REVIEW: Garmin Alpha 300i and TT25 from a veterinarian’s perspective

Obedience is freedom, people, and any tool that can connect me to my team without a check cord and assist me in locating them on point or in a bind falls under the category of essential equipment in my book. Even though I feel compelled to air my gripes about their shortcomings, please understand that the 300 series and TT25s still far exceed anything else currently on the market from any manufacturer. 

As a fellow bird hunter and sporting dog enthusiast (as well as a veterinarian) I’m always on the lookout for tech that enhances both the hunting experience and preserves the well-being of my canine companions.

I’ve been a strong advocate of electronic collars for years, both as a way to humanely and quickly train sporting dogs and as a means of promoting their safety in the field. The Alpha 300i and TT25 collars have significantly impacted how I train and hunt with my dogs, offering a blend of advanced technology and practical functionality.

Obedience is freedom, people, and any tool that can connect me to my team without a check cord and assist me in locating them on point or in a serious bind falls under the category of essential equipment in my book. As a result, I’ve rarely hit the field without a Garmin (and before that TriTronics) in nearly 20 seasons. 

The Garmin Alpha 300i: A Game Changer for Hunters

I’ve owned and hunted with every iteration of the Alpha series, and I’m pleased to say Garmin has dialed it in (almost) perfectly with the 300 series. If this isn’t your first rodeo, it’s basically all the things you loved about the Alpha 200, just better in nearly every category. 

The handheld device combines GPS tracking, two-way messaging, and a built-in inReach satellite communication system, making it rich in peace of mind and virtually indispensable for any bird hunter who strays beyond the safe confines of the dog park. Seriously. Being able to locate your dogs at (almost) any moment and communicate your own location to a loved one back home makes this unit one of the top 5 things I recommend in anyone’s hunting first aid kit. It’s held up to use (and abuse) in every imaginable weather and terrain scenario I’ve thrown at it, and never once failed from exposure.

Advanced Tracking and Mapping

As you would expect at this price point, the Alpha 300i allows me to track my dogs with unparalleled accuracy. Thanks to its high-sensitivity GPS and GLONASS satellite reception, I can locate my dogs even in the most challenging terrains, most of the time. While we still get the dreaded question mark drop out in chukar country if my big-running shorthair has put a knob or whole mountain between us, this unit is hands-down the most reliable offering Garmin has brought to the sporting dog market for pinpointing your hunting buddy’s location. 

If you’re hoping to avoid these stressful and frustrating ? scenarios by upgrading to the 300i, you’ll be disappointed to learn it’s still an issue with this iteration of GPS technology. Their new LTE offering is designed to fill the gap in these scenarios, but I haven’t bought or tested it for the simple reason that most of my best haunts have limited cell service to take full advantage of this feature. Besides, I’m already tapped out on monthly fees for technology services.

Like most hunters with this unit, I primarily use the hunt tracker to mark the truck and track the total mileage accumulated by the dogs over the course of the outing. Just make sure both collars have been paired and located to the 300i before you start a new hunt, otherwise the dogs will unfairly get credit for teleporting from the end of their last hunt to the beginning of the current one. The current generation of collars pairs faster to the 300i than ever before, so the likelihood of encountering this annoying anomaly is reduced from the 200i.

Battery Life

In my opinion, this is the area where Garmin listened most closely to the (likely loud and annoying) nagging gripes from the hunting community. I’d give the Alpha 300i and TT25s a five-star review for its uncanny ability to stay alive with the use and abuse I subject it to. Compared to the previous generation, the 200i and TT15s, it’s such an incredible uptick in battery performance that I encourage you to ditch your old unit on eBay before too many people read this article. Not only could the Alpha 200 drain its lithium battery faster than a cybertruck loaded down with Elon Musk’s ego, it loved to spontaneously turn itself on and kill its battery the night before a hunt. I really don’t know what Garmin did to reach this new threshold in utility for the 300i, but they finally did it right. I now use both the collars and transmitter for multiple days without having to dig out the chargers. Backpackers and multi-day cast-and-blasters rejoice.

Kudos to Garmin for ditching the prehistoric USB charging connections and (finally) integrating a USB-C interface for both the collars and transmitter. You’re infinitely less likely to be without the charger when you need it since the 300 series can likely piggyback off what you’re already using for your phone or tablet. 

Communication and Safety

I’ll be honest, my wife loves the built-in inReach technology, which offers a lifeline in remote areas where cellular service is unavailable. I often hunt alone in honey holes where cell signals are questionable, and the inReach option takes the anxiety of managing a disaster down a few notches. The system has always worked flawlessly during the few times I really needed it to, and just as reliably during other times when I’d rather have not been bothered. If you already own an inReach, the 300 (non-i) model could help you save some money and avoid redundant tech. 

While I’m grateful inReach exists, I must admit the subscription plans are a little spendy for the level of service. There’s a monthly plan in addition to an annual service fee, akin to what Big Cellular enjoyed in the days before any serious competition. But since I’m bad about finding things out the hard way, I make sure to keep the plan active throughout most of our long upland and spring turkey seasons when I’m most likely to be off the grid. 

The TT25 Collar: Smaller, stronger

The TT25 collar complements the Alpha 300i perfectly, providing reliable tracking and training features that are essential for managing hunting dogs in the field. You don’t need me to laud the benefits of these devices in general, but I can tell you that Garmin has obviously taken the advice of the sporting dog community and slimmed down the neck profile in the TT25. Compared to the TT15, the new svelte model runs longer (way longer), works more reliably and–let’s be honest about priorities here–looks a heck of a lot better, especially on smaller dogs. No doubt Garmin can trim that down further in the next generation (and hopefully drop the long antenna), but the TT25 is a step in the right direction in both function and aesthetics. If I had to offer a gripe here, a little one would include the charging clip. Yes, it’s smaller, but it’s shipped with a hopelessly short cable compared to the previous generation. It also has a tendency to stretch out over time and lose its contact with collar, which you can correct with a little flexing and bending. A few more years of UV exposure will tell if the thinner profile of the redesigned collar clip will hold up to all the manipulation as well as its older sibling.

