# SportDOG Remote Launcher System



## SportDOGBrand

SportDOG has released it's new launcher system. It is currently available at retailers and you can find full information about it on the SportDOG website.

Thanks!


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## Gunners Up

We've been testing the new SportDog remote transmitter and receivers with the Gunners Up launchers and this is a first in class set up. Each receiver can operate up to 9 different launchers and has pre-programed duck, pheasant, & shot sounds. The transmitter is intuitive and easy to use. Truly a game changer. 

Rich Davis


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## GilWlsn

If Richard says "game changer" I've taken notice. Anybody else using them? I hear their out of stock.....go figure


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## tim bonnema

I fail to see the game changer here. Dogtra will run 16 different wingers. And are proven.


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## Jeff Huntington

tim bonnema said:


> I fail to see the game changer here. Dogtra will run 16 different wingers. And are proven.


Dogtra can only run 2 wingers per receiver, I believe SD receiver can run 9 launchers. Now if they can use this ability and operate a 8 shooter BB system and thereby do away with the BB electronics, they could have a gold mine.


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## Renee P.

I am trying to imagine a training scenario in which someone would run 9 launchers off of one receiver. These would all have to be setup pretty close together as the receivers are connected to the launchers via wires, no?


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## priceskeet

It could be handy. At times we put out 4 wingers and 1 retired unretired gunner.
It could be handy to work Bumper Boys if it gets where you can not find recievers for them, it would take some work but could be done, would have to be set up like a winger.


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## Gunners Up

priceskeet said:


> It could be handy to work Bumper Boys if it gets where you can not find recievers for them, it would take some work but could be done, would have to be set up like a winger.


DING, DING,DING!!!!!! This can and has been successfully done.


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## Raymond Little

Well build units, on the pricey side imo.


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## krazybronco2

mitty said:


> I am trying to imagine a training scenario in which someone would run 9 launchers off of one receiver. These would all have to be setup pretty close together as the receivers are connected to the launchers via wires, no?


i have seen it done quite a few times when we want a certain mark but is hard to get to. have 6 wingers in that spot with three recievers and hand throw the other marks. and hopefully you have help to hand throw the other marks.


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## Renee P.

krazybronco2 said:


> i have seen it done quite a few times when we want a certain mark but is hard to get to. have 6 wingers in that spot with three recievers and hand throw the other marks. and hopefully you have help to hand throw the other marks.


Thanks for the response. I am just not seeing it, must be a whole different training style than what I see around here.


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## DoubleHaul

Raymond Little said:


> Well build units, on the pricey side imo.


About the same as Dogtra--at least for the initial transmitter and receiver. Not sure what Garmin will come out at if and when they upgrade the TT pro control.


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## DoubleHaul

mitty said:


> I am trying to imagine a training scenario in which someone would run 9 launchers off of one receiver. These would all have to be setup pretty close together as the receivers are connected to the launchers via wires, no?


I don't know that I have ever put out 9, but routinely put three wingers at each station often with a Malcolm, so you don't have to go out and reload for each dog. I have enough receivers that we generally put one on each, but having the ability to run more would be helpful. If you put one on your stick man, you will get better range. Lots of wires can get in the way though.


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## rookie

SportDOG Remote Launcher System! I have had several people contact us at Trainrite asking if this system would work with the trainrite release. I have made several phone calls to SportDog but so far I have not been able to talk to anyone that can give us any answers to the questions we have asked. They claim their system will work with other release systems but I can not tell those of you that own our trainrite releases that it is a " game changer". When we find the information that we have requested from SportDog and have tested their unit then and only then will we approve their use! We do approve of the Dogtra system it works very well at ranges of over 500 yds.
Warren Price
www.trainrite.net


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## BIG DOG

Mr. Price, Have you found anything out about the release and SD receiver compatibility yet?
Thanks


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## rookie

Big Dog
Sport Dog called us and said they would send us a unit to test on our Launchers and Releases. We look for a Receiver that will have a six volt output and will work at ranges of 600 yards. The old Tri Tronics units were not good over two hundred yards. Dogtra works very well at six hundred yards. I believe it may have more to do with their antenna but in testing Dogtra output was six volts. When we have tested the Sport Dog system I will post our opinions here or if you want send us a pm.
Warren
www.trainrite.net


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## BIG DOG

Thanks Mr Price


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## NateB

I have used Bumper boy electronics to run wingers of various brands. I think I could reverse the wiring process for Sportdog to run Bumper Boy launchers. I emailed Sportdog asking them if they would be interested in having me test out the system to see if they could run BBs. As many people are experiencing issues with the older electronics a replacement solution could be a nice little profit niche. However, I got no reply of any kind from them. So either they are not interested in this potential business, or think they can do it themselves.


