We’ve seen wearables for every type of human athlete. But now Garmin has taken tracking technologies to the animal world.
Tracking your dog is now easier then ever with Garmin’s new GPS dog tracking system, the Astro 430. With more focus on sporting dogs, the new system has the ability to track up to twenty dogs at a range of up to nine miles. “The new Astro 430 can track twice as many dogs with an update rate that’s twice as fast as the previous models,” said Dan Bartel Garmin vice president of worldwide sales.
The GPS system comes in the form of a collar in two sizes, the T5 and T5 mini. Each is equipped with a high- sensitivity GPS/GLONASS receiver and LED beacon lights that are visible for up to 100 yards and can be activated from the handheld device. The collar is also water-resistant.
The collar needs a receiver or handheld device to work, and Garmin has multiple options. The best one for hunters is the DriveTrack 70 LMT, said Bartel, “The DriveTrack 70 LMT demonstrates that Garmin has heard hound hunters loud and clear, answering their desire to track big-running dogs from their truck on a large, easy-to-read display, and the ability to check a dog’s status at a glance of the wrist is as handy as it is cool.”
The DriveTrack is a seven-inch display, that makes it easy to find dogs, and it updates every 2.5 seconds. The navigator comes with built in road maps and satellite imagery. But this isn’t the only tool that will work with the dog tracker. All Alpha 100 dog tracking and training handhelds are compatible including a watches and smaller devices, like the Fenix 3.
Introducing two new GPS dog tracking products – Garmin DriveTrack 70 and Astro 430. BLOG: https://t.co/wxvh8qsmO7 pic.twitter.com/dVJBqi7M8n
— Garmin Fish Hunt (@garminfishhunt) June 16, 2016
Although Garmin started as a navigation company for car GPS, they have been quickly expanding the reach of their products. In addition to these dog tracking units, this year they have been releasing new fitness tracking devices regularly. This includes specialized glasses for cyclists, golf specific GPS trackers and smart watches.
The glasses have GPS tracking, performance alerts and general tracking information like heart rate. Their new golfing devices include a smart watch, a swing sensor and a pocket tracker. All three products help golfers improve their game while tracking their progress. Along with the sport specific products, Garmin has been releasing general fitness trackers and smart watches.
Their newest watch, also a fitness tracker, tells users how much they are suffering depending on heart rate. The company seems to be coming out with a new product or a new version of another product every few months, so it is probably just a matter of time before their next GPS-enabled tracker is released.