# Tri Tronics Tracer light



## runnindawgz (Oct 3, 2007)

Having problems with mine .. contacted customer svc. and haven't heard back yet (the weekend so I am not surprised). 

Keeps getting "stuck" on, or won't turn on ... took it apart, connections are good, etc.... anyone else using these lights. I liked to for the 24 hours (one evening) I did have it , an, I went and ordered two more for my other collars... now this one is having problems...! 

Any feedback if you use them would be cool - likes or issues, thanks!


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## GulfCoast (Sep 24, 2007)

We use them almost every night for walking the dog. We have had a couple (white) since about the time they first came out, and have had no issues at all, even with lots of use in the water. They are a blessing for walking a dog in a subdivision, it makes it easy for the drivers to see a dog on the sidewalk and slow down to the speed they should have been driving in the first place.


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## mcpoland (Apr 26, 2009)

Put red tracer on a G2 Pro 500. After about a week of extensive water training with several dogs noticed the collar did not work but the light was on. Had not turned light on at the "A" position of level dial. Found that the light would turn on and off randomly with transmitter set on numbers. Also got shock from charging contacts on collar. Took it apart - no water in unit. Called Tri-Tronics and got first unsatisfactory answer in over 25 years. The light was a freebie in a welcome bag at a Rorem seminar so no purchase involved. Threw the light away and collar is just fine.


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## 43x (Mar 29, 2009)

runnindawgz said:


> Having problems with mine .. contacted customer svc. and haven't heard back yet (the weekend so I am not surprised).
> 
> Keeps getting "stuck" on, or won't turn on ... took it apart, connections are good, etc.... anyone else using these lights. I liked to for the 24 hours (one evening) I did have it , an, I went and ordered two more for my other collars... now this one is having problems...!
> 
> Any feedback if you use them would be cool - likes or issues, thanks!


I had trouble with it turning on automatic  Sent the light and collar back to TT and works perfect now , that's been over a year ago no problems sense


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## fuchsr (Aug 10, 2008)

I have two units, and like others reported here they seem to turn themselves on at times. I haven't been able to find a pattern, but it happens infrequently for me so I didn't bother to send them in.


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## Lance-CO (Jan 10, 2003)

Love it. Live in a 2 1/2 acre We don't have a fence and no street light. Only way i could find my dog if she is getting too close to the street during the nigh is with the tracer. Easier to see them if they are flashing too. I got a white one using a pro 500 g2, no problem at all


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## Erin O'Brien (Mar 5, 2010)

Mine seems to turn on if I use the continuous button. I have the flyaway that has two "nick" buttons and one continuous. I just make sure to turn the light off after training because it really drains the battery. Even if you turn the collar off, it continues to flash. I haven't contacted tri tronics about it, I was considering just getting rid of it but I can't find the original screws. I found a waterproof light that I can just put on their regular collars (nite ize spotlit led) and don't really use the e collar anymore for that.


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## Ed Bahr (Jul 1, 2007)

I really like mine......The only thing I have had happen is if I lay it by a cell phone in my truck it would sometimes turn on..


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## Deleted On Request (Jan 28, 2011)

I was just signing on to post a thread about great customer service by TriTronics related to the Tracer light my wife got me for Father's Day, and I see this as the first post. How bizarre.

Anyway, she got me the red Tracer for Tonka, and when I began to assemble it, the threads on one of the long screws were bad. I called TriTronics Tuesday, and today in the mail I got two brand new long screws, free of charge. That's service.

As to the light itself, no issues so far. Turns on and off as it should. *knock, knock, knock on nearest piece of wood*

Oh, and she ordered it from gundogsupply.com and told Steve or whoever that it was a Father's Day present. They shipped it ASAP, and even though they said Monday or Tuesday, it showed up Saturday. (Tonka got me the holster for the transmitter, so I don't pull a Gooser and put it in my back pocket - sorry, Goooser, had to drop the bus on you, that picture was too funny.)

So, in my world, anyway, kudos to TriTronics and to gundogsupply.com for great customer service.

I hope they contact you soon, runnindawgz.


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## DoubleHaul (Jul 22, 2008)

fuchsr said:


> I have two units, and like others reported here they seem to turn themselves on at times. I haven't been able to find a pattern, but it happens infrequently for me so I didn't bother to send them in.


Same here.


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## captainjack (Apr 6, 2009)

I've had them turn on or off when my cell phone is near. Other than that I've used two extensively with no malfunctions.

The collar has to be on to turn the light on or off.


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## Michael Hill (Mar 29, 2010)

Im getting one with my purina points. Which color is the brightest?


