Page 16 - 2009 AMA Winter

REVIEW - AVALANCHE TRANSCEIVERS
£175 ARTICLE
With winter fast approaching many of you will soon be
can become confused by too many signals. Likewise analogue will blowing the dust off your skis and looking forward to
always work, but the user must be more skilled. In essence it’s like powder adventures. But is it about time you replaced
comparing an automatic gear box with a manual – one is far eas- your ageing transceiver? Avalanche transceivers are a vital piece
ier for the majority of the public, but the other can produce quick- of equipment for anyone intending to head off-piste, and person-
er results when used by a more skilled person.
ally I will not ski with anyone who isn’t wearing one.
But, did you know that transceivers should be serviced every 3 years? The aerials inside are actually quite fragile. Did you also know that some of the oldest units actually work on a different fre- quency to the modern ones, and are therefore useless?
Number of antennae – The more antennae that a transceiver has, the quicker it can establish the location of buried victims. In essence a single antenna unit will only be able to tell you if you are getting nearer or farther away. A three antenna unit will be able to tell you which direction to go and how far away you are.
A few more thoughts... Digital versus Analogue is not as simple as
So, if you’re thinking about splashing out on a new transceiver, new versus old. Digital is generally more user friendly, but the unit
then read on for a review of the most popular models.
Ortovox F1 Focus Price: £145 Antennae: 1 Type: Analogue
For years the F1 (now upgraded with extra
lights to be the F1 Focus) was one of the
most popular transceivers on the market. It
is a very simple, single antenna unit with a
good range. If you are a very experienced
searcher then this could still be a good choice as Analogue units are very effective.
During training I have found that the position of this unit on the body (often on the side of the torso) makes it hard to actually get to when needed for searching. Also there is no mark function, no user friendly display, and multiple signals can be very confusing. Most people (but not all) will find this a very slow and ineffective transceiver.
Overall Rating 2/5
Mammut Barryvox Pulse Price: £280 Antennae: 3 Type: Digital/Analogue
The Pulse is my personal favourite and is what I equip all of my clients with. Although it initially appears complex, after less than 2 minutes of instruction a complete novice can usually deal with multiple burials with ease.
The digital screen gives a clear direction and
distance to the next victim, and will tell you how
many victims there are. The ‘mark’ function
eliminates the signals of victims as soon as you have found them, thus allowing you to concentrate on searching for the next ones. If the victims are also equipped with Pulse transceivers, then it can even detect slight movements and tell you if they are breathing (hence the name Pulse). The carrying harness is comfortable and allows for easy access to the unit when searching. In my opinion this device is worth every penny.
Overall Rating 5/5
BCA DTS Tracker Price: £195 Antennae: 2 Type: Digital
The Back Country Access Trackers are quite popular due to their ease of use and mid range price. However, I am personally not a great fan. The two operation modes are dis- played as SE and TR, however
this itself can easily lead to con- fusion. SE stands for Search, but also stands for Send. TR stands for Transmit, but could also stand for Track (as per the name Tracker!).
In use the Tracker actually works quite well, indicating direction to the searcher using red lights and a distance figure. However, it’s not great with multiple burials, and I feel can be a little confusing for the inexperienced.
Overall Rating 3/5
Ortovox S1 Price: £299 Antennae:3 Type:Digital/Analogue
The S1 is a great transceiver that uses a dig-
ital screen to effectively map the location of victims (rather than the direction arrow used
on most). The unit has a flip top design like
a mobile phone, and flipping it open switch-
es it to search mode. In case of confusing sig- nals, it is possible to switch back to Analogue mode (as per the Pulse and Pieps DSP).
For multiple searches the S1 is very quick and simple to use, and it has a ‘mark’ function allowing you to eliminate individual signals once you have found them, so that you can continue searching elsewhere.
Unlike the Pulse, the S1 uses icons rather than plain text on the screen. This can be a little confusing at first, and you may need to refer to the instruction manual until you are familiar with them. I’m not a fan of the flip top design either, as a moving part is more likely to break.
So, a great transceiver, but perhaps not quite as good as the Pulse.
Overall Rating 4/5
14 ARMY MOUNTAINEER