 Poster: A snowHead
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The Barryvox 'Mammut Pulse' avalanche transceiver, a digital/analogue unit which will be introduced for winter 2006-7, has won an innovation award at the Munich sports trade fair, ispo.
The Mammut Pulse uses digital analysis, LCD display and accoustic signals to enable a searcher to prioritise a search where multiple victims are buried. The judges of the ispo Outdoor Awards 2006 stated:
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| The Pulse Barryvox wins over thanks to its refined technology and the extreme ease with which it can be operated. The completely graphic display, a permanent 360 degree direction arrow and the transmission of vital data make fast, easy and effective rescue of those covered by avalanches possible. |
This report from SkiPressWorld.
Report and photo of the new device on GetOutdoors.com [scroll down page for report]
Full details of the existing Barryvox Mammut on this 4-page pdf from Barryvox.
Any comments?
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 1-02-06 16:05; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Looks promising. Due out Fall 06, I see. Hope the price in the UK is rather better than the "$ for ££" trend we have seen in the past.
As it is not available now, though, I am still thinking of buying a Tracker - last week I hired one from the SCGB.
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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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It's nice that it's had an award and all but don't LCD screens respond very slowly in the cold?
As we've seen described in detail on snowHeads, it's often the tranceivers with the funkiest facilities that fail worst in the field.
It looks good, true and u might call me cynical but I'd attach more value to a good report from a Piste Hors field test than an award from a sales convention a mere 500m above Sea Level.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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how big are these things now.. the last time i wore one was on the vallee blanche about 4 years ago and it was a fair old lump of plastic and straps.. i think the key thing here is to make em the size of mobile phones.. so you can stuff em in a pocket
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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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CANV CANVINGTON, and make them cheeeep! (like less than £50) so that everyone can easily afford them. (If I wanted to kit out the family with them it wold cost me about £1200, which is a bit OTT considering we don't really do off-piste.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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AxsMan, yeah.. and make them have a arrow and display the distance in metres to the target.. and flash when you are above said target.. .. sod all these red lights n beeping n stuff.. keep em simple..
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| admin wrote: |
It's nice that it's had an award and all but don't LCD screens respond very slowly in the cold?
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True, but I've done an exercise with someone using a Pieps DSP, that also has an LCD screen and seemd to work OK at -20C. I like the fact it has a dual mode, because I found that even withs it's multi-person tracking feature, the BCA Tracker was difficult and confusing to locate multiple burials.
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Actually - serious thought, just about everyone carries mobile phones these days. couldn't some bright spark come up with a mobile phone finder? You give it the number(s) of the target phone, and then it locates it from the phone's transmissions (I think they transmit briefly every few seconds dont they? ) or failing that you call the phone and it locks on to that signal? These shoudn't cost any more than tranceivers, but would help find people who were NOT carrying any specialist kit. plus they's be d*mn useful when you lose your phone down the back of the sofa! (although I generally just ring it and then use my ears for that  )
Have I just given away a very marketable idea or has someone already done this?
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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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CANV CANVINGTON, i had this conversation at the weekend. although making them a bit smaller would probably be a good thing, i think it's crucial that they are easy to operate with a gloved hand and that their display is big and easy to read.
presume you are joking about arrows and distances... either that or maybe you should look at the DTS Tracker, Ortovox X1 etc
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AxsMan, Good idea. There must be a number of signals that a phone eminates that should be detectable. In terms of phone/brand extension how cool would that be to have an avalanche aware phone (pos' blurb).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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THink phones might be difficult to pin down accurately, remembering target phone numbers would be an absolute no-no in an emergency & not allow for 3rd party rescues, plus pocket would be no good, avys have been know to rip off packs and clothing which is why transceivers should be strpped to your body inside outerwear. Actually I'd say the price of kit is not really a bad thing if it acts as a filter to see if people are serious about skiing offpiste. I don't think transceivers are particularly overpriced for what they do - how many times will a sony psp or a plasma screen tv save a life.
