ATA 2015!
This was Pro-Tracker’s first year at the ATA Show with our new invention the Pro-Tracker, an archery tracking recovery system! We had a working sellable product and I’ll tell you ATA was an adventure! We have attended for the last couple of years (doing our homework) and were glad we did. It really helped us be prepared for the onslaught of interested buyers and retailers that came up to us at the booth. There were a couple of questions that came up over and over again and we would like to answer them for everybody.
How does it work?
The Pro-Tracker System consists of three components:
- A Carrier that screws into your arrow and holds the transmitter
- A Transmitter (w/a barbed hook) attaches to the animal when it is hit with the arrow and emits a radio signal after it is ejected from the arrow.
- A Receiver that tracks the transmitters radio signal once it attaches to the animal.
These three work together with your tracking skills to recover your animal faster after the shot.
How much does it weigh?
The Carrier and Transmitter weigh 100 grains. It’s groundbreaking design screws into the shaft, keeping the majority of the mass in the center of the arrow at the front of the shaft. The added weight gives the arrow more kinetic energy to penetrate deeper into your animal. Its location also helps keep the arrow balanced and allows the arrow to rotate to keep your shot true to your target. When your bow is drawn the carrier raises the arrow about 2 mm to help compensate for the additional weight. The system comes with practice dummies so you can make sure you’re pins are set correctly to be accurate with the system, you will not be disappointed with how the system affects your accuracy.
How does the Receiver work?
The Receiver has a digital display that tells you how far away the transmitter is, what number transmitter you are following, the time of day, how long you have been tracking the animal and the battery life of the receiver. You are able to program 6 different transmitter numbers into it, making it a system that can be shared by the whole family or with your hunting buddies. The display is easily read in the daytime and has a backlit display that can be turned on at night to track that last minute giant buck that emerges from the trees at dusk. Nothing more fun than tracking your animal in the pitch black woods!
How does the Transmitter connect to the Carrier?
The Pro-Tracker system uses a plastic shear pin system to connect the Transmitter and Carrier together. The transmitter stays secure in the carrier when the arrow is released and the shear pin connection is broken when the arrow impacts your animal. It only takes the impact of hitting your target to break the shear pin connection. If you shoot a crossbow a special carrier and shear pin is available. Watch this video for exact instructions.
How is the transmitter powered and how long is the battery life?
The Transmitter is rechargeable and it’s charger uses a USB cable for power just like your cell phone. While the transmitter is connected to the carrier it uses no power until it is attached to the animal. Once it is attached to the animal you have 10-12 hours to find and recover your animal. Plenty of time to do what you need to do.
Is it a GPS?
We decided to use Radio Frequencies in our transmitters for a number of reasons. First is the varying terrain that hunters encounter in the wild sometimes does not lend itself to finding enough satellites to bounce the location off of. Second, the battery size needed to power a GPS system is too big to fit inside of our transmitter and keep it’s weight low.
Why is the hook so big?
We’ve tested it thoroughly… It’s huge… It works… It holds up with the impact….
Better Big than no trophy
