Avy beacon purchase advice

[Snowjunky]

So here is some real world observation and personal account. The first time I have ever held a beacon. Met up with Cabe from Sno-Big-Deal to look at a ABS pack and he brought a Ortho and a Tracker. Simply put I found myself walkin straighter lines with the Ortho. The Tracker seemed to go left and right a little more. I am sure with practice I will be able to do it straighter and quicker. Watching someone that knows alot about these units made an immediate impression. The Ortho is no ocasional user beacon. The tracker I had down in no time. Parking lot test. No pressure no life at stake. Listening to Cabe was all I needed to run the Tracker.(FOR THE PARKING LOT) I am sure with practice the ortho would be better in many areas. This was for a extra guest beacon that could be explained somewhat while gettting ready. But after thinking about it I feel the tracker will be the choice for 2 of the three that I will be buying. I want to try the pieps first. Thanks to everyone that has taken the time to post on this topic. It has been a huge help. And yes I will be lookin up Duffy for an in snow Avy class.

 

[alrevedup]

tracker, peips, ortovox.........pretty much any digital one. they are easy to use in a panic situation. pretty much point and go!!!! they give you direction and distance!!! personally, i don't like the analog ones like SOS and what not, but they do work, just need WAY more practice!!! speaking of which, no matter what you go with, you need to practice to figure out how they work. we always get toegther and go thru several scenarios and actually bury them out in the field and have to look for them!!!!! this helps not only to learn how to use the beacon, but how to do a search by yourself, with another person, or as a group, cause this changes the way things get done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! better to learn how now then at an avy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

now a days they are all good!!!


EVERYONE should be carrying one and practicing with it!!!

I dont want to lose a single peep this coming season!!!!

 

[Caveman]

I have Pieps and SOS both work but the Pieps is much easier.Even the very young kids can use them.

 

[R J]

I have ordered the latest and greatest from BCA that isn't even released yet. Tested one at a show and seen it all up close etc. It's the Tracker 2 I think. Has some nice features and has a super quick antenna that is simply superior to what's out on the market today from what the sales guy said and he did have some other brands there for comparsion and use.

They should be out in Sep/Oct time frame. While I was filling out the paperwork to get one, a state association stopped in and ordered 5 of them for their crew. It's a nice, neat and compact unit.

 

[Rick!]

I bought my Pulse from Snowbigdeal. I shoulda got the large blade shovel though. My S&R buddy recommended it and after I got it out of Mandarin Chinese, it is really pretty simple to use.

 

[GKR]

After recent avy training and beacon practise including mock burials with timed rescue practise here is my recommendation in order of importance.

1) Take an avy course - most importatnt thing you can do! I rode 15+ years in the backcountry and after some training I realized how uniformed I really was and how many risks I had taken.
2)Read and understand the avy bulletins and act accordingly.
3) Make sure your group discusses conditions, everyone has a beacon, and you take some time to identify hazards as a group. One rider on a hill at a time, no exceptions, and if you get stuck at the top of a climb, get yourself out. Don't put your group at risk.
4)Every rider must have a beacon, shovel, and probe.
5)PRACTISE..... often, and before you are at risk.

All this is most important. Avoiding in the firstplace is the key. If someone in your group is caught in one, your odds just dropped a mile.

Then the beacon question becomes important.

I have used an SOS analog for years. After an avy course and a beacon course with opportunity to try them all, my decision was easy. I bought a Barryvox pulse. In our mock burial drills which were two groups split up out of sight of each other burying up to 5 beacons and then after starting a stopwatch here was my experience. I had a Barryvox beacon handed to me after never holding one. I identified and located 3 buried beacons before anyone in our search group found one. We found and dug out 5 beacons in 14 minutes which is basically nearing maximum survival time. After this exercise and training course I realized, a three antenna, digital beacon is the best possible choice. Don't get me wrong, they all work, they all need practise, and they are the very last thing you want to have to use but consider all things in your decision, is your life worth the extra hundred bucks or so? Also bear in mind, your beacon saves your buddies life and vice versa, so make sure THEY get a good one and know how to use it.

Good luck, BUY one, and I hope you never need to use it.

PS, watch the video floating around this forum, "a dozen more turns" I think it's called, it will give you some perspective on things.

 

[Trenchmaster]

Like everone else on this topic has stated they all work well with practice. When we tried burying a beacon last year the analog (SOS) got the signal from a much farther distance than the digital beacons we had (Tracker). Once the Tracker got the signal it was much quicker to the target, but buddy wondered around trying to find the signal and the SOS was already at the target. If you have to search from a distance I believe the analog works better, just my opinion!

 

[GODEEP]

Pieps. very user friendly.

Yup, thats what I use as well.