Functionality: Big Improvements and some Familiar Gripes

I’ll be transparent with you, I really just want a unit that tracks multiple dogs with built-in communication. I’m far less interested in the detailed mapping and advanced tech offered in the 300i handheld, so I won’t bore you by reviewing features that I simply don’t use. I have no doubt it’s robust, and you GIS junkies will probably love it. It’s just more than I need for the way I hunt. 

Like most hunters I know who own this device, I primarily use the hunt tracker to mark the truck and keep tabs the total mileage accumulated by the dogs over the course of the outing. Just make sure both collars have been paired and located to the 300i before you start a new hunt, otherwise the dogs will unfairly get credit for teleporting from the end of their last hunt to the beginning of the current one. Sorry, Diesel the Draht did not cover 64 miles on your two-hour pheasant hunt today. He logged a solid 6 and the Garmin added the “as the crow flies” balance from the location where you hunted yesterday. The TT25 generation of collars pairs faster to the 300i than ever before, so the likelihood of encountering this annoying anomaly is reduced from the 200i and TT15 combo.

Unlike the 200i, the upgraded 300 series hasn’t yet completely dropped and deleted a dog altogether during a hunt, and I’m happy to report my 300i has regained the trust lost by the software bed soiling of its predecessor. You’ve never known panic like looking down at your transmitter and having it say “Who? Stellar? Your favorite, most athletic dog? Haven’t seen him. Never heard of him” as the sun starts to set several miles from the truck. Gone, deleted, like he was never even added to the system. It’s impossible to put a price on reliability when you need to keep tabs on a dog or dogs who spend much of the hunt out of eyesight. Thank you Garmin, for correcting this rare but gut-wrenching anomaly in the 300 series.

“I’ve owned and hunted with every iteration of the Alpha series, and I’m pleased to say Garmin has dialed it in (almost) perfectly with the 300 series. If this isn’t your first rodeo, it’s basically all the things you loved about the Alpha 200, just better in every category.”

To be honest, I had hoped Garmin would change the button layout from three primary keys to four. As a hunter that typically runs two dogs, I would strongly appreciate the capability to have a separate, tactile tone/vibrate and stim button for each dog without having to navigate the menu. Yes, I know this can be done by pushing the side scrolling buttons, but there’s comfort in being able to feel and confirm exactly what I’m doing (and to whom) through a pair of gloves without having to glance down at the handheld. Obviously, the engineers behind the 300i disagree since that segment of the 300 series is essentially carbon copied from the 200/100. 

The screen on the 300i is big and bright, nearly as significant an upgrade in functionality as the Alpha 200 was to the 100 series. You’ll love looking at it, but I’ll admit as a touch screen it’s still far from perfect. My largest longstanding gripe still exists: Somehow the screen will seemingly engage inadvertently by a brush with nothing but heavy air while, ironically, occasionally ignoring the intentional presses from an ungloved hand.  

Because of this trait–one faithfully represented in all previous generations of the Alpha–you must quickly learn to deploy the screen lock feature. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve unwittingly navigated ten menus deep, or accidentally dropped a waypoint in the middle of the Atlantic, or inadvertently changed my dog’s name to Adlkfjeoiajl1!z before locking the screen became part of my pre-hunt ritual. Call me a tinfoil hat guy, but I believe Garmin knows the phantom finger issue is real and that the solution their customers have employed is to habitually lock the screen. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have greatly improved the functionality of the locked screen alert from its intrusive, persistent buzz or beep (that constantly tricked us into thinking our dogs had gone on point) to a subtle note on the screen. We see what you did there, Garmin.

The only other glitch I’ve encountered is that the 300i software loves to occasionally convert my dogs’ pointer icons to the flushing dog option without my consent. To be fair, it’s a minor inconvenience that I’ve dealt with in all models of Alpha, and my dogs don’t seem too insulted by the mislabeling. 

What Unit Should I Buy?

Thanks to its high-sensitivity GPS and GLONASS satellite reception, I can locate my dogs even in the most challenging terrains, with a few exceptions.

If you’re a technophile, this is the unit for you. You’ll love all the features the 300i offers, and if you buy something different you’ll end up purchasing the 300i eventually anyway.

Even though I feel compelled to air my gripes about their shortcomings in this review, please understand that the 300 series and TT25s still far exceed anything else currently on the market from any manufacturer. 

For a hunter with a single dog or multiple dogs that rarely require any stim during a hunt, this unit is definitely your new go-to setup. If you find yourself training more or want to reliably switch between multiple (up to 3) dogs in the field, the trusty and more touchy-feely Pro550 Plus should get some consideration. Although after having used both, the 300i appears to stay connected to its paired TT25 more reliably than the Pro550 Plus in my experience. 

If you already own a 200 or 100, then the 300 series is still a worthy upgrade in performance. As I’ve already mentioned, the markedly enhanced battery performance alone is all the justification you need. 

If this is your first GPS unit, you won’t be disappointed. The Alpha 300i and TT25 collars are indispensable tools for any bird hunter serious about optimizing their hunting experience and ensuring the safety and well-being of their dogs. I highly recommend this device for its advanced features, reliability and battery life, and the peace of mind it offers in the field.