 Poster: A snowHead
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The wife is upset I didn't put fresh batteries in her transceiver.
It shows 70% and she says it should be 90.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Layne, don't fret, you'd be amazed how long battery life lasts, I'll probably get flamed for this comment but I use mine on nigh on a daily basis all season, and was only commenting today on this same subject.
I've left mine on for a few days and battery life still good, that said I do change circa 40-50% but sure they'd last a good three or more weeks of daily use etc
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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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I think 50% is the generally accepted min level. Anything above that on your morning check and you're good to go.
That said batteries are cheap. Is it worth the ear ache?
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Tue 8-04-25 19:47; edited 1 time in total
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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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Some research from 2008 into the effects of battery condition on transceiver use:
http://rescuedynamics.ca/articles/pdfs/BatteryLife.pdf
Bear in mind that the percentage shown is very much an estimate and will vary depending on battery chemistry and temperature.
You can always take spare batteries just in case. Energizer Ultimate Lithiums weigh next to nothing and have an enormous shelf life.
To meet type approval, every model must run on readily available batteries and be capable of transmitting for 200 hours followed by one hour of searching.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalanche_transceiver
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Tue 8-04-25 19:56; edited 1 time in total
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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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Also remember that they won't use so much power whilst transmitting (brief pulses) - however when you need to start searching they'll be using a lot more juice
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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So long as you CAN use lithium batteries, it's a no-brainer! Mine last all season and I then repurpose them for the TV remote!
The major plus for me is the fact they are leak-free..........
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Re Battery life - the ETSI standard for avalanche beacons (for the EU) requires that a ‘positive battery check’ indicates the capacity to transmit for at least 10 hours (at +10C) and search for 1 hour (at -10C) …
(Separate requirement to the 200 hrs as per Altis’ post…).
I (and most professionals I know) use 50% as the limit for battery re-purposing. Changing batteries with 70+ % left is definitely overkill.
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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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Is the percentage that people use as a guide for change based on checking in a warm place prior to start of the day, or checking after being outside for a bit. Even with it pressed against my body heat I've seen quite a difference.
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Just checked the instruction book for my Barryvox (as it's on the shelf next to me) and it says "When battery shows 30% replace immediately". Think all guides I've skied with say 80% - but very much playing it safe with that.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
You can always take spare batteries just in case. Energizer Ultimate Lithiums weigh next to nothing and have an enormous shelf life.
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I’m struggling to see the point of carrying spare batteries. When do you use them? Before the descend? Before starting the search? Or in the event the battery failed?
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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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@abc, I suspect this means for those of us that ski a week at a time.
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| abc wrote: |
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You can always take spare batteries just in case. Energizer Ultimate Lithiums weigh next to nothing and have an enormous shelf life.
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I’m struggling to see the point of carrying spare batteries. When do you use them? Before the descend? Before starting the search? Or in the event the battery failed? |
When the person I'm skiing with says at the beginning of the day, that their beep only has 20% battery. Hopefully I'm switched on enough never to be thst person 
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You know it makes sense.
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Sufficiently paranoid to have just checked - 99%. Plus I've duct - taped over the screw holding battery compartment closed.
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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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| abc wrote: |
| I’m struggling to see the point of carrying spare batteries. When do you use them? Before the descend? Before starting the search? Or in the event the battery failed? |
From personal experience: When you get to the plateau at the head of the Vallée Blanche, after the ridge traverse and some random oitside your group is wandering around asking for batteries, having only checked his transceiver at that point not:
1. Before leaving home.
2. Before taking the cable car up.
3. When they should have been putting it on/testing it before tackling the ridge.
That and if you're ever skiing with Free Flow Floss and want to score brownie points 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Yes,@abc, there are folk out there who "check" transceiver in the wrong place.
