Ideas for a distrance tracker for dog

[mramos1]

I know something like this was asked about in the past. Figure I would see if technology has improved..

I want to make a "small" battery operated device I can placed, and it transmits (pings) another device attached to me (like an old pager). If I get say more that 50 feet or more away, the device placed would will let me know. Siren or something.

Any ideas. Sounds like I am trying to keep track of Grandpa.

Maybe an FM beacon that pings the device on me (in an old pager) and when no response back to the placed device, it uses that old pager protocol to beep the pager. Good use for old pagers anyway.

I can attach it to the dog I sit for and if he gets to far and I get a beep and yell "get over here". I get busy and he knows it and walks off.

 

[dknguyen]

If he's smart enough to know to walk off only when you're busy, why would he come back if he knows that you really aren't sure which direction he is in?

What would be small enough to place on a dog collar and let you know distance? Hmmm...GPS is too big since you also need a radio transmitter to relay the position back to your pager. Maybe just a radio signal that is tuned to be so weak that it dies off when he is a certain distance away? I don't think the distance threshold is too crucial so this would work...but I have no idea what the relationship is.

Doppler effect emissions that you can integrate over time to figure out how far he has travelled perpindicular to you over time? Nah, too complicated it seems.

 

[Sceadwian]

As a dog, I would find offense in an owner searching for a remote control for his or her dog. As a human I would find such a search trivial and unable to cope with the reality of the situation =)
It's like trying to put a behavior colar on your best friend, if you don't know where they are, you shouldn't know where they are.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

How about a long piece of string, and tie him to a tree so he can't walk away?.

 

[Hero999]

How about buildin a pair of transcievers like the one in the 300MHz module thread?

If you bounce a signal between the two you can work out the distance.

 

[mramos1]

How about buildin a pair of transcievers like the one in the 300MHz module thread?

If you bounce a signal between the two you can work out the distance.

Thanks Hero, I will go take a look. Put that thing on my glasses and I will be a happy man during the week.

Also, the dog is not mine and he is cool, but after long awhile he sometimes walks off. Otherwise he hangs with me while I play in the garage.

 

[bigkim100]

I have seen many times, and as recenntly as a month ago, a unit that is used to tell when a small child has wandered away from its mother. It consists of a small wrist unit, and a slightly larger wrist unit for the mother When the 2 are seperated by a specific distance (I dont know the distance, but 20 feet rings a bell) the mothers unit squeels.
I remember seeing the unit at Radio Shack (here in Canada, relabelled as Circuit City) for around 30 bucks.
Good luck.

 

[bigkim100]

Or...just talking out of my ass here but I had a less than frequent flash of clarity.

This may be far too complicated but:
-dog collar ringed with infared leds, driven by a oscillator, to keep power consumption to a minimum,
-1 or 2 IR receivers around the garage, with a basic missing pulse detector.
-If the receiver misses a pulse over a specific period of time, a alarm sounds.

OR

-Same collar
-Very narrow IR beam receivers around the garage door that will detect the IR signal as the dog walks through the door, past the receivers, sounding a alarm


OR

-Dog collar with a low power transmitter
-a thin wire antenna around the door, connected to a receiver. As the dog waks over the wire, the receiver senses the transmitter, sounding a alarm
(This is the same technology used in "Wireless Fencing" systems used to keep dogs within a invisible boundry.)


OK GUYS....now the fun begins....kick holes in my ideas...have fun

 

[Sceadwian]

It's 11PM where I am.
Do you know where your dog is?

 

[akg]

Two devices , A( which is attached to you) and B attached to X , the B transmits a periodic signal . if A doesn't receives the signal from B , A sounds an alarm . ..Looks like a radio collar .

 

[mramos1]

I have seen many times, and as recenntly as a month ago, a unit that is used to tell when a small child has wandered away from its mother. It consists of a small wrist unit, and a slightly larger wrist unit for the mother When the 2 are seperated by a specific distance (I dont know the distance, but 20 feet rings a bell) the mothers unit squeels.
I remember seeing the unit at Radio Shack (here in Canada, relabelled as Circuit City) for around 30 bucks.
Good luck.

I will look out for them. Thanks. Figured someone had to make them by now.

 

[bigkim100]

I will look out for them. Thanks. Figured someone had to make them by now.

If you cannot find one, I can look here.

 

[mramos1]

It's 11PM where I am.
Do you know where your dog is?

Not sitting him today or this weekend. And I know where he goes, I want to yell before it goes to the back yard.

 

[balfourcellular]

it is called angel alarm. its a brilliant idea even to add a water alarm. it will still be cool to build it though. any ideas ?? kaz@plet.co.za

 

[chiba]

Buy one, pull it apart then put it back together.

**broken link removed**

 

[mramos1]

I will get back on this one as I have other things to track. And I will check out the Angel alert.

But in the meantime, Nigel's simpler solution (the string) worked fine. He actually never left me and had plenty for string. And if it hung it on something he could break it no problem. Maybe he is getting the hint...

balfourcellular:

allelectronics.com has an RF wind shield wiper sensor (RX and TX). I bought two. I plan to send a signal from the roof (chemicals for the water tower) to a PIC on the 5th floor and beep to left the Building Manager know when the chemicals are low.

I think it was $6 US. I will post it when complete (if it works).