TEK Tracking/e-collar from Sportdog

Dakotazeb

Dakotazeb

Well-known member
I was just wondering if anyone on the site had the TEK Series GPS tracking and e-collar combo made by Sportdog. It certainly doesn't have all the capabilities that the Garmin has but if you want to quickly locate your dog it would appear to be easier to read than the Garmin. I read Steve's review on GunDogSupply.com and he seemed quite pleased with the unit. I know the Garmin sends an audible signal back to the transmitter when the dog is on point. Does the TEK do this also? I haven't seen anything to indicate it would.
 
When I was deciding between the two zeb I read a ton of negative reviews on the sport dog its only 300 more for top of the line garmin. I also seen in the cabelas monthly flyer paper was the astro for like 300.00 but I personally wouldn't want two separate collars on my dog and two different transmitters but if you were just tracking you couldn't beat the astro? It might be black fri sale not for sure?
 
Dakotazeb said:
I was just wondering if anyone on the site had the TEK Series GPS tracking and e-collar combo made by Sportdog. It certainly doesn't have all the capabilities that the Garmin has but if you want to quickly locate your dog it would appear to be easier to read than the Garmin. I read Steve's review on GunDogSupply.com and he seemed quite pleased with the unit. I know the Garmin sends an audible signal back to the transmitter when the dog is on point. Does the TEK do this also? I haven't seen anything to indicate it would.
Click to expand...

I have this collar and it works fine if your just interested in locating your dog and tracking way points. It doesn't have all the functionality the Garmin has, it's pretty bare bones but gets the job done. Great for hunting the cattails.

You can set the collar to vibrate when the dog points and that works great for me.

As I've stated before, if money was no option I would have purchased the Garmin unit but that was not an option for me, especially when this unit gets the job done of locating my pointed dog in the thickest cover.
 
I had one for 4 hours before it quit working. I spent a lot of time on the phone with SportDog to no avail. I took it back traded it in on an Astro. I have had some issues with the Astro. Some have been user errors, some seem to be An Astro issue.
 
I have had the Astro, and now have the Alpha. I hunted with Ace's breeder and he has the Tek,

The Tek works but it is far behind the Garmin Alpha. My friends stopped working during our hunt. But it may have been operator error on his part. We ended up putting my other Garmin collar on his pup to finish the hunt.

If you do not have an ecollar I would spend the money on the Alpha.
The Astro is a great unit too, which I would take over the Tek, but behind the Alpha.
 
I'm bringing this thread up as I am again thinking about a tracking collar. but first, before we get into the debate of Garmin vs. Sportdog let me set some parameters of what I am looking for in a collar.

Basically all I want it to know where my dog is and if she's on point. I don't need the tracking history, etc. I don't really need a training collar on my dog.

I've been using the Dogtra beeper collar which works great except for one issue. My hearing is going to heck and I have difficulty hearing the beeper. Thus having a tracking collar is probably my best option.

So since I started this post last fall has anyone had anymore experience with the the TEK? I believe the TEK give both a sound and vibration when the dog is on point. Isn't this correct? But a complaint I seen is that the tone and vibration are very week and difficult to hear or feel.

Interested in hearing any comments.
 
Hey George,

Here's some feedback on beepers; other hunters (some) object to the continual noise. We hunted with a wild gsp last year and the beeper was very loud and quite obnoxious. Just one person's take on beepers...
 
jonnyB said:
Hey George,

Here's some feedback on beepers; other hunters (some) object to the continual noise. We hunted with a wild gsp last year and the beeper was very loud and quite obnoxious. Just one person's take on beepers...
Click to expand...

Jon, I appreciate the feedback but I'm not looking for info on beepers. I've run beepers on my dogs for several years. I run them in "Point Only" mode so they don't bother other hunters. I want input on the Sportdog TEK GPS collar.
 
every good thread zeb... there is at least 2 guys that posted they have hunted with this e collar or still do so i guess my question is to them guys or anybody who can answer mine and zebs simple quedtion not try to steer us towards another unit or devise alltogether...

1) does the control make a decintly loud sound or good vibration once the dog wearing the collar locks up on point... i agree some beepers are hard for some to hear id rather have my control sound off also when my dogs on point...

2) is there any reason other then opperator err to not look into this unit??? i want the same things out of a e collar as zeb i dont care about wear my dogs been and or looseing my dog due to her running off i need a decintly cheape collar that send a alert to the controler once she locks up... be alot more simple for my dad to work the dog alone etc.

i have used sportdog for years so im not worried about the brand just the performonce in field day in and day out for the TEK unit...

thanks for any help on this guys....

and yes i agree 100% non stop tracking beeper collars are annoying as all get out especially in the ruffed grouse woods i can stand bells but beepers bug me... a point only beeper sounding off is the best sound in the upland fields so i guess its all each to there own???
 
