Astro: The Bottom Line...FINALLY!!!

I just got off the phone with a VERY helpful gentleman at Raytech Electronique near Montréal. He provided me with a comprehensive answer (finally!) to the Astro Situation here in Canada.

So, here goes:

You CAN use an Astro in Canada. You can even buy an Astro in Canada. BUT (and it's a big but) it has to be the Maple Leaf version of the Astro. You see, according to the fellow I spoke to at Raytech, there are TWO DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF ASTRO 220's on the market. One is for sale in the US. I call it the Mighty Stars and Stripes version ...all gung-ho, can-do with a haircut you can set your watch to. It puts out 2 big watts of sheer Yankie power. But it seems that 2 watts is way too much for us sensitive Canadians. Any Astro unit sold up here must be modified to put out a lot less power...something like 0.5 watts. I guess we like our electronic gizmos to be more in line with our mild Canadian, let-it-be and pass the doobie attitude.

After all, there is a similar situation with the Garmin Rino, a sort of GSP/Walkie Talkie unit. It is available as a 1 watt unit in the US and as a .5 watt unit in Canada. Unlike the Rino however, users cannot switch the power levels on Astros. Canadian and American Astros are hard-wired to either put out 2 watts or .5 watts. So if you travel to Canada with an American bought unit, you can't use it. And you can't just flick a switch on it to lower the power so it conforms to Canadian regulations.

BOTTOM LINE: If you want to use an ASTRO in Canada. You MUST use the lower powered unit that is sold up here and NOT the higher output unit sold in the US. The units sold in the US violate Canadian regulations. I guess they are just a bit much for the delicate radio waves we have up here on the frozen tundra. But the lower powered "Astro-Canuck" unit is good to go. And get this...it is cheaper! Raytech sells them for only only 544.44 Canadian Loonies.

Now, where's my credit card?

Astro in Canada: Are Times REALLY a'Changin?

UPDATE: See this post regarding even more up-to-date information I've gleaned from what seems to be an excellent Canadian source.

Recently, on a gundog forum, it seems that someone has taken issue with some of the information I had posted here about the Garmin Astro in Canada. In a somewhat snarky, not-very-Canadian reply, the poster reports that he/she received information directly from Garmin International that not only is the Astro legal in Canada (I've always maintained that it is. The information I gathered only indicated that it was not approved for USE) but that there is even a Canadian company selling and shipping the unit in the Great White North! If true, that would be fantastic!!!

However, it is still not clear that all the issues I outlined in my blog have been resolved. A major on-line seller of GPS and related products in Canada, GPS central, still states on their website that:

GPS Central does not carry the Garmin Astro product. It is not available for purchase in Canada where it is illegal to sell or use it. Its unapproved frequency interferes with channels not approved for civilian use. Fines for individuals are $25,000 with possible additional confiscation of property including automobiles. Electronics retailers face penalties of $50,000 or more. See Industry Canada.

It should be noted that the line that says the astro interferes with channels not approved for civilian use is not accurate. The frequencies used by the Astro can be used by civilians if they purchase the appropriate license which is freely available to private citizens. However, GPS Central's statement is similar to what I have heard from other distributors: that they have been told they cannot sell the units in Canada. US vendors have also told me the same thing. In fact, my interest in this whole thing came about after I tried to order an Astro a few months ago from Gundog Supply in the US and they emailed to say that they could not ship it to Canada.

Another large distributor of GSP devices has stores in the US and in Canada . It is called GPS City. Their American dot com site says: Availability: Ships August 31st/09. It then goes on to say the following: Canadian Customers! Save on shipping fees, customs, duty, and PST! Buy this item from Canada's original on-line GPS store, gpscity located in Calgary, Alberta. But when you click on the link to the Canadian dot ca site it says: This item is not available for purchase.

Even Garmin's own website states that Due to varying international regulations, this version of the Astro is approved for use only in the United States.