How many times have you spent over 50 euros on dinner and drinks - have a few nights in & there is your safety cash?
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Wed 1-02-06 18:31; edited 1 time in total
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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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| fatbob wrote: |
| ......How many times have you spent over 50 euros on dinner and drinks - have a few nights in & there is your safety cash? |
Fair comment.
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fatbob, , but with respect, £1200 buys quite a few dinners! I probably could afford it, (and so could anyone who skis more than once a year) but if you are basically an on-piste skier, it doesn't really seem worth the cost, at least not to me, and I guess not to the majority (or trancievers would be more common). My point is that if they were cheaper, they would be more prevalent. I read somewhere that the $200 PC is becoming a reality (the idea being to make them affordable in 3rd world countries) Surely the sub £50 tranceiver would be possible?
A - no it isn't and don't call me shirley
BTW how much are they to hire?
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You know it makes sense.
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The prob with mobile phone are that they transmit on high frequencies that dont penetrate water (snow) as well as the lower frequencies used by tranceivers.
Great idea : defeated by physics ? Anyone know more ?
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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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AxsMan, Good points yet again.
If Woolworths can do PC, scanner, printer for £449, I agree - life-stuff should be done for smaller amounts, even considering the lesser market. So why does a spade cost £40+
Kinder rocks.
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Poster: A snowHead
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AxsMan - fair enough - yes buying for the whole family is a bit different but then presumably you knew that when you had kids & I'd say its partially pointless until the kids are old enough to make sensible judgment calls themselves e.g. slope assessment & co-ordinating a rescue on their own - remember you might be the one buried (no idea how old your kids are). They can be rented for under 20 euros a day though.
A shovel costs £40 because its light enough to carry around all day & strong enough to dig through very heavy snow like setting concrete - you could get one from B&Q but I'm sure you'll get sick carrying it around.
I'd be happy if the price of kit went down but I wouldn't let it put me off, only a tiny percentage of the skiing population buy it so economies of scale just won't be there.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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lampbus, Ok, so they wouldn't be as effective as lower frequency trancievers. The question is would they be better than nothing? i.e. if they were good within a limited range, and everyone had one, wouldn't that be a better situation than something which has a longer range but is carried only by a few? It's a bit like the Recco argument elsewhere on this forum, Trancievers may be 'better' than Recco, but Recco is better than nothing (even if they only help rescuers find bodies, at least that saves time for the rescuers, increasing their chances of being available to find someone else). Sometimes 'best' is not necessary, 'good enough but cheap' will do. I'm sure there are some techie Snowheads out there - is there any technical reason while a cellphone 'tracer' is unworkable?
saxabar, Good point re the spade. and why does a pair of (branded) trainers costing 35p to make sell for £70? Crazy world we live in 
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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AxsMan, the SCGB rents them out at £10pw to members (£20 to non-members?), +£5 p+p. They do it Weds-Weds so you would actually need to rent for 2 weeks for a full week trip. This is what I'm doing (when I'm going DIY - which is maybe 1 week/yr, the remainder are with guides or SCGB who provide them as part of the package) until I see how the new crop turn out.
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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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| CANV CANVINGTON wrote: |
| how big are these things now.. the last time i wore one was on the vallee blanche about 4 years ago and it was a fair old lump of plastic and straps.. i think the key thing here is to make em the size of mobile phones.. so you can stuff em in a pocket |
NO! NO! and again NO!
Never put a transeiver in a pocket as there is a reasonable chance it will get ripped out. A transeiver, no matter how small, should be worn under cloths a nd strapped around the body.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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ok.. put it down your pants..
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We have three on test at the shop, this is the future in terms of cutting rescue times. Hire ARVA's this year, buy this next year. 
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CANV CANVINGTON, when combined with a cellphone set to "vibrate on answer" this offers many useful possibilities!
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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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SMALLZOOKEEPER, I'll be interested in seeing some unit to unit comparisons with the existing beacons next year. Will keep my eyes peeled.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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David Goldsmith, nice one - and cheers ddf
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FAQ