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## Wild Wing

I converted my BB double by using tt receiver and changed the servos to the same as on my winger. I have a BB four shooter I want to convert but the receiver will only handle two ports. Can you give me some tips on how to do it , assume you used sport dogs, the bb servos have three wires, is there someway I can use them or do I need to change out? Thanks!


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## GilWlsn

Has anybody got these yet?


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## Eric Whitacre

A question for those that have the SD unit. Does it have a good/accurate low battery indicator? I have a TT unit and the low battery indication is supposed to be a fast flashing LED. W/ my Zinger Winger Field Trialer it usually fails to fire before the LED start to flash fast. If I charge it it will work for a while but will fail again w/o any indication that the battery is low. I have heard that this is also an issue w/ the Dogtra remote release system.


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## IowaBayDog

Eric VA said:


> A question for those that have the SD unit. Does it have a good/accurate low battery indicator? I have a TT unit and the low battery indication is supposed to be a fast flashing LED. W/ my Zinger Winger Field Trialer it usually fails to fire before the LED start to flash fast. If I charge it it will work for a while but will fail again w/o any indication that the battery is low. I have heard that this is also an issue w/ the Dogtra remote release system.


It could be that the servo on your winger is getting old so that its voltage operating threshold is higher than when it was new (needs more juice to fire) so it now is above the voltage when the remote thinks its at low battery.

Or the tolerance of those 2 things is just too close. I haven't noticed this and I run Dogtra electronics on both GU and Zinger's. They weren't designed by the same companies so the spec on whether or not the battery should be charged is not the same as what the servo in thing winger needs to fire. The servo and battery both degrade in performance over time. Batteries survive better fully charged its best to keep them that way.


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## Eric Whitacre

IowaBayDog said:


> It could be that the servo on your winger is getting old so that its voltage operating threshold is higher than when it was new (needs more juice to fire) so it now is above the voltage when the remote thinks its at low battery.
> 
> Or the tolerance of those 2 things is just too close. I haven't noticed this and I run Dogtra electronics on both GU and Zinger's. They weren't designed by the same companies so the spec on whether or not the battery should be charged is not the same as what the servo in thing winger needs to fire. The servo and battery both degrade in performance over time. Batteries survive better fully charged its best to keep them that way.


I have replaced the servo 3 or 4 times. The behavior is similar but when the servo needs replaced it doesn't work even after a full charge. I have seen the low battery indication if I do something like forget to power the unit off after I use it. Other than that I NEVER get the low battery indication before it fails to fire the winger. Note that the servo will work when the winger isn't loaded but not when it is loaded/cocked. 

The picture of the SD receiver shows a battery power indicator that looks like it would have 3 bars. The question for the people that have an SD is whether that indicator is accurate or not.


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## Chris Thiry

Can anyone give us a report on the Sport Dog Remote Launcher units.


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## Mullet Hunter

I'm intrested also, I'm about to order two wingers just don't know what electronics are best for me.


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## hawker

I'm interested if SD works with Trainrite, does anyone know?


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## Eric Whitacre

I just received my SD electronics so I have VERY limited experience w/ the unit. I have TT electronics and am considering switching. This is my initial impressions/understanding...

Polarity is the same as Dogtra...not same as TT. You should be able to use the SD electronics w/ any winger that can be controlled via Dogtra or TT electronics. I believe that ZW has switched to offering Dogtra/SD.

Pros:
> Appear to be well built...even the laynard is heavy/sturdy
> Xmitter is simple to use...no selector dials
> Launch selector display is large and easy to read even w/o reading glasses

Cons:
> Haven't figured out all the provided mounting HW...no real directions on how to use the HW that appears to be provided for mounting to a winger 
> THIS IS KIND OF MAJOR IF I AM CORRECT...the instruction manual seems to say that each receiver can ONLY control 1 servo device...the S port is for servo devices...which would be a winger. The other 8 can be used to control non-SERVO controlled devices...I don't know what they would be. My ZW launcher did work w/ the SD electronics in Normal mode in the servo port but not the "device" ports. Both TT and Dogtra can control 2 devices from 1 receiver. I have tried to contact SD but they are closed because of inclement weather. 