GPS central also provides a link to the department in charge of these things, Industry Canada. Their website states that "In general, Canadians expect to have access to the same range of electronic and wireless products and services that are available elsewhere in North America. However, making these frequencies available for these wireless consumer products often poses several challenges. One of the primary challenges is that the desired spectrum is often already in use. This means that incumbent licensees need a reasonable notification period to move to other frequencies to avoid interference to their radio services".

Now, there may very well have been some movement on the issue since I wrote my last post about the Astro. Considering that there is apparently a Canadian company selling them over the net and that a representative from Garmin has supposedly stated in an email that the unit is good to go up here, the Gov. may have recently granted approval for the Astro. As I stated in my blog, they had every intention of changing the rules governing the MURS frequencies, but not for five years:

The Department establishes the following time frame to permit MURS devices to operate in these five channels in the 150 MHz band. 1. a five-year transition period is established from the publication date of this spectrum policy, (June 1, 2009) after which the distribution and sale of MURS devices will be permitted;

So is the Astro really good to go up here? Honestly, I don't know. I certainly hope so and I will probably put an order through to the Canadian company selling them first thing in the morning. But I think I will also give Industry Canada and Garmin a call just to find out what their take on it really is...because we all know that "... it would really be appreciated that if you don't know what your (sic) talking about that you said nothing",

Isn't that right Mr. Manners?

UPDATE: See my this post regarding even more up-to-date information I've gleaned from what seems to be an excellent Canadian source.

Happy Birthday Uma!

Uma the Happy Hunter.

Click HERE to see a gallery of All Uma, All the Time!

6 years ago, Lisa and I welcomed an 8 week old Épagneul de Pont Audemer named Uma into our family. Born in Normany, France not far from the D-Day beaches, Uma is out of Yannick Mole's 'Coteaux de Yannijean' kennel.

Now, before I get into all of Uma's special qualities, quirks and things she does to drive us crazy, I should probably answer the most obvious question: "What the heck is an Épagneul de Pont Audemer?"

The 'Ponto' as it is affectionately called, is one of several Épagneul breeds from France. Of course, everyone has heard of the Épagneul Breton, known in the US and UK as the Brittany, but very few people know that the Breton has cousins from other parts of France. And like the Breton, they are named after where they come from. The Épagneul Picard for example is from Picardy, an area north of Paris and the epicentre of much of World War 1. The Épagneul de Pont Audemer is from Normandy and named after a small city there named, you guessed it, Pont Audemer.

The breed was once relatively common in Normandy and Picardy. Then time, fashion and two world wars took their toll. The breed has just managed to hang on for the last 50 years or so with an average of only 30 to 50 pups born per year in the world! The estimate for the entire world wide population of Pontos is about 350. There are 3 in Canada. Uma and two of her cousins, Vinnie and Bécasse.

Now, on to the quirks and qualities of our Uma.

First, the quirks:

1. She's French. Very French. That means that she a. loves stinky cheese b. would probably smoke Gitanne cigarettes if she were human and c. is about as agressive as Mr. Rogers.

2. She's a barker. Boy o boy does she love to bark. But it's a French sort of bark...more of an existential rant about how zee stupeed peeples keep passing in front of zee house!! Nom de dieu!! It is nothing like our Weims' bark which is basically a final warning before the gates of hell open up. Here is how I describe the typical Ponto protection instinct in my book: As far as protection, predator sharpness or man-sharpness go, the Ponto is probably the least likely of all versatile breeds to ever stop an intruder or kill a fox. My wife has always said that while our Weimaraners would put their lives on the line to protect our house and home, the Ponto would probably just watch it all from the couch while enjoying a glass of red wine and a cigarette.