Last edited:
Both of the people that I know that had the TEK are now using a Garmin, Alpha or Astro. And it is because of problems with the TEK. Maybe they were unlucky and got not so good units. I think this is a case that you get what you pay for.

Good luck, there is likely no one right answer for everyone.:thumbsup:
 
I'm in the same boat as Zeb and SMO. I tried an Alpha once, but it was vast overkill with features and overcomplicated for my low-tech brain. (I give Steve Snell a ton of credit for giving me back my money.)

I've been waiting for a unit like the TEK to emerge with exactly the same wants as Zeb and SMO. I too have been watching the TEK reviews and have held back based on what I'm reading.
 
Garmin could solve this issue by making a scaled down unit similar to the Sportdog TEK. Some of us just don't need or want all that the Astro or Alpha do.

I'm not a big Sportdog fan but it is hard to believe that them or any other company would produce a product that broke as much as we are reading about the TEK. I think many times the negative reviews are from dumb people that just don't know how to use the product. I might have to just "take one for the team" and buy the TEK and see how it performs. I've got a $100 gift certificate to Gun Dog Supply so that would get the cost down to 3 bills.
 
I would suggest before taking that bullet calling the SportDog customer service and discussing the pro and cons of the Tek. I have talked to them more than once about my current SD 1825 and the Tek. They referenced a Tek 2.0 to me in terms that made me think they acknowledge some shortcomings of the 1.0. It is likely their problem is that bringing out an improved product makes any unsold 1.0 very undesirable. I think during any discussion one could learn a few things just understanding what is not said.
 
It appears the TEK 2.0 will have mapping capabilities where the 1.0 does not. I'm sure the 2.0 will be more expensive. It's not a replacement for the 1.0, just an upgrade.
 
One aspect of a the the 2.0 that I remember from my conversation with support was that 2.0 has "improved the reacquisition of the satellites". That was the result of my question regarding whether the Tek would work in heavy rhododendron cover of the East Tennessee grouse coverts. That made me think the Tek might struggle in such cover but once the 2.0 arrived, the problem would
be mitigated to some degree. Any hint as to when the 2.0 would be released?
 
Dakotazeb said:
I think many times the negative reviews are from dumb people that just don't know how to use the product. I might have to just "take one for the team" and buy the TEK and see how it performs.
Click to expand...

Although my wife says I act like an 80yrs old, I am actually in my early 30's. :cool: I am by no means a computer programmer, but I know my way around electronics like most of my generation. So if your trying to say people who can't operate the TEK are "dumb" because they are probably just old curmudgeons that don't understand new fangled technology, I would say your wrong.

If your trying to say that I am just plain ole dumb. I guess I will just accept that and move on. :(

My experience, which is a bit hazy now as it was 2 yrs ago, was that it worked for about an hour and then just quit working. I spent a few hours on the phone with their tech guys and they could not figure it out and told me to mail it back to them and they would look at it and get it fixed and send it back. I asked how long? They said a month or so. This was the week before opening day. I asked them if I could just return it at cabelas and get a new one so I could have it for the season. They said no. I called Cabelas, explained the situation, and the guy said, well of course you have to have that for this weekend come on in and we will take care of it.

I run a sport dog e collar on Ox. I have been perfectly satisfied with it.
 
Hey Jake, you read my post all wrong. I wasn't referring to your post or the people in it. I was just making a general statement. Not about the TEK but just various things in general. I read negative reviews all the time about products and I think that many times the person's bad experience is due to "Operator Error". Example: reading reviews on kitchen cutlery and several were complaining that the knives rusted after one or two times in the dishwasher. Instructions on the knives clearly stated to "Hand Wash Only". That is the kind of thing I was referring to. You can't fix stupid! :)
 
Knives in the dishwasher! Who are these people? To be that ignorant they must be Raiders fans. They probably don't even own a basic knife sharpener.

(You touched a nerve there Zeb, my mother refers to me as the Knife Snob)
 
This old bachelor may wash whites with darks, but knives NEVER go in the dishwasher! THAT is a cardinal sin. And whenever someone asks "Do you have a knife/Let me borrow your knife," my response is "What are you going to do with it?" Many times the requestor is told "NO!" That being said, I run SportDog collars & have yet to experience any issues. Both do the job for which I purchased them.
 
alot of the reviews you see are b/s people get paid to post good or bad reviews on web sites etc. very ubrelible info u get from them reviews... much better to talk to a real life owner of the product if possible...

also if ur not familiar with the collar operator err would be a excuse but you would assume u should get familiar with the devise b4 u take it to the fields??? that should fix that issue??? nobody i know who uses sport dog ever had issues but they dont use the TEK so that mite be a iffy modle???
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top