Certainly happened to us, our guide provided new batteries and the recipient wanted to pay in chocolate!!!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Strange thread this. Given the amount of money spent on skiing in general, why on earth wouldn't you replace a transceiver battery that is below 70%? Take it out, swap for a new one, and put it in the pile for the TV remote. I mean, seriously, what are you trying to prove?
Change your battery FFS, it might save your or someone else's life.
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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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@Dr John, why 70% and not 50 or 80. That is the point of the thread.
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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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@Layne, you seem like a very needy person, creating an argument out of nothing. I'm not surprised your wife is upset.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Dr John, I didn't realise that there was a correlation between having money to spend and being needlessly wasteful 
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Don't really understand the money thing, or being rude to strangers.
50% is when I swap. As pointed out, searching is much more battery intensive. Test is obviously when you put the thing on.
My transceiver will easily do a week and more on a new battery before hitting 50%, so that's plenty of margin.
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| Dr John wrote: |
| @Layne, you seem like a very needy person, creating an argument out of nothing. I'm not surprised your wife is upset. |
If someone is on a ski trip as Layne is it seems a reasonable question - pay over the odds in a resort shop unnecessarily or not?
I assume the replace batteries at 80% squad are as diligent with their tyre tread, brake pads and over insurance etc.
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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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Someone needs to invent a transceiver App 
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My transceiver battery shows; full, 2/3, 1/3, empty, empty flashing.
I used to religiously swap as soon as it showed 2/3. However, one I started touring more I became a bit more interested in saving batteries - not just cost, but seemed a huge waste to be throwing away batteries with over 50% charge left (I simply don't have other devices that use batteries up at any rate to "repurpose"). Checking the manual it suggested that when showing 2/3 the minimum was 120 hours send and multiple hours search.
So now I wait for it to go down to 1/3 before replacing. Even at the bottom of 1/3 I should have a minimum of 20h send and 1 hour search at -10c, which seems plenty. But realistically I will be swapping closer to the top of 1/3 when I still have around 120h send and multiple hours search at -10c, which to be honest still feels extremely conservative.
When I get a new device I will look for something offering a more exact battery life display so I can make a more informed decision about exactly when to replace batteries.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks all, some really useful input/thoughts.
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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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@Layne, you put batteries in your wife's transceiver?
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Maybe it's like putting petrol in a car. I've never run out, but to me success is visiting petrol pumps as little as possible, so I run it right down. I'm just efficient. I know others who would be uncomfortable doing the thing my way. I'm not saying they're wrong, just inefficient.
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You know it makes sense.
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Yeah I have run out courtesy of a defective fuel gauge in a rental that went from half full to warning light in a few miles. Still no harm. Got a nice ride from a US state trooper in the perp's seat and the privilege of buying a gas can at the nearest station.
Would have been sketchier if I'd been in a rough area of course.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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50% for me (and for all of my colleagues that I'm aware of) or 60% if I'm handing it to a client at the start of a week. One benefit of having another small mouth to feed at home these days is that are many beepy / flashy items with an insatiable thirst for half-used batteries.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
50% for me (and for all of my colleagues that I'm aware of)
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But 50% for one transceiver model could be triple the search time of another model (as shown by @altis, link. So I don't know why people would get hung up on an arbitrary battery %age number.
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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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| boarder2020 wrote: |
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50% for me (and for all of my colleagues that I'm aware of)
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But 50% for one transceiver model could be triple the search time of another model (as shown by @altis, link. So I don't know why people would get hung up on an arbitrary battery %age number. |
Those % numbers were measured in some tests. It's not necessarily accurate to the single digit. Or for that matter, it could be off by 5% easily, or possibly by 10%.
We know that from our own experience. That's why people aren't running the battery down to 10% even though theoretically that still gives ample time for usage. So rather than trying to remember exactly what percentage of battery life correspond to how many hours of search time for this or that particular model, it's perfectly reasonable to pick a middling percentage and be done with it.
There're a lot more important things in life than trying to squeeze out the last hour of battery life in a beeper.
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