Garmin T5 or T5 mini for Teckel and Viszla

[tfox]

Hi all, anyone running Garmin with a teckel offer me some advice if the T5 is too big and should I go for the T5 mini ? I would like to use it on both my viszla and teckel with the teckel doing most of the off lead tracking, I have a good deal on Alpha 200i with T5 collar but am worried the T5 may be too large for the teckel?

 

[Keith Edmunds]

I use T5 minis for Teckel. The collar standard length might be long enough for the Vizla too (I've cut mine down) if not just buy a longer collar and re-thread the Garmin on.

 

[tfox]

I use T5 minis for Teckel. The collar standard length might be long enough for the Vizla too (I've cut mine down) if not just buy a longer collar and re-thread the Garmin on.

Thanks for that, the kit I'm looking at actually comes with K5 which is not available in mini in UK apparently, not T5 I originally thought. I have a tracking harness with GPS tracker loop on the back for teckel so collar size isn't an issue.

 

[Keith Edmunds]

Thanks for that, the kit I'm looking at actually comes with K5 which is not available in mini in UK apparently, not T5 I originally thought. I have a tracking harness with GPS tracker loop on the back for teckel so collar size isn't an issue.

One of the guys with one of our pups does use the K5 collar - to me it looks too large but his dog seems to cope. Tony uses a harness with a GPS on the back so either option might be okay. Hendrix is a powerful 10.5kg teckel and he could definitely handle a K5 but some of our smaller bitches might struggle

 

[tfox]

One of the guys with one of our pups does use the K5 collar - to me it looks too large but his dog seems to cope. Tony uses a harness with a GPS on the back so either option might be okay. Hendrix is a powerful 10.5kg teckel and he could definitely handle a K5 but some of our smaller bitches might struggle

Our girl is 9.8 so should manage ok I reckon with the harness

 

[Keith Edmunds]

This is a K5 on one of our 'grown up' pups

 

[robert16]

Do you run that teckel with the strap that long

 

[Keith Edmunds]

Do you run that teckel with the strap that long

I don't - not my dog - it's one we bred.

 

[Kai]

We use a t5 mini collars on our mini beagle bitch and my teckels we cut the collar so it just fits and always use a cable tie to tie the antenna to the collar half way along it otherwise you’ll find it will be swinging in the breeze , our collars get smashed in very thick cover every week and still work ok their an excellent bit of kit

 

[wytonpjs]

I have both a Teckel and a Vizsla. The Teckel is only 7 months old (8.3 kg) and the T5mini I have (ex Pecheur) still seems large. What has genuinely surprised me is the battery life on the mini - it’s never yet run out and I tend to operate with the collar on at all times and turn on the handset only when needed - the collar has never gone flat on me yet even after some long days and all the reviews I have seem say it’s got as good as range as the big versions. I doubt you will be disappointed with the mini - I’m not as this post graphically details!

 

[RifleTuner]

For a teckel I would definitely go mini over a standard T5 collar. When out nglish pointer was a pup, all the advise I got was that she would be border line for a mini, so I bought a standard T5. Now at 18 months she never got heavier than 20kg, so a mini would have been a better option for us. We keep folding the collar out of the way, but it never stays there during a hunt.

 

[Keith Edmunds]

The problem isn't the length of collar....that can be cut down in a second. The problem is the weight of the unit. I would have thought a 20kg pointer would have no problem at all with the weight of the unit, but a small teckel bitch would be better off with a mini.

 

[RifleTuner]

The problem isn't the length of collar....that can be cut down in a second. The problem is the weight of the unit. I would have thought a 20kg pointer would have no problem at all with the weight of the unit, but a small teckel bitch would be better off with a mini.

Yes, I agree that weight is not the problem. The whole set up just seems more cumbersome than it needs to be, for no gain. If I had gone with my original gut feeling, I would have a lighter training collar unit and the only thing I am giving up is the range of the mini vs the standard T5. That would be a consideration if I were hunting with hounds that are running 10km or more at a time. But since our pointer only ranges out 100 meters or so, its not a consideration. Just my thoughts for what they are worth.

 

[Rebel]

We use a t5 mini collars on our mini beagle bitch and my teckels we cut the collar so it just fits and always use a cable tie to tie the antenna to the collar half way along it otherwise you’ll find it will be swinging in the breeze , our collars get smashed in very thick cover every week and still work ok their an excellent bit of kit

oh so that's what the cable ties that come with the collars are for.

