biotrack

[Wightwings]

sorry if you guys have already covered this but what do you think of this system.

http://www.falconryoriginals.co.uk/tele.htm

[OutFlying]

the transmitters seem to be very short on range, have a look at the biotrack website and see the tech spec's for transmitters. The receiver looks a well made item though. Not so cheap now Marshall prices have been reduced.

[Shaun Byrne]

Thats the system I use WW, cant fault it at all mate.

[Wightwings]

BT1 RECEIVER / YAG1 £415.00 + £10.50

Postage & insurance

BT6 RECEIVER / YAG1 £455.00+ £10.50

postage & insurance

TAGS

FT1 £93.50

FT2 £93.50

FT3 £93.50

Activity Sensing Switch £17.50

Spares Set £7.25

Had a good look at the tech spec on the web site, in fact they e-mailed some info through to me. I truth its all reads as gobbly gook to me just interested in basic range attenuation and lifespan.

Prices seem ok, a 6 channel still comes in nearly £60 better than the marshall 5 and the tags the same. over £100 saving really just wamted to user feedback.

thanks for that H4

[OhMyGod]

I have used a few recievers and really rate the biotrack. It is very accurate and is robust unlike the marshall yagi which can break easily if you trip or catch it whilst climbing over fences or through bushed. In practical terms it has good range and is no different to marshall in my opinion.

I'm not talking about tags hear but recievers only :- The marshall when damaged took nearly 5 weeks to be repaired whereas the biotrack was repaired and on my door in more like 5 days. This means allot to me and I must view my points hear, about reapairing broken recievers. 5 weeks just aint good enough now is it.

[OutFlying]

who did you send it to, what was wrong with it, was it under warranty ?

[Shaun Byrne]

Bought mine from Chris at Falconry Originals WW, ring him he knows his stuff, he'll tell you straight, not just to get you to buy it.

[OutFlying]

http://www.biotrack.co.uk/body_radio_tags.html#TagFalconry

ww, the prices quoted on the website as being valid from feb 2005 don't match your prices quoted. Something must have changed or someone got it wrong.

[OutFlying]

ft tag and 6 channel receiver £679.

[OhMyGod]

the bio needed the battry low light fixed which meant taking it apart on a bench and soldering or whatever else. It was mine and didn't cost too much

Marshall was for a new yaggi and belonged to an employer. Yes they can say they are busy but I really felt that 5 weeks or so was not thinking about the customers needs at all and I don't like the idea of somone being without a reciever for this amount of time in the middle of the season. And this is one reason why I wouldn't buy one, another is thet they are over priced, I don't believe it is any better in the field than biotrack. Yes they have a good website and yes they have the best marketing by far but who gives a fu*k if you have a marshall? I don't.

Also they refuse to sell you a 216 if you live in the U.K. Even if you say it's for use in germany and a gift for somone elso.

Ok so I heard they came down in price but they only cost £380 if you convert $ to £ and buy U.S. A little while ago I got a quote for nearly £700. Must have been about 4 years ago but that really takes the **** i reckon. so boll***s to em.

[OutFlying]

http://www.biotrack.co.uk/body_radio_tags.html#TagBTrx

receiver details, WW did your prices include VAT.

[Wightwings]

I sent them an e-mail and they sent me back the same prices you have quoted but also told me to go through FA as i would get better deal.........thats SOME discount he gets and he must STILL make a profit.

copy of mail:
Dear Chris,

Thanks for your enquiry about our falconry equipment. We encourage you to order via

Falconry Originals (tel: 01427 628511)
15 Rustic Lane
Blyton Gainsborough,
Lincolnshire
DN21 3LP

because Chris Allen is a much more experienced falconer and so can advise you better. It's also cheaper that way.

All the best,

I pulled the prices straight off Chris's web site at Falconry Originals so they must be right

[BrianM]

the bio needed the battry low light fixed which meant taking it apart on a bench and soldering or whatever else. It was mine and didn't cost too much

Marshall was for a new yaggi and belonged to an employer. Yes they can say they are busy but I really felt that 5 weeks or so was not thinking about the customers needs at all and I don't like the idea of somone being without a reciever for this amount of time in the middle of the season. And this is one reason why I wouldn't buy one, another is thet they are over priced, I don't believe it is any better in the field than biotrack. Yes they have a good website and yes they have the best marketing by far but who gives a fu*k if you have a marshall? I don't.

Also they refuse to sell you a 216 if you live in the U.K. Even if you say it's for use in germany and a gift for somone elso.

Ok so I heard they came down in price but they only cost £380 if you convert $ to £ and buy U.S. A little while ago I got a quote for nearly £700. Must have been about 4 years ago but that really takes the **** i reckon. so boll***s to em.



this is one of the reasons i bought a falconry electronics system,, marshall systems may get a good name till it breaks down then they dont want to know ,,,, by the way i am still waiting for the price list i ordered from garlands over 4 weeks ago,,

[OutFlying]

OMG,


It took Garlands 5 weeks to replace you a uk supplied set with a new yaggi ?/??? A friend broke his yaggi and had the part next day. Is this an imported set or Uk supplied one ?

[OhMyGod]

U.K. spec and it was sent back to have a new yaggi attatched properly as it was duff.

[OhMyGod]

I just looked at the prices for bt recievers and noticed they have gone up about 60 - 80 pounds in the last year on their website.

