Avalanche Beacons: Is there a real Stand-Out Winner?
- Thread starter christopher
- Start date
There is a lot of good information here. The BCA beacons (DTS and Tracker 2) are a good compromise between price and performance. The biggest issue with the BCA beacons, as has been stated, is that you can't "mark" signals. In a multiple bury situation marking allows you to disregard signals that have already been located, but you haven't turned off. For example, say you have three people buried in fairly close proximity. You locate the first one and a team starts to dig them out, and you keep searching. With marking technology you can tell the receiving beacon to disregard the signal of the known location, and focus on the next signals. Without it, you keep receiving all the active signals, which can cause confusion and slow down a rescue.
With a non-marking beacon you use special search techniques to help with the competing signals, such as micro strip, expanding circle or three circle searching. However, these techniques are a little more advanced and MUST be practiced and understood to be effective. More info here http://beaconreviews.com/transceivers/MultipleBurials.asp and here: http://www.backcountryaccess.com/index.php?id=163
If you are committed to practicing a lot and really knowing how to deal with multiple burial situations the Tracker 2 is a good beacon. It is fast, as it doesn't need to worry about marking, and has good range. If you want a beacon with marking technology, and a little more range, the Ortovox S1, Mammut Pulse and Pieps DSP are good beacons. In a recent independent review I believe they were ranked in that order, with the Tracker 2 in fourth place.
The biggest thing is to GET A BEACON and become intimately familiar with it. Any modern/functioning beacon is better than nothing. However, if you don't spend the time to get to know them and practice, they aren't much better.
With a non-marking beacon you use special search techniques to help with the competing signals, such as micro strip, expanding circle or three circle searching. However, these techniques are a little more advanced and MUST be practiced and understood to be effective. More info here http://beaconreviews.com/transceivers/MultipleBurials.asp and here: http://www.backcountryaccess.com/index.php?id=163
If you are committed to practicing a lot and really knowing how to deal with multiple burial situations the Tracker 2 is a good beacon. It is fast, as it doesn't need to worry about marking, and has good range. If you want a beacon with marking technology, and a little more range, the Ortovox S1, Mammut Pulse and Pieps DSP are good beacons. In a recent independent review I believe they were ranked in that order, with the Tracker 2 in fourth place.
The biggest thing is to GET A BEACON and become intimately familiar with it. Any modern/functioning beacon is better than nothing. However, if you don't spend the time to get to know them and practice, they aren't much better.
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Same here. Love my S1 and can find multiple burials so quickly. Also some other great features with the S1. Ortovox has a new one called the +3 i believe coming out this fall that should be better than the S1 and priced at like $320. See if you can snatch one of those up.
A
aninchlow
Member
Go what it is worth I operate a Heli ski company and we exclusively use the Barry vox pulse. The are spendy but in our industry wide review they are viewed as simply the easiest to use and one of the most accurate devices on the market. If you haven't used on and you get the chance to you will probably end up buying one 
Be sAfe out there.
Be sAfe out there.
it all depends on how much you want to be able to do with the beacon. For example: the S1 has capabilities of showing up to 3 buriels on its screen at once. the patroller will indicate with a LED light multyple buriels. The S1 will show up to 3 buriels on the screen and also show the distance and depth of the buriels, multyple or individual. The patroller only indicates the buriel. Leaving you to guess on the depth and location. Don't me wrong just having a beacon is a huge plus (as long as you are not the only one in the group with one.)
It will all depend on how much you want to spend and how much you will train to be proficient with your beacon. Every one has a different opinion on which one they would purchase or which one they have. Personally, I got the wife an S1 and myself a Patroller. The S1 being easier to use and shows distance and depth on the screen (as long as it is with in the beacons range), that way she can find me. lol
I got the patroller for myself, it may be a little more difficult to use, but with training you can get good with it.
So my best input would be to go to a store that carries several different brands and try them all. Or you can go online and research the different models of the various beacons.
It will all depend on how much you want to spend and how much you will train to be proficient with your beacon. Every one has a different opinion on which one they would purchase or which one they have. Personally, I got the wife an S1 and myself a Patroller. The S1 being easier to use and shows distance and depth on the screen (as long as it is with in the beacons range), that way she can find me. lol
I got the patroller for myself, it may be a little more difficult to use, but with training you can get good with it.
So my best input would be to go to a store that carries several different brands and try them all. Or you can go online and research the different models of the various beacons.
I
Insaneboltrounder/sjohns
Well-known member
beacon
Barryvox Pulse is the best without a doubt.More expensive for sure,but three things not to cheap out on,a beacon,shovel and probe!!
