced an improved collar/transmitter, due for release in the third quarter of 2008.

UPDATE 2: A new model, the Garmin Astro 320, has been released.

UPDATE 3: This model has been discontinued. 

The Garmin Astro GPS dog tracking system was designed with hunters in mind. Imagine a GPS unit that shows your dog’s location (actually up to ten dogs) as far as five miles away!

Not just a one trick pony, the Garmin Astro features a top of the line GPS, modeled on the Garmin 60CSx. So you get a bright color screen, SiRFstar III chipset for great reception under canopy, barometric altimeter and electronic tri-axial compass. You can load detailed topo maps, and with highway maps this unit will even give you turn-by-turn directions (maps purchased separately).

Compare prices on the Garmin Astro

The first hands on reviews of the Garmin Astro GPS dog tracking system have been posted by users at GPSNow, where one is written from the dog’s perspective:

“I’m Rusty and I’m a 3 year old Brittany that loves to RUN! Dad likes to know where I’m at because when I find a bird I can be a long way away and I’m not gonna move a muscle until he finds me. Dad bought the Astro and put it on my training collar, pressed the buttons on both units and in about 30 seconds said he knew exactly where I was. Wow that’s fast! Dad turned me loose and could see the pointer showing just where I was at and how far away I was. With a press of the menu button and selecting “show info” he could see how far I’d traveled and how fast I was moving. I ran over a hill and doubled back and dads buddy wondered where I’d gone off to. Dad said he’s coming up behind us ’bout a hundered yards. How’d he do that! The collar unit is a little heavy and did want to slip to the side but Dad always knew where I was. Then he made me stay back at camp and took the truck down the road over a hill in heavy cover and still had three bars of signal 2 miles away. Dad says that switching between the Dog tracker and the map is a snap because the buttons are right where they should be so he won’t get lost either. It has lots of features but the stuff you need is easy to use right from the start. This unit is made for hunters and is well worth the cost.”

More Garmin Astro reviews

• Cove Mountain Kennels reviews the Garmin Astro 220 and the new DC-30 collar.
• Quite a few Astro 220 reviews are being posted by our readers in the comments section at the end of the post I wrote when the Astro was first announced.
• The Astro GPS dog tracking system wins a 2007 gear of the year award from Field & Stream magazine.
• Another perspective is given in this Garmin Astro review posted on a message forum.
• Consumer-authored Garmin Astro reviews have been posted at Amazon.
• Allory Deiss reviews the Garmin Astro for GPSInformation.org.
• A story about using the Astro for search and rescue dogs.
• Another K-9 SAR story
• GPS is the newest aid for coon hunters
• An Astro video review:

• The Garmin Astro owners manual.
• A PDF with detailed Garmin Astro specifications.
• A Garmin Astro hunting story.
• More Astro stories from Garmin.
• And a Garmin Astro video.
• The official Garmin Astro web page.

Compare prices on the Garmin Astro at these merchants:

• Find the low price on a Garmin Astro at GPS Now, where shipping is free on orders over $399. Order by 5 p.m. Central Time for same day shipment.
• Check the current Garmin Astro GPS dog tracking system price at Amazon.
• Get the
  Garmin Astro 220 GPS-Based Canine Tracking System
  at TigerGPS, where you get free shipping on orders above $250.
• Buy the
  Garmin Astro 220 / DC 20 Combo GPS Dog Tracking System
  at REI.com.
• Get the Garmin Astro for an amazing price on eBay.
• Most of the merchants listed above sell extra DC-20 transmitters for those of you tracking multiple dogs.