Garmin Astro 220 & DC20 or DC30 Dog Collars
Garmin Astro 220 Receiver & DC20 or DC30 Dog Collars
Author: Neill Ellis, Prior Vice President NZ Recreational GPS Society
After an enquiry re these devices from a reputable supplier, I thought it may be prudent to publicly make a statement about the Garmin Astro GPS Dog collars.
I was asked to give my opinion if it was worthwhile importing any Astro dog collars. It didn't take long to realise just how dangerous these devices are in New Zealand, and that it's impractical to attempt to modify them for use here.
Firstly, these devices are designed for the United States market. The transmitters in the dog collars operate on a free VHF band in the US that is not available here. Garmin states very clearly on their website "Due to varying international regulations, the Astro is approved for use only in the United States.".
Operation of these collars here in NZ will interfere with two licensed channels, no matter which of the 5 channels you are using. I know, some of you are immediately thinking "I use these in the bush, in remote areas away from the city's, I won't cause any problems or get caught!".
Well, sorry, but these things are dangerous here in NZ, they do cause interference here in remote bush and people do get caught using them, they get significant fines. They are enough of a problem here that Radio Spectrum Management (RSM) actively looks for them on various online sites and actively attempts to get the auctions closed and then contacts the sellers!
Take a look at this forum where Geoff Cole is involved in a discussion about these collars, he states "these are illegal in NZ (and Australia), where those persons selling or using them can have considerable fines imposed upon them.". Note, Geoff Cole is a very good figure to make such a statement, I understand he is an employee of both RSM and DOC, he knows both sides of the story.
The VHF transmitter inside the Garmin DC20 and DC30 dog collars transmits GPS position information to the Astro 220 receiver which can track up to 10 collars. This position can be transmitted up to every two seconds when moving, times 10 collars, that's up to 5 brief transmissions per second!
No matter which of the 5 channels you choose, it's between two VHF repeaters. These repeaters are largely used in the forestry industry in NZ (also by DOC and Railways). So these transmissions have potential to cause significant interference out there in the bush.
VHF has been chosen as it has the best foliage penetration abilities, this is exactly why DOC and Forestry etc use the same band.
I have looked at the potential for modification and licensing, but as implied by Geoff Cole, I do not see any practical way of making these legal in NZ. To quote Geoff Hicks the Licensing Manager at RSM "There are no channels available in the E Band. It has been, and still is, our busiest land mobile band and as you point out it is the preferred band for forestry use as it has "foliage penetration qualities"."
The existing users of these frequencies are long standing licensed operations. It's not practical to even consider making the relevant frequencies available, it would take years and cost tens of millions of dollars. Then of course there is the dangerous precedent it would establish.
As for using them here in NZ without interfering, here's a quote from Geoff Cole "These collars are a known interference problem in Marlborough" and another from Jeff Hicks "When we find these things we prosecute no mucking around.". They have huge interference potential to forestry and DOC etc. If you were a logging contractor whose radio was continuously emitting interference what would you do? I wouldn't want to be in the bush with my dogs and have one of them find me, they can, at times, be quite unreasonable if the radio has been playing up, I know, I used to service not only the contractors radios, but the repeaters themselves.
Forestry and DOC repeaters are generally at very remote hilltops, they have very high gain aerials and are often solar powered, often the only access available is via helicopter. This high antenna gain is to allow handheld access with as much coverage as possible. VHF Handhelds are generally 5 Watts, these dog collars are 2 Watts! The large antenna gain also means lower transmitter power for the repeaters, a good thing at a solar powered site.
Geoff Cole stated they are a known interference source in Marlborough, in that case it's very likely they are a significant interference source in other areas, they just haven't been identified as such yet. More and more of these are appearing and are becoming a real issue. Relevant staff are now actively scanning the 5 channels looking for these signals!
I need to make anyone considering importation of these devices aware of the risk of fines they are risking receiving. There is a maximum fine for operating interfering unlicensed equipment of NZ$30,000.00 per item for an individual, if you are a company that fine is somewhat larger at NZ$200,000.00 per item. So an employee operating his employers equipment using the maximum number of 10 DC30 transmitters on his Astro 220 receiver could potentially receive a maximum fine of 2 million dollars!
It's not just operating these that is illegal. If you went to the US on holiday and thought they were a great idea and bought some back, then decided to sell them, that could get you a substantial fine too.
Importing them with the intention of selling them on Trade Me can also get you fined. RSM has a useful document on this here. The only safe option then is shipping them back to the US for sale, or environmentally safe disposal here in NZ.
I have a real concern about these, if they interfere with Forestry communications (and they do!) an important safety situation arises, if someone is injured or worse killed, and the cause is identified as one of these collars, you could also be facing up to a manslaughter charge (on top of the fines). Remember radios with interference get turned off, turned down or just plain ignored, if you are the guy trying to get a message through you won't be happy and safety of the relevant staff will be compromised.
In the case of interference to forestry or DOC repeaters etc on remote sites, you may also be found liable to pay additional expenses on top of any applied fine. These things are remote with huge coverage areas. You may be liable for helicopter flights to access the repeaters, the maintenance crews time and then the cost of locating the interference. Maybe the forestry company ceased operation for safety reasons and various companies might then be suing to recover their subsequent cost?
Talkie Tooters are something most people outside of the forestry industry have never heard of. They are incredibly robust very low power (way less than a DC20 or DC30) transmitters used to control Log Grapple systems. Whilst they often are a long way from these collars frequencies, sometimes they aren't. In addition, in close proximity to one another it doesn't matter how far apart they are in frequency they may still cause interference by receiver de sensing caused by intermodulation. If Talkie Tooters are interfered with, make no mistake about it, lives will be in danger!
Please, do not import these dangerous in NZ devices. If you observe them for sale here let RSM know (freecall 0508 776463). If you know anyone operating them, make them aware of the risks. If they then continue to use them, please consider reporting the usage, you might be saving the life of a friend or loved one, certainly they are more likely to have them confiscated and receive a warning that way, rather than potentially facing a huge fine, you could be saving them lotsa $.
My statements here are based upon fact, but do reflect my opinion on these devices. My research was into the possibility of a firmware upgrade to make them legal here, not the legal position. I reserve the right to amend/edit as necessary if I am corrected by an appropriate authority. I will be inviting appropriate comment to this topic.
Neill Ellis, Prior Vice President NZ Recreational GPS Society, RSM Approved External Engineer ARC117.