3. For Uma, every day is a bad hair day. The Ponto coat is best described as "80's hair-band" with a twist. On some Pontos the coat can be fairly curly, uniform in texture and not too hard on the eyes. And I must admit that over the last couple of years, Uma's coat has improved a lot. She's actually kinda pretty now. But for much of her youth, especially in the late adolescent stage, she had a hair do that was a cross between a rocker mullet and hungover dreadlocks.

And now the qualities:

1. She hunts. Boy o boy does she love to hunt. Unlike our weims who go about their work as if God himself assigned them to a glorious suicide mission for the team, Uma is the quintessential "happy hunter" that covers a field in the same way a kid zooms through a candy stores after drinking a 6 pack of Red Bull.

2. She is lowest maintenance dog on the face of the earth (well, except for the barking). If she is not in the field zooming around in pursuit of birds, Uma is content to lay comatose for 23 1/2 hours a day. She and her cousin Vinnie are the only gundogs I have ever known that could actually live in a library at an old folks home...and not be noticed.

3. She smiles. Yup, full on, wall of teeth smiles. I've yet to catch the grin with a camera...but one day I will. And when I do by golly, I will win every cute pet photo contest this side of the Atlantic.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UMA!!!

Here's to many more days afield!

So...how's that book coming along

• Name: How the breed got its name, what it means in English and how it is pronounced.
• History of the breed. In this section, I take a good hard look at the available evidence and try to piece together the most likely scenario of each breed's development. In the process, I challenge some long-held assumptions and even bust some myths.
• Current Situation: Who's breeding them, where are they being bred, how many are there, what clubs represent the breed.
• Appearance. I briefly describe the coat type, colour, height and overall look. I avoid the common cop-out of just cutting and pasting the published conformation standards. I mean c'mon, world does NOT need another lame book with nothing more than show ring standards for content.
• Performance. I give a description of how they run, point, track, swim, fetch, and protect (if applicable).
• Tests and Trials: A look at the performance related events used by breeders to select stock.
  
• Breeding programs. Basically a look at what went into the breed to create it...and what may still be going in officially or by the light of the moon.
• Personal Observations. My own impressions of the breed after having seen it and spoken with breeders and hunters who know it inside out.
• In a Nutshell. In this section I sum up the pro's and con's of the breed, its hunting niche, clubs, etc.
• Caution Index: I rate the risk factor associated with trying to find a good one. The range is from moderate to extremely high; no breed is a sure bet, none are rated low or no risk.
• Homeland: The breeds are presented in sections according to the country of origin. In each section, I offer an overview of the hunting history and traditions of that particular country as well as a description of the gundog scene there today.
  

Q: So, when will you finish it?
A: My crystal ball tells me "soon", but the fortune cookie I got with lunch the other day said "eventually". The truth is probably somewhere in between.

Q:Will you self-publish or shop it around?
A:I'm leaning toward self-publishing. With print on demand services now offering fantastic print quality and the ability to control all aspects of the content, design and layout, I am very tempted. That does not mean I'd refuse a publishing deal though.

Q:Why is it taking you so long to write it?
A: Short answer: I'm slow.
Long answer: If I wanted to publish a quick and easy book, I could have taken the same route as so many authors of so-called dog bibles: copy and paste a bunch of show ring standards, add a few words based on crap found on the net or put out by the AKC and be done with it. Instead, I decided to write a book based on the best information I could gather from breed experts, well regarded authorities, reputable authors and above all, hunters. And that has meant a heck of a lot of travel. Since I really can't afford to go to Europe and the US more than once a year (if that) I've had to plan my trips very carefully and use the time in between to work on the book...and hunt with my own dogs course! That, and I have a full time job: I'm a photographer/educator/stand-up philosopher.

I should also add that the whole project is one of those "its the journey, not the destination" kind of things. What could be better than combining the three keen interests my wife and I share :dogs, photography and travel? We don't really care that its taken us years to get where we are now. It's been a wonderful adventure.

That said, I should point out that if you have your ass-kicking boots on, remember to send a swift one my way once in a while...I really need to get this book thing done!

