Category: Beacons

Review: BCA’s Tracker 2

In short, Tracker 2 is more accurate more quickly.

Review: Ortovox S1

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

Time to retire your beacon?

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 …

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Review: Barryvox Pulse (2011, v3.0)

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 …

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Review: Ortovox Patroller

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 …

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Beacon Preview: Pieps Vector includes GPS

There are a number of new avalanche transceivers that will be unveiled to outdoor retailers and the privileged public next week. None of them will be available until next fall, but this is the time when we learn about what is coming. The one I’m most excited to see is the new Pieps Vector. If …

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PSA: BCA offers Tracker 2 upgrade (v4)

One of the problems that the old school beacon manufacturers made a big deal of back in the day was the potential for trouble with avalanche transceivers if they were dependent upon software to operate. The reason was simple. If the workings of the device are software dependent, and we all know how difficult it …

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