Before you and your pooches head out to seek innocent ducks this year, you may wanna look into Garmin ‘s new Astro 320 dog tracker — a handheld GPS device designed to assist hunters keep even closer tabs on their four-legged sentries. The most recent addition to the Astro family can simultaneously track as much as ten hunting dogs per receiver, with a revamped antenna and 3-axis electronic compass covering as much as nine miles of flat terrain. Boasting a 20-hour battery life, the 1.7GB handheld may tell hunters whether their canines are running or pointing, while its mapping capabilities provide their precise coordinates relative to powerlines, buildings, and individual trees. All this data is displayed on a 2.6-inch display, where users can be in a position to access 100k or 24k topographic and satellite maps. A keypad lock function, meanwhile, will you should definitely don’t accidentally press any buttons while you are within the thick of a hound-led hunt. The hand held would be available in July for $500, with the whole system (including a DC 40 tracking collar) priced at $650. You may flip in the course of the gallery below for images of a few antenna-toting doggies, or head past the break for a more testosterone-laced pic and the entire PR.
Industry-Leading Map Capability, Increased Range, Enhanced Features
OLATHE, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the worldwide leader in satellite navigation, announced today the Astro 320, a brand new handheld dog tracking receiver. The recent Astro 320 has features that hunters has been inquiring for – like increased range, a simplified user interface, and must-have mapping capability.
“Garmin is obviously the expert by way of reliable GPS technology, and we are the pioneer in satellite dog tracking,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice chairman of globally sales. “Because the original Astro was delivered, we’ve listened closely to feedback from houndsmen and bird dog owners. The Astro 320 is the results of that feedback.”
Because of an included redesigned antenna, the utmost range between the Astro 320 and a Garmin tracking collar have been increased by nearly 30 percent – as much as nine miles in flat, unobstructed terrain. Like its predecessor, the Astro 320 can track as much as 10 dogs per receiver right away, and the unit is fully compatible with Garmin’s DC 20, DC 30, and DC 40 dog tracking collars and accessories.
Robust mapping capability has always been a trademark of the Astro line, and the hot Astro 320 delivers much more highly detailed, full color, sunlight readable mapping capabilities. As well as the pre-installed basemap, the Astro will be loaded with 100k or 24k Topo maps or photorealistic BirdsEye™ Satellite Imagery ($29.99 annual subscription required). The Astro 320 has 1.7 gigabytes of on-board memory available for loading maps, and a microSD slot for pre-loaded cards.
Mapping depicts important nearby geographical features – and lets hunters know, for instance, if their dog has crossed a creek or is nearing a harmful road. With BirdsEye Satellite Imagery, hunters can pinpoint buildings, powerlines, or even individual trees – directly on their Astro 320. State wildlife departments also are offering increasingly more downloadable third-party maps of public hunting boundaries, which help ensure dogs and their owners are on legal ground. Hunters and running shoes may also download, view and save their dog’s tracks to a working laptop or computer for viewing in Garmin’s BaseCamp utility – a useful tool for evaluating performance.
A lot of these features are integrated right into a refined user interface for less complicated and more useful operation. Not just does the Astro 320 indicate a dog’s distance and standing, (running, pointing, or treeing) however it could be toggled to suggest the directiat the dog is moving on the unit’s map page. Each dog’s precise distance is also presented at the map page, and users can choose an option that auto zooms the map so all dogs will be seen at the display at any time. Alternately, dogs which are too far-off to suit at the map’s current zoom scale may be notated at the display’s margin toward the dog’s location. The user could also choose the duration that every dog’s tracklog is viewed at the display – or toggle it off completely for a cleaner display. Taken together, these refinements give dog handlers more data which is more easily understood – making their hunt or exercise session safer, more productive, and more enjoyable.
a brand new three-axis electronic compass lets hunters accurately view their dog’s position when holding the Astro 320 at any angle. As well as audible alerts, Garmin has also incorporated a brand new vibration feature at the Astro 320, and the brand new handheld also encompasses a handy keypad lock so buttons aren’t accidentally pushed while being carried in a pocket or through thick brush. Dog handlers can wirelessly transfer waypoints, tracks, or even their dog’s tracking settings to other Astro 320 users. The hot Astro 320 is fully waterproof and runs on two AA batteries for as much as 20 hours.
For current Astro users seeking to upgrade, the Astro 320 handheld unit has an MSRP of $499.99. a whole system, which incorporates an Astro 320 and one DC 40 tracking collar and accessories, shall be available for $649.99 (MSRP). The Astro 320 is anticipated to be available in July 2011. For additional information, please visit http://sites.garmin.com/astro.
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