[Hodgesargh]

I've used BT for several years. Got it from Chris at FO. It's always worked well (A friend has one of their transmitters. It's been submerged in ponds for a couple of days (twice) and run over by her car (once) and still works fine.

BioTrack themselves have always been very helpful.

The only quibble I've got is that they use a very narrow frequency range and I can't pick up some of my friends' transmitters. If I order anyone else's transmitters (Jim Chick's merlin single-stagers for example), I have to specify the 173.20 - 173.26 frequency range.

On balance though, I really rate it!

[Wightwings]

well thanks for l the feed back guys think i may have finally made up me tiny mind on which new system to go for.

[Saker-Clive]

You know I got the BT6, with attenuator etc. the whole kit and kaboodle!!!
I paid £643 which included the FT3 tag.

Used with a Marshall's system whilst looking for my Saker last year, the Bio track got the stronger signal. Case closed.

[Wightwings]

were from SS, looking at the FO prices i pulled off the website that wiould now only cost £560 inl delivery. I suspect the prices quoted are ex VAT in that case ( although the site doesn't say that) that would be excactly 643

[Saker-Clive]

Spot on.

If you know someone who's VAT registered, they might let you get it through them, and get the VAT back :!: :idea:

[Jack Merlin]

It's been submerged in ponds for a couple of days (twice) and run over by her car (once) and still works fine.

I drove the quad over the BT yaggi. Ouch! Looked like a bundle of knitting! But it all straightened out and the plastic conduit was replaced with a length from the local builders' merchants, so didn't need to be sent away for repair/replacement. BT's stuff is rugged without looking fancy.
And the service is fantastic.

[Saker-Clive]

That to me is the main difference from the Marshall's; yes the Marshall's is very pretty looking but at the end of the day, 'we' want something robust and if it gets knocked you're not gonna worry too much and it does what it says on the tin. 8)

[Wightwings]

Spot on.

If you know someone who's VAT registered, they might let you get it through them, and get the VAT back :!: :idea:

Cheers C i'll look into that. Bit naughty of FO tho i.ve looked ll over the site and i cannot find the plus vat statement anywhere! i presume that mean ALL the stuff on his price list is plus vat then.that puts the system at exctly the sm piceas the Marshall but i think it wins on rugged performance

[Wightwings]

Sorted out the confusion......the prices on the FA web site are totally wrong!!.......spoke to Chris today and the system come in at £670 inn VAT

Last years price was £643.........this includes the BT6 + 1 FT3 tag + headphones + plus bag.

On reflection this puts it slightly higher than the Marshall with the 5 Channel coming in at £510 and the tag at £140 total £650.

I was led to understand the Marshll system at the moment requires ALL repairs to go back to America with a lead in time of almost a MONTH!!!
But the BT being a british system you can almost get next day service. This has think has to be an inportant factor, especially if you are lying a Gos as a month out mid season could be season over.

[Hawkmaster]

I have not ever had to have a system repair, so it would not be a factor for me at all. Besides that I always think positively.

[Sparrow Hawker]

I must admit where a system is serviced or repaired was an important factor for me when choosing a system, I didn't want to have to wait weeks on end for the it to be returned if anything went wrong.

I have found it takes at least a week or so (normally longer) to get anything from the States, plus you have to send it there in the first place and then get the problem sorted out this all takes time.

Regards,

HH

[Hawkmaster]

What people need to take in consideration is a company over here is going to take the same time to fix or repair, so all is waiting on is a bit of shipping time.

[Chris S]

i have used a BT6 system for the last 4 years,very happy with it.
you can get it from the costwould falconry centre, morton in the marsh,glos,he keep a few for sale

[OutFlying]

I have not ever had to have a system repair, so it would not be a factor for me at all. Besides that I always think positively.

Hawkmaster, not needed a repair myself (field marshall) - don't feel the need to drive a quad bike over it, don't climb through bushes with the yagi extended. If you don't treat your equipment with respect and due care any electronic equipment will fail.

Garlands will usually supply a loan receiver if yours does become faulty whilst under warranty.

[GDN]

I use bio track and i have no complaints about it. I have had to use it on 3 occaisions and managed to find the bird twice. The first time i had to locate the bird in a town so the signal was bouncing about a bit but not to bad.

Their equipment is of a great quality and very durable. A peregrine i was flying managed to knock the tag off it's tail. I used the receiver to try and find it but couldn't because there was snow on the ground and i thought the tag was caught up in some trees. When the snow melted i went to where i had been looking for it and i found it on the ground. It had been outside in the cold and damp for a week and still worked ok after a day in the house to dry it out

Once though the bird flew off with transmitter. They were quick to send me a replacement. Had it within a few days. So no complaints apart from i never found the bird.

[Jack Merlin]

If you watch UK wildlife programs on TV (and that includes BBC teams out in Africa, etc), all the radio tracking stuff is made by Biotrack. I think I read somewhere that they'd made 50,000 transmitters so far. They are the biggest manufacturer of telemetry in Europe and were started up as a commercial by-product of Oxford University. I have heard too many stories of other fancy telemetry failing. Or breaking and taking months to repair. My only complaint is that they don't push their products as others seem to<g>. In my experience, fantastic service.

I like to save money and at one time made up my own tail mounts. I went through a spell of the transmitter falling off. I retrieved that damned transmitter from all sorts of locations -- once from the middle of a very large patch of gorse. At least I got lots of practice! But now I use their tail mounts!

I have no connection with the company other than being a very satisfied customer.

[OhMyGod]

I agree Jack