Myth-busting the Grand Duke's Grey Ghost

Ok, we've all read about Karl August of Sachsen-Weimar and his connection to the Weimarner right? You know, the Grand Duke, that fancy-pants European nobleman, friend of Goethe, who liked his schnapps a bit too much, and, according to most Weim histories, more or less created the grey ghost and shared the breed with his fancy-pants friends?

Ya, that guy (check out those pants!)

Ok, so tell me this: why is it that despite years of on-again, off-again research into the Duke have I been unable to find one, single, solitary piece of solid evidence that proves he even knew what a Weimaraner was, let alone created it from scratch?

Sure I've read all the stuff published by Weimaraner enthusiasts. They are nearly unanimous in their assertion that the Weim came from the court of the Grand Duke. They point to paintings that seem to show the old guy out hunting, with dogs of all kinds prancing around the game fields of his estates. Any dog in these illustrations that is short haired and lighter in colour is immediately "identified" as a Weim. And they write that "it is said that the Grand Duke..." or "according to tradition, Karl August"...yada yada yada. Yet no one provides anything more than a sort of "I heard it from a guy who knew a guy that had a friend who heard..." sort of thing.

Now, the few mentions I can find of the Grand Duke that were written by men who tried to get to the bottom of the story turn out to be completely opposite to what most people believe. Guys like Robert Herber and Dr. Kleeman, renowned experts who lived and breathed this kind of stuff, concluded that:

"the hunting activity of the Dukes of Weimar had nothing to do with the existance of the Weimaraner" (Kleeman)

and

"hunting writers of the Royal Court of Weimar never mentioned the Weimaraner, which they by all means would have done for patriotic reasons." (Herber).

Herber even goes on to say that: "I have been in touch with the Hofmarschallamt and the Hofjagdamt in Weimar, who had found nothing concerning the Weimaraner despite thorough searching through their files. The name was probably brought into existence because the Weimaraner first occurred in large numbers in Weimar and was bred there. Even Diezel says nothing about the Weimaraner in 1873. (Herber, Deutsch Waidwerk No 22, September 1, 1939)

And I too have tried, in vain, to find any mention of Weimaraners in writings about the Grand Duke by people not connected to the breed. I've poured over a couple of Duke biographies and found nada, zippo, zitch about Weimaraners in them. Recently, I noticed that there is a new biography on the market. Written by Volker Ebersbach, it seems to be mainly about the Duke's connection to Goethe. On the cover is a beautiful painting of the Duke with a longhaired brown and white dog laying beside him...definitely NOT a Weim!

So, if Karl August did have a hand in creating the Weimaraner and if he did, as some "authorities" claim strive to keep it among the nobles of Weimar, why, oh why would he have his painting done showing him with a dog that is surely NOT a Weim?

Does anyone have this book...or access to it at a local library or book shop? I would love to know if the author makes any mention of the Weimaraner in it.

And while we are at it, can anyone tell me how the dogs in this illustration of the Grand Duke, Goethe and Corena Schroeter can be mistaken for Weims?

There are plenty of other illustrations of the man, some of them feature dogs. In NONE of them, is there clear evidence that the dogs are Weimaraners.

What gives? Is the whole Grand Duke thing just wishful thinking? Is it all a bunch of hokum?

Does anyone have any information they can point me to that clearly establishes a link between the Weimaraner and the Grand Duke?

Or should we considered this myth busted and follow Christopher Hitchens's advice?

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens

Spring Training

Even though spring sprung a while ago, I still consider the training we've managed to squeeze in between work and..well more work, to be "spring training". And every so often I remember to bring a camera along to capture the action. This weekend, I finally took the time to cobble together an image gallery featuring some shots from the various training sessions we've enjoyed. I've also included a few photos taken at Henri's NAVHDA test and of a very handsome Drahthaar named Jaeger.

Click here or on the leaping dog above to view the photos.