I am looking at beacons to buy and there are so many to choose from. Just want some feedback on what people are using and what the recommend.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
What beacon?
- Thread starter bigcountry
- Start date
I
Insaneboltrounder/sjohns
Well-known member
ortovox S1.... there is no other
I have a Tracker and find it very easy to use. Go to a store that has several brands and see which one is most intuitive to you.
After a lot of reading and research, I went with the Pieps DSP. Its not as flashy as the Ortovox or the Mammut, but its better as a beacon. The range and reaction time is superior, the new case that comes with them this year is comfy and out of the way (the old case sucked), and its simple to operate.
The truth of the matter is that all of the highend beacons are good, but the qualities you NEED in a beacon are slightly superior in a Pieps.
The Ortovox is finicky and can get lost if movements are too fast, the mammut isn't quite as intuitive, and I haven't had my hands on a new style beartracker yet. The old style beartracker doesn't compare with the accuracy of the new beacons, but is a solid beacon.
Whatever you choose, just get good with it, I've seen guys with old analog beacons school people with their fancy new beacons and its all because of practice.
I don't sell beacons so I have nothing to gain from your choice, I just spend a lot of time skiing places that can kill me so I put a lot of weight on my beacon selection.
That said, all of my friends and I wear a DSP.
The truth of the matter is that all of the highend beacons are good, but the qualities you NEED in a beacon are slightly superior in a Pieps.
The Ortovox is finicky and can get lost if movements are too fast, the mammut isn't quite as intuitive, and I haven't had my hands on a new style beartracker yet. The old style beartracker doesn't compare with the accuracy of the new beacons, but is a solid beacon.
Whatever you choose, just get good with it, I've seen guys with old analog beacons school people with their fancy new beacons and its all because of practice.
I don't sell beacons so I have nothing to gain from your choice, I just spend a lot of time skiing places that can kill me so I put a lot of weight on my beacon selection.
That said, all of my friends and I wear a DSP.
Whatever you choose, be sure to practice with it. I recommend a digital beacon. Also, if you do a search on here there are lots of answers regarding beacons.
I bought the Pieps DSP last year. Simple to use, user friendly beacon. You can use it with gloves on(big buttons). Whatever you purchase, get familiar with it!
J
jlebrun_05
Active member
anyone use the pieps freeride?
www.beaconreviews.com
I have a bca tracker and a pipes dsp. I prefer the pieps, I have practiced lots with both of them and the pieps is faster. It also has 3 antenna's, I think the new bca also has 3 antenna's instead of the 2 that MOST beacons have. It is defenatly worth it to get a GOOD beacon. And then PRACTICE with it often, you want it to be second nature to use it. When it comes to an emergency you dont want to have to figure out how to use it.
Check with snowbigdeal on here, he has the best deals I have found and is Quick to ship out. He went out of his way to ship me one special so I would have it before a trip 2 days later. Great deals and great costumer service.
I have a bca tracker and a pipes dsp. I prefer the pieps, I have practiced lots with both of them and the pieps is faster. It also has 3 antenna's, I think the new bca also has 3 antenna's instead of the 2 that MOST beacons have. It is defenatly worth it to get a GOOD beacon. And then PRACTICE with it often, you want it to be second nature to use it. When it comes to an emergency you dont want to have to figure out how to use it.
Check with snowbigdeal on here, he has the best deals I have found and is Quick to ship out. He went out of his way to ship me one special so I would have it before a trip 2 days later. Great deals and great costumer service.
What beacons do the guys in your group use? Being familiar with the tools your friends have is important, in the unfortunate circumstance you actually need to use it.
I have a BCA, use to have a SOS, when we practiced my buddies with the BCA were consistently faster at locating the buried beacon so I traded up.
Getting something that is intuitive and easy to use is really important, when your adreneline is jacked trying to find your buddy you don't want to have to think, just act.
I can't say it enough - PRACTICE
I have a BCA, use to have a SOS, when we practiced my buddies with the BCA were consistently faster at locating the buried beacon so I traded up.
Getting something that is intuitive and easy to use is really important, when your adreneline is jacked trying to find your buddy you don't want to have to think, just act.
I can't say it enough - PRACTICE
I've used it and I really don't like it. It is a single antennae, digital beacon. The single antenna requires you to scan the area to determine which direction the strongest signal is rather than the beacon automatically telling you which direction the strongest signal is. It is also a lot slower than the other beacons in processing the signal.
It is a beacon that was built more to meet a price point rather than be a "superior" beacon. I personally won't ride with it and don't want anyone using one who may be trying to find me..............but it's still better than no beacon at all!
Just my opinion