If someone has experience w/ the SD and has gotten a single receiver to operate multiple wingers let me know.

If what I am saying is correct then SDs website is incorrect when they say...Controls up to 9 launchers or wingers


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## Eric Whitacre

I talked w/ Andrew at Zinger Winger this morning...they actually returned my call from yesterday...EXCELLENT customer service. Andrew said that they actually didn't test the servo port. They tested ports 1-8. He was going to go test the servo port. What I found is that the polarity for the servo (S) port is different than the device (1-8) ports. At least in Normal mode.

So...
S port has Dogtra polarity
1-8 ports have TT polarity

I will provide more of a review once the snow melts and I can start using the unit.


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## rookie

hawker said:


> I'm interested if SD works with Trainrite, does anyone know?


Yes Hawker the Sport Dog works very well with the Trainrite Release. We have tested it at 400 yds and had good results. I can not tell you how durable the unit is or how long it will perform but there may be others who have been using this system that can answer that.
Warren Price
Trainrite


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## Chris Thiry

Thanks for the info.


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## daddymallard

any other thoughts?


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## shawninthesticks

Any new reviews on the SD remote system ? 

I'm looking for new electronics and here is what I want , I want to be able to control up to 4 separate gun stations (2 thunder launchers and 2 wingers) with 1 remote and no extension cords and a bonus would be,to be able to run a remote retiring Thunder device. If I understand the description on Dog A Field , I can do this with no problems ? 

Which brings me to my next question , are they compatible with Thunder Launchers?


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## Eric Whitacre

shawninthesticks said:


> Which brings me to my next question , are they compatible with Thunder Launchers?


I don't have a Thunder Launcher but if you go to the Thunder Launcher website they are selling Thunder Launders w/ SD remotes so the answer is yes.

If your launcher/device works w/ either a TT or a Dogtra remote it will work w/ a SD. Like I said in my previous post...the S port has Dogtra polarity and ports 1-8 have TT polarity. Note that you can change the polarity of your device by just swapping the red and black wires on the 3.5mm audio cable that is used to connect the receiver to your device. I believe that most devices are designed so that you can easily change the polarity. Otherwise they wouldn't have worked w/ either a TT or Dogtra remotes.


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## Eric Whitacre

I have played w/ my remote a little more.

For the last week I have been trying to get an idea of the battery life of the unit and determine how good the battery indicator on the receiver is.
I was trying to test this by turning the unit on, using it 5-10 times and then leaving it on. I did this twice a day for 7 days.
What I found was:
> The unit automatically turns off after >6 hours of non-use. It was greater than 6 hours but less than 7 hours. I am guessing that it is 24000 seconds or 6 hours and 40 minutes.
> After 7 days (or ~84 hours) the until still indicated a full charge
> W/ the connections being on the bottom of SD receiver my ZW wire wasn't long enough w/ the receiver mounted horizontally to the winger - easily remedied by mounting the receiver vertical 

I have a TT remote and so far I like the SD MUCH better...
> SD turns itself off - TT will stay on and run the battery dead
> SD has a tone for when it is turned on and a different tone for when it is turned off - this is nice because it is easy to just hold the on/off button down until you hear the on/off tone
> It is obvious that the SD is on and what mode (audio/launcher/etc) it is in because the display has this information on it...when it is off the display is blank


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## Eric Whitacre

I bought a 2nd receiver from Cabelas and received it last Friday. When I went to charge it the battery charge indicator just blinked (1-bar). It did not give the progressive # of bars charging indication. I tried different outlets, different AC adapters, let it charge overnight w/o any luck. On Monday I called SD Customer Support. They answered the phone and processed an order to get me a replacement receiver ASAP. I received the replacement receiver yesterday and it appears to work fine. They provided a postage paid return label to ship the bad receiver back.

When I asked if the replacement unit I was receiving was new or refurbished I was told that it was probably new seeing as how the product had not been on the market very long.