Thanks

 

[Keith Edmunds]

Yes, I agree that weight is not the problem. The whole set up just seems more cumbersome than it needs to be, for no gain. If I had gone with my original gut feeling, I would have a lighter training collar unit and the only thing I am giving up is the range of the mini vs the standard T5. That would be a consideration if I were hunting with hounds that are running 10km or more at a time. But since our pointer only ranges out 100 meters or so, its not a consideration. Just my thoughts for what they are worth.

A mini will certainly have the range and battery life for any UK type of hunting with a very odd exception - literally hunting with hounds - but even private gun-packs rarely have the opportunity for 7-mile points

 

[wytonpjs]

This review reports:

Garmin is marketing the MIni collars with a 4 mile effective tracking distance compared to 9 miles for the full size TT15 and T5 collar. Initially we expected the new Mini GPS collars to have less tracking distance. However, while testing these collars extensively in the field we can honestly say that we have seen little difference between the new Mini GPS collars and the standard sized TT15 GPS tracking collar when it comes to tracking distance or dependability. At Double U Hunting Supply we have a test track that we run all new GPS collars through for comparison. With the Mini Collars we are seeing a 2.8 miles in hilly, brushy country using a long range antenna on the handheld. We have seen this distance consistently with the full size TT15 collars. We are extremely confident these Mini collars are performing as well as the full size collars regarding the effective distance.
Why does Garmin claim 4 miles? We don't exactly know, perhaps Garmin is changing the way they market the effective distance to a more "expected" distance rather than marketing a "best case" distance. Any hunter who has spent time behind these GPS collars understands 9 miles is not a distance that is easily achieved in the real world. However 4 miles with any of the Garmin tracking systems is more achievable. My professional opinion is that Garmin is hoping their customers will expect a much more "real world" tracking range.

Full review is worth a read.

 

[wully1234]

Wheres the best place to buy a garmin tracker/collar ? After a near lost dog in a blizzard and some thick terrain 2 days ago, I've decided I need one

 

[Jon P]

Store

Visit our online store for Garmin systems, tracking equipment, stalking accessories and much more.

www.deertrackingservices.co.uk

 

[tfox]

This review reports:

Garmin is marketing the MIni collars with a 4 mile effective tracking distance compared to 9 miles for the full size TT15 and T5 collar. Initially we expected the new Mini GPS collars to have less tracking distance. However, while testing these collars extensively in the field we can honestly say that we have seen little difference between the new Mini GPS collars and the standard sized TT15 GPS tracking collar when it comes to tracking distance or dependability. At Double U Hunting Supply we have a test track that we run all new GPS collars through for comparison. With the Mini Collars we are seeing a 2.8 miles in hilly, brushy country using a long range antenna on the handheld. We have seen this distance consistently with the full size TT15 collars. We are extremely confident these Mini collars are performing as well as the full size collars regarding the effective distance.
Why does Garmin claim 4 miles? We don't exactly know, perhaps Garmin is changing the way they market the effective distance to a more "expected" distance rather than marketing a "best case" distance. Any hunter who has spent time behind these GPS collars understands 9 miles is not a distance that is easily achieved in the real world. However 4 miles with any of the Garmin tracking systems is more achievable. My professional opinion is that Garmin is hoping their customers will expect a much more "real world" tracking range.

Full review is worth a read.

Interesting read however I fear my post may be redundant as I was mistaken, the bundle is for a K5 collar of which there is no mini version. I "think" the K5 is the UK legal version of the T5?

 

[wytonpjs]

Interesting read however I fear my post may be redundant as I was mistaken, the bundle is for a K5 collar of which there is no mini version. I "think" the K5 is the UK legal version of the T5?

Yup, you are right. After discussions with Keith, this is what I bought from Pecheur. It is the CE European version (French packaging) and both of mine are registered with Garmin for warranty purchases and I’ve also activated the one-year free Birds-eye mapping too - works well with a new more detailed base map bought off eBay. Not brave enough to try the software update yet but I think they will be ok as the EU frequencies have not changed since Brexit. Unlike the US ones, these frequencies are good for use in the UK.