 Poster: A snowHead
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| RedandWhiteFlachau wrote: |
| I have a Barryvox that is approaching 18 years old. I have it serviced by Ortovox every couple of years to make sure it is working properly and for software upgrades. It works great but I was informed by someone much more knowledgeable than I, that Ortovox will stop servicing this model this year. That would suggest it is about time to change. New model due out this year too. Coincidence? |
I have a Barryvox also. About 8 years old. When I bought it I did a transceiver course in the woods in Bristol. It was by far the best of the group (obviously the newest also) and was detecting the hidden ones between 60 and 80 meters away compared to about 40 for the older models.
Well worth doing som comparisons in the car park or at lunch on the PSB with others’ to see how ours perform now - especially if older models.
One other thing, just to mention, most transceivers will switch back from search mode to broadcast after a certain period of time which is a safety feature in case you get caught in a second avalanche while searching. if you don’t know What your transceiver does or sounds like when this happens it is well worth practising and finding out because you can end up going round in circles looking for a searcher transceiver has done this without them being aware of it.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Have I missed something. Do Orthovox service Mammut kit (Barryvox)? Are they the same group now?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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No. Each manufacturer does their own. Some retailers offer a service for multiple brands I believe but I’ve always gone to the manufacturers so I can’t comment on that
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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No. Each manufacturer does their own. Some retailers offer a service for multiple brands I believe but I’ve always gone to the manufacturers so I can’t comment on that
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| kitenski wrote: |
@Diggery, I actually asked a few people about this recently. Frequency drift was only an issue with the now very old analog devices, digital ones people say that don't have issues with frequency drift.
Have you seen anything on a manufacturers site around 10 years? I couldn't find anything when I did a search.
I also asked facewest and their reply was :
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| there is no real time limit or life span on an transceiver. If you regularly test your transceiver against another and the signal range is still as it should be then it is perfectly good to use. Older analogue transceivers used to drift from their signal which would of course cause problems but the digital ones don't tend to do this as much. |
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I would imagine more modern designs use a phase-locked loop circuit to stabilize the frequency from the crystal, though frankly, one would have thought that would be the case even with analogue designs. I mean PLL IC's have been a thing since the 1970's. I can't see why age would effect the transmitted signal range either. The spec requires they maintain a tight ERP, otherwise the distance indicators would be meaningless. Quartz crystals do age, but usually, the problem is heat, which one imagines is not an issue with an avalanche transceiver. Let's face it my 34 year old quartz watch still keeps time just fine. Though, yikes, a 457.000KHZ TXO is £23 RRP. No wonder transceivers are so expensive. 
I have been using an Ortovox M2 (with the replacement battery cover) for 20+ years now. I do have access to the kit to test it, and it is in within the specification as far as I can tell. It works just fine being found and finding other transceivers. However the LCD display has now failed so it needs replacing. The most critical element of any avalanche transceiver is can you be found 
I really liked the design of the M2. If you are wearing it, then it is on and around your waist and looks a lot more comfortable than on your chest, where I can envisage falls inducing bruising and cracked ribs.
Over the years doing practice sessions with guides, the biggest factor in search time is being familiar with your transciever. Even now I am still quicker with my old M2 than most people with an unfamiliar transceiver handed out by the guide. This is because back in the day, I purchased an old analogue one off eBay cheap and practised at a local playing field finding it.
What's a good transceiver these days? Looking around, I like the look of the BCA Beacon Tracker T4, but I'm curious what other people think.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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As an aside, if anyone has a transceiver(s) they are getting rid of I'd be keen on a couple for search practice with Patrol groups, we hve a load of test senders but more won't go amiss, just PM me if you have something.
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| jabuzzard wrote: |
.... The most critical element of any avalanche transceiver is can you be found ...
...Over the years doing practice sessions with guides, the biggest factor in search time is being familiar with your transciever...
What's a good transceiver these days? Looking around, I like the look of the BCA Beacon Tracker T4, but I'm curious what other people think. |
Personally I think the most critical element is that yours can find mine 
Yes, familiarity with your kit is a major factor but given that, I'd also like you to have the one with the best range, most accurate and clearest directions, etc.
My experience (though limited) of using some older kit and the latest in simulations, is that although the basic tech might be the same, in use the new stuff is a lot better. They more often then not detect a lot earlier in the search (double the distance or more) and often indicate an almost direct line to the transmitting beacon, rather than following the flux linen saving more time (fancy softwear calculations i assume).
Top of the list is the Barryvox followed closely by the Pieps (but that's soured by their response to the earlier switch issue).
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| jabuzzard wrote: |
What's a good transceiver these days? Looking around, I like the look of the BCA Beacon Tracker T4, but I'm curious what other people think. |
I usually use a barryvox and like it, reliable and I know how to use it and trust it, but been using a Black Diamond Recon at work over winter and it’s a nice unit, same as a Pieps. The harness is a bit more comfortable than my barryvox and they seem to have sorted out the issues of a few years ago. No noticeable difference in performance to my barryvox.
I had a play with a mate’s ortovox diract voice, didn’t really do it for me but he rates it.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Check the website transceiver reviews. All the new stuff is good, especially as noted above plus the performance with multiple burials is vastly better.
I like a device which is small and fits in a pocket not a harness.
Even with new tech, skill helps.
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| phil_w wrote: |
I like a device which is small and fits in a pocket not a harness.
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Hum, you better hope your jacket stays on so they are not digging a transceiver out of the snow while you are some distance away. There is a reason they all come with harnesses and it is not for the kicks and giggles.
One does feel that in 2024, a transceiver should be fitted with a GNSS receiver and a MEMS based INS coupled with, say a 433MHz transmitter or maybe even Bluetooth so it can tell everyone around that its last GNSS recorded position was X and that it travelled Y meters before coming to a stop at Z. Give everyone a big head start in locating burials.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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F off. My transceiver is designed for in pocket use. The reason is clearly something you have no clue about
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@jabuzzard, you’ve not skied with guides or instructors then?
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As long as your pocket is built for it, then all good.
Someone I was close to lost their transceiver from a ripped off pocket this year. Didn’t survive. Unsure whether that was a primary factor in a very sad outcome.
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You know it makes sense.
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I would imagine that a pocket that is integral to the clothing would be safe but one stitched on would be vulnerable to becoming detached.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Gordyjh wrote: |
| I would imagine that a pocket that is integral to the clothing would be safe but one stitched on would be vulnerable to becoming detached. |
That's the general guideline. My salopettes have a pocket in the bib. I use it as its more comfortable. If an avy was violent enough for that to come away, I think I'd be beyond caring.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@adithorp, 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| kitenski wrote: |
| @jabuzzard, you’ve not skied with guides or instructors then? |
I have skied with a lot of guides and instructors. They often don't wear helmets still for example. The guide I skied with earlier this year would be one. Estimates are 10-15% of avalanche victims die before the snow stops moving, and 90% of them are from head trauma. I have seen guides as recently as post COVID-19 with plastic bladed shovels. I have seen guides with avalanche bags not using the crotch strap. Just because a guide does something doesn't make it a good idea or best practice. If your transceiver comes with a harness then you need to wear it with said harness. That is the case for all the transceivers I have seen.
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FAQ