Additional comments:
> SD volume is not as loud as TT. It will probably work for most HT distances but it will NOT work for FT distances.
> It is VERY simple to program the receiver for your transmitter


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## Mullet Hunter

How is the duck sound as compred to the dogtra?


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## krazybronco2

Mullet Hunter said:


> How is the duck sound as compred to the dogtra?


very quite any kind of wind at anything more that 50yards and it is hard to hear.


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## sclaybaker

I have had my sportdog electronics for a few months now. Have gotten plenty of use from them I've charged them all once and been using them off and on for at least two months. I often don't use them every day so I'm not sure of exact battery life but plenty for ANY work that somebody may do. Also Ive used them on gunners up wingers and thunder launchers without a hitch. Work great but as stated above the noise is kinda quiet compared to my old tritronics. But the duck and pheasant sound are both realistic As I guess the shotgun blast is as well as good as it can be over a recording. I am thoroughly pleased with the product.


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## Eric Whitacre

krazybronco2 said:


> very quite any kind of wind at anything more that 50yards and it is hard to hear.


I have 4 units and I ran a quick test. W/ a slight cross wind (5mph) I can hear mine out to ~300yds. I had to listen close but I could hear them.
They are definitely not as loud as a dogtra or a TT. But like I said in my previous post they are loud enough for HT type distances.

I did have one unit that was noticeably quieter than the others. I called SD and they sent me a replacement w/ a return label for the defective unit.


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## NateB

Have had a chance to help my buddy convert a Bumper Boy Sportsman launcher to use with Sportdog electronics. First thing everyone needs to know is that the "S" port or solenoid, has a different polarity than the other 1-8 ports. To get servos to move the same direction when plugged into port S and port 1, they must be wired opposite of each other. So when he re-wired the servos to attach the wires directly to the motor, the #1 servo he put in the "S" port, was wired opposite to the second servo that plugged into the #1 port. He wanted to be able to operate the transmitter without looking so this seemed the most intuitive. To use ports 1 and 2, would require him to bypass the first setting on the transmitter. When using the bumper boy with his wingers, it would get confusing. Also the plastic RCA plugs you buy at Radio Shack are too wide to be plugged in consecutive ports. So he used an extension wire that had a thinner plug on it already, cut the wire and removed the female part of the extension wire.

We were wondering how you can plug in a bunch of Sportdog bird launchers to one receiver, since if you plug "directly" into the 1-8 ports it does not work. Well, you have to use THEIR extension cable which is essentially a "crossover" cable, so they will operate when plugged into ports 1-8. Crossover cable reverses the polarity delivered to the mechanism.

So there is what I know about Sportdog Electronics, hope it helps someone out. For people needing electronics for homemade bumper launchers, retiring guns, or anything else run by a servo this info should help avoid some frustration.

I have 4 Bumper Boy launchers, and 2 extra receivers for my wingers. Thought I was going to have to convert to Sportdog (2 of the BB are 4 shooters) as my BB transmitter was falling apart, but was able to acquire a new transmitter and should be good for a while. Was not looking forward to the investment.

One thing my friend noticed is that his 2 shooter is much lighter with the Sportdog receiver than the BB receiver.

Good luck all.


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## Dekester

Nate B
Go to my FB page 
Jon-Michael Rull
I did something a little bit different on the launchers and it works pretty well. I can run 4 Gu Wingers and a 4 shooter Bumperboy

JM


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## Eric Whitacre

Dekester said:


> Nate B
> Go to my FB page
> Jon-Michael Rull
> I did something a little bit different on the launchers and it works pretty well. I can run 4 Gu Wingers and a 4 shooter Bumperboy
> 
> JM


Any reason why you can't share it here?


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## Dekester

Dont have a YouTube account to upload a video too. I think that is the only way to get videos on this site.


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## Dekester

Trying to keep it simple


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## Eric Whitacre

Dekester said:


> Trying to keep it simple


I went to what I believe is your FB page and I didn't see anything related to this.
You only have 2 things on your timeline. One is a picture of a dog chained to trailer/truck and the other is about a breeding.


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## Dekester

Eric VA Sorry about that. Try it now. Everything was marked private for some reason


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## Eric Whitacre

Jon-Michael,
I had to friend you on FB in order to see the videos.
The SportDog xmitter w/ the 8 port receiver is an awesome setup for running multiple launcher devices and your video provides a great demonstration of that capability and how easy it is to both use and implement.


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