Note: The following review was penned while Tracker DTS was still the best selling avalanche beacon in the USA. Since then it’s sales have been largely taken over by BCA’s Tracker 2. Although a 2-antenna beacon is considered outdated relative to current, 3-antenna technologies, it is still far superior to single antenna transceivers, especially [...]
Archive for the ‘Beacons’ Category
OR Report: Backcountry Access’ BC Link
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Besides being adopted by K2 Sports, what’s new at Backcountry Access? More of what you might expect, and a little of something unexpected. The Tracker3™ is the follow up to the Tracker2™, utilizing the same real-time digital processing but now with the ability to separate multiple signals and mark a beacon you have located. [...]
Review: Ortovox 3+ avalanche beacon
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The 3+ from Ortovox is a fresh breath of simplicity in the beacon world. It doesn’t go overboard with brainiac features, at least, not overtly. It doesn’t provide the directional clues of the S1, but it can still separate the various signals, only without getting confused like the first gen S1.
BC News: BD to buy Pieps
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Black Diamond Equipment, Inc., announced this morning its intent to acquire Pieps, a leader in avalanche rescue transceivers in early October, 2012. The acquisition fulfills a decade-long goal to add avalanche transceivers to the palette of products Black Diamond offers for backcountry safety. Over the years there has been much speculation as to whether [...]
Review: Pieps DSP and DSP Tour
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It doesn’t take long before you realize that Pieps is the range leader when it comes to modern avalanche beacons. In test after test the DSP or Tour have the longest, most reliable receive range available (circa Jan. 2012). Whatever the configuration, single, multiple, best or worst coupled, other beacons can only hope to equal [...]
Posted in Beacons, Dostie, Craig, Pieps 
Tags: 3-antenna, digital signal processing, masking, triple antenna 
No Comments »Review: BCA’s Tracker 2
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In short, Tracker 2 is more accurate more quickly.
Posted in BCA, Beacons, Dostie, Craig Tags: 3 antennas, multiple victims, real-time response, Tracker 2 No Comments »Review: Ortovox S1
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The Sophisticated One, thanks to a graticle display and some amazing software can not only tell you distance and direction for a single beacon, but can show the relative positions, distances and directions of up to three at a time, four on a good day
Posted in Beacons, Dostie, Craig, Ortovox Tags: 3-antenna, graticle display, triple antenna No Comments »Time to retire your beacon?
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While testing avalanche transceivers this year it has become more evident that older, analog type beacons should be retired. It isn’t because they don’t work. But the way they work can cause trouble in the dreaded multiple victim scenario. If you have more than one person buried in an avalanche the odds are at least [...]
Review: Barryvox Pulse (2011, v3.0)
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Overview The Pulse doesn’t just up the ante from two to three antennas, but four. However, truth be told the value of this fourth antenna is as obvious as an appendix. To even mention the availability of this perhaps detracts from the value of the Pulse. The fourth antenna does nothing to help you find [...]
Review: Ortovox Patroller
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Overview The discontinued Patroller combines the best elements of Ortovox’ steady but slow progress in beacons prior to their development of the S1. You get superb range due to analog detection, with digital processing to help with alignment with the flux line when you get close. In case you were wondering, yes, it’s really an [...]