Barryvox Pulse is the best without a doubt.More expensive for sure,but three things not to cheap out on,a beacon,shovel and probe!!
iProbe
Great info and feedback on tranceivers. There are a few comments mentioning the iProbe that I have to add to. It REALLY is the missing link. I purchased one last year just for fun but after trying it our group now has 7 of them. I had no idea of how it enhanced a search until I tried it. The iProbe gives a beeping signal when its tip comes within 2 meters of any sending tranceiver. This means that you can wave the probe over the surface of the snow and "find" a burial that is within 2 meters of the surface. Of course this only makes sense when you know the general area of the burial, but it works extremely well and is very fast.
The next phase, the actual probing is the next great surprise and perhaps the greatest. Never again will you wonder if you hit a hard lump in the snow or the actual victim. The probe gives a steady tone when it comes within 50 cm. No tone = it is not the victim. And, if your probe happens to miss the victim the tone will still alert you. You do not need to rely on a direct hit to know you "hit" the victim.
The ability to turn off a Piep brand probe is an advantage as well in the case of multiple burials. You might want to consider this advantage in your selection of a new tranceiver but even if you have a tranceiver that cannot be turned off the advantage of the enhanced probing cannot be overstated.
I really do not understand how the iProbe has not received more attention and I am happy that I decided to try one. I would feel blind with an "analog" probe.
Great info and feedback on tranceivers. There are a few comments mentioning the iProbe that I have to add to. It REALLY is the missing link. I purchased one last year just for fun but after trying it our group now has 7 of them. I had no idea of how it enhanced a search until I tried it. The iProbe gives a beeping signal when its tip comes within 2 meters of any sending tranceiver. This means that you can wave the probe over the surface of the snow and "find" a burial that is within 2 meters of the surface. Of course this only makes sense when you know the general area of the burial, but it works extremely well and is very fast.
The next phase, the actual probing is the next great surprise and perhaps the greatest. Never again will you wonder if you hit a hard lump in the snow or the actual victim. The probe gives a steady tone when it comes within 50 cm. No tone = it is not the victim. And, if your probe happens to miss the victim the tone will still alert you. You do not need to rely on a direct hit to know you "hit" the victim.
The ability to turn off a Piep brand probe is an advantage as well in the case of multiple burials. You might want to consider this advantage in your selection of a new tranceiver but even if you have a tranceiver that cannot be turned off the advantage of the enhanced probing cannot be overstated.
I really do not understand how the iProbe has not received more attention and I am happy that I decided to try one. I would feel blind with an "analog"
probe.
S
snowww1
Well-known member
Many of you are missing a key point. You don't want multiple burials and complete multiple burials are less than 5% of the accidents in North America according to one study. Beacons that flag only make a difference in about 2% of the avalanche accidents.
Multiple burials usually equal fatalities because the digging is what takes the most time in a rescue. It's great practicing multiple burials with the beacons 1'-2' under the snow, but let's think of a real situation where one person is buried 3' and the other is buried 6' and only 2 people are searching. The odds are against you in many situations, especially since most people aren't proficient with their beacons. It's the search patterns that make the difference when there are multiple burials. Some of the beacons that flag can easily miss beacons when 5 or 6 beacons are buried in close proximity.
Get a good digital three antenna beacon (check www.beaconreviews.com), practice with it and only put one person in danger at a time. Taking an on the snow avalanche rescue class will increase your skills and confidence.
It amazes me how many riders have beacons, have been wearing them for years and still don't know how to use them efficiently.
Try this on your next ride. Bury a beacon and see who can find it in under 2 minutes. I think many of you will be shocked.
Mike Duffy
avalanche1.com
Avalanche education for mountain riders.
Multiple burials usually equal fatalities because the digging is what takes the most time in a rescue. It's great practicing multiple burials with the beacons 1'-2' under the snow, but let's think of a real situation where one person is buried 3' and the other is buried 6' and only 2 people are searching. The odds are against you in many situations, especially since most people aren't proficient with their beacons. It's the search patterns that make the difference when there are multiple burials. Some of the beacons that flag can easily miss beacons when 5 or 6 beacons are buried in close proximity.
Get a good digital three antenna beacon (check www.beaconreviews.com), practice with it and only put one person in danger at a time. Taking an on the snow avalanche rescue class will increase your skills and confidence.
It amazes me how many riders have beacons, have been wearing them for years and still don't know how to use them efficiently.
Try this on your next ride. Bury a beacon and see who can find it in under 2 minutes. I think many of you will be shocked.