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## sinned (Feb 14, 2009)

a $5 spot-lit works much more reliably for me. 

i had one that was a freebie too. it didn't work right. sent the collar back to TT. supposedly problem with the collar unit. got it and a NEW tracer light back. it was flaky too. i took it off and i can not give it away. 

dennis


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## GulfCoast (Sep 24, 2007)

Mikehill9487 said:


> Im getting one with my purina points. Which color is the brightest?


White is the brightest.


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## luggerhead (Jul 27, 2011)

I love mine


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## Roary (Aug 24, 2011)

I have the blue one, and I love it. I chose blue because it's not a common light color that I encounter when I'm out. Red and white, are too common. I'm glad I went with the blue one.


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## redhound (Aug 29, 2011)

You have to watch what setting your receiver is on cause if you hit a button it will turn on. Sometimes when I turn the collar off the light will stay on. So make sure the collar is on before you turn the light off. Once the light is off then turn the collar off. My dogs are rough on their equipment and these lights have worked well for me... but for lights I really like the Tracker lights that slip on the collar.


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## fuchsr (Aug 10, 2008)

Quick update on my woes:

Tritronics contacted me (maybe because they saw this discussion thread) and asked me to send my system in for diagnosis. They didn't find anything wrong with receivers or tracer lights but thought there was something not quite right with the transmitter. So I agreed to upgrade to a G3 transmitter. When my system arrived (old receivers and lights, new transmitter), I tested it right away by pressing a stimulation button and guess what -- the tracer light went on  Actually -- and here it gets really weird -- I was able to make the lights go on on one receiver even though it was turned off ). Obviously, it is not something trivial that Tritronics can easily diagnose.

I must admit that all tjos obviously didn't make me very happy. Frankly, at this point I have given up on the tracer lights. I have a request in to Tritronics to send me the short screws I need to reattach the battery after removing the lights, and hope they will send them to me quickly, considering that I just bought a new transmitter that didn't solve the problem.


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## skelso (Apr 29, 2009)

fuchsr said:


> Quick update on my woes:
> 
> Tritronics contacted me (maybe because they saw this discussion thread) and asked me to send my system in for diagnosis. They didn't find anything wrong with receivers or tracer lights but thought there was something not quite right with the transmitter. So I agreed to upgrade to a G3 transmitter. When my system arrived (old receivers and lights, new transmitter), I tested it right away by pressing a stimulation button and guess what -- the tracer light went on  Actually -- and here it gets really weird -- *I was able to make the lights go on on one receiver even though it was turned off* ). Obviously, it is not something trivial that Tritronics can easily diagnose.
> 
> I must admit that all tjos obviously didn't make me very happy. Frankly, at this point I have given up on the tracer lights. I have a request in to Tritronics to send me the short screws I need to reattach the battery after removing the lights, and hope they will send them to me quickly, considering that I just bought a new transmitter that didn't solve the problem.


The Tracer light is designed to work independantly of the receiver. So the receiver can be off and the light can still be activated. 

I just stumbled on this thread and am surprised at the number of people having issues. I have one on each of my collars (only 2) and like them. Only real complaint I have has to do with design. Since it's attached the the receiver and I put the received under the neck, so too is the light. So the dog's head blocks a lot of the illumination. Still enough for me to spot them when I air at night and they run off into the trees but not enough I would trust it to attert a passing motorist of the dog's presence.


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## Ted Shih (Jan 20, 2003)

I walk my dogs early in the morning and have Red, White, and Blue to identify each of them. No issues in three months of use so far, and love being able to tell where each dog is.


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## Bridget Bodine (Mar 4, 2008)

Can't get the tracer light to shut off... I have had all of the issues above and it is no big deal, but now I can't get it to turn off. Transmitter /collar ARE communicating...any words of wisdom?


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## freezeland (Nov 1, 2012)

Bridget Bodine said:


> Can't get the tracer light to shut off... I have had all of the issues above and it is no big deal, but now I can't get it to turn off. Transmitter /collar ARE communicating...any words of wisdom?


I would try removing the tracer light to remove it from the circuit, and then reinstall and see if the problem comes back or has been fixed. 

Despite all the reported problems with these things mine has worked fine, other than the screws that secure it on the receiver are way to short.


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## jackh (Oct 14, 2010)

http://www.gundogsupply.com/sportdog-locator-beacon-dog-safety---location-light.html

I read too much bad stuff about the Tracer so I got one of these. You can't control it remotely, but I have loved it so far. KISS I guess.


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