Mike Duffy
avalanche1.com
Avalanche education for mountain riders.
timmybrix
i have bca dts beacon for sale-never used never had batteries installed -full harness-no user guide-you'll need to take class anyhow if u havent allready contact at timmydabricklayer@gmail.com if u or anyone are interested
i have bca dts beacon for sale-never used never had batteries installed -full harness-no user guide-you'll need to take class anyhow if u havent allready contact at timmydabricklayer@gmail.com if u or anyone are interested
$259 Backcountry Access Tracker 2 Avalanche Beacon
http://www.backcountry.com/backcoun...5&origin=pla&gclid=CNK8nLKa_LMCFQinPAod1AwAxg
http://www.backcountry.com/backcoun...5&origin=pla&gclid=CNK8nLKa_LMCFQinPAod1AwAxg
Beacon OLYMPICS! = snow CPR
when the snow starts to fly, make a point to gather the crew and get familiar with beacons and how different beacons works in general. hiding and finding beacons within a 50 yd. perimeter. those are the only rules (trees, obstacles, make it difficult). 3 mins. tops and you expect around 2 mins. or less before things get too drastic. it gets fun at snowy backyard bbq's. its nice to know that your back country brethren are capable of operating life saving equipment, I look around me when I get ready to pull stunts to see who is there. we have knocked down a few avys but nobody has been buried yet, but have been prepared when snow started sliding thanks to this.
BE SaFE
when the snow starts to fly, make a point to gather the crew and get familiar with beacons and how different beacons works in general. hiding and finding beacons within a 50 yd. perimeter. those are the only rules (trees, obstacles, make it difficult). 3 mins. tops and you expect around 2 mins. or less before things get too drastic. it gets fun at snowy backyard bbq's. its nice to know that your back country brethren are capable of operating life saving equipment, I look around me when I get ready to pull stunts to see who is there. we have knocked down a few avys but nobody has been buried yet, but have been prepared when snow started sliding thanks to this.
BE SaFE
This is an old thread, started in 2010, how about some opinions now that some of this technology has been out there for a few years. I am needing a beacon for this winter and am really interested in what people who use them have to say. Thanks in advance.
I
insomniac62
Well-known member
Bca tracker 2 ---- SIMPLE to use!
2011 M8 153"
Boondocker Turbo
KMOD
Built by VOHK
2006 M7 162"
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
2011 M8 153"
Boondocker Turbo
KMOD
Built by VOHK
2006 M7 162"
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
ortovox
there are a ton of reasons why not to by a BCA tracker or tracker 2, but lets just start with ALL current Ortovox beacons offer "Smart Antennae" technology which allows your beacon to transmit ~40% farther than a BCA in a vertical burial scenario. The beacon will automatically switch the transmitting antennae to the horizontal antennae for maximum transmission range.
So do YOU want someone to find YOU if YOU are buried? Give them the best signal and therefore the best chance of digging you out alive.
there are a ton of reasons why not to by a BCA tracker or tracker 2, but lets just start with ALL current Ortovox beacons offer "Smart Antennae" technology which allows your beacon to transmit ~40% farther than a BCA in a vertical burial scenario. The beacon will automatically switch the transmitting antennae to the horizontal antennae for maximum transmission range.
So do YOU want someone to find YOU if YOU are buried? Give them the best signal and therefore the best chance of digging you out alive.
B
BallsDeep_5280
Well-known member
I have both the BCA Tracker 2 and the Pieps DSP. I would recommend either of these, but I prefer the Pieps because of the 3 antennas, multiple burial capabilities, and it has a comfy harness.
More important than which beacon, is knowing how to use them. I practice a few hours in the fall with buddies and throughout the season I'll chuck a beacon into the side of the hill and ask my partner to find it while I time him. When practicing in the fall, I set out a bunch of brown bags with small rocks in them throughout a field. One bag has a beacon and a beer in it. Whoever finds the beacon first, gets the beer. At round #20, things start to get a little hazy and practice turns into a party.
Practice Practice Practice. You'd be amazed at the amount of time a rookie takes to get out a shovel and a probe, let alone the amount of time it takes them to actually find a buried beacon.
More important than which beacon, is knowing how to use them. I practice a few hours in the fall with buddies and throughout the season I'll chuck a beacon into the side of the hill and ask my partner to find it while I time him. When practicing in the fall, I set out a bunch of brown bags with small rocks in them throughout a field. One bag has a beacon and a beer in it. Whoever finds the beacon first, gets the beer. At round #20, things start to get a little hazy and practice turns into a party.
Practice Practice Practice. You'd be amazed at the amount of time a rookie takes to get out a shovel and a probe, let alone the amount of time it takes them to actually find a buried beacon.
I have the S1 and love it. It takes a little while to get to know how to use it but once you do it works awesome and the new S1+ is even better
