Comments on: Ortovox D3 Avalanche Beacon Review http://www.wildsnow.com/1881/ortovox-d3-beacon-review/ Backcountry Skiing Weblog Blog, FAQs, more, links and info about randonnee, telemark and backcountry ski mountaineering. Sat, 18 May 2013 05:40:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Jonathan http://www.wildsnow.com/1881/ortovox-d3-beacon-review/#comment-39918 Jonathan Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:12:32 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=1881#comment-39918 Minor update for Fall 2011: the Patroller Digital retail price has been dropped to $249, making it the least-expensive three-antenna beacon on the market. Minor update for Fall 2011: the Patroller Digital retail price has been dropped to $249, making it the least-expensive three-antenna beacon on the market.

]]> By: Jonathan Shefftz http://www.wildsnow.com/1881/ortovox-d3-beacon-review/#comment-23922 Jonathan Shefftz Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:46:01 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=1881#comment-23922 Just an update that for the 2010-11 season, the D3 will be discontinued, but really it will live on in a slightly modified form as the Digital Patroller, which will essentially be the D3 but with the all-strap harness systems of the Patroller and F1 (instead of the D3’s tethered pouch system). Just an update that for the 2010-11 season, the D3 will be discontinued, but really it will live on in a slightly modified form as the Digital Patroller, which will essentially be the D3 but with the all-strap harness systems of the Patroller and F1 (instead of the D3’s tethered pouch system).

]]> By: Jonathan Shefftz http://www.wildsnow.com/1881/ortovox-d3-beacon-review/#comment-22242 Jonathan Shefftz Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:43:32 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=1881#comment-22242 A drifted F1 can't be repaired. (Well, okay, technically it could be repaired, but economically such a repair isn't worthwhile.) So if the DSP you can borrow says that the F1 has drifted out of spec, into the garbage it goes. (I know that sounds like a waste, but I've had to do that to about a dozen or so old beacons.) A drifted F1 can’t be repaired. (Well, okay, technically it could be repaired, but economically such a repair isn’t worthwhile.)
So if the DSP you can borrow says that the F1 has drifted out of spec, into the garbage it goes. (I know that sounds like a waste, but I’ve had to do that to about a dozen or so old beacons.)

]]> By: Dave Bell http://www.wildsnow.com/1881/ortovox-d3-beacon-review/#comment-22241 Dave Bell Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:24:06 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=1881#comment-22241 Thanks Jonathan. After reading a fair bit on this and adding your thoughts to it, I agree that the F1 has likely drifted a bit of spec. The service date (I didn't send it in) was in 2005. In your opinion, will an Ortovox service call be adequate, assuming that it is reparable; or is this a time when it should be replaced and taken out of service? Also, I may be able to use a Pieps DSP to check the freq. today. Funny, but it is difficult to admit that the F1 could have any flaw at all, it has always been such a good piece of gear. Dave Thanks Jonathan. After reading a fair bit on this and adding your thoughts to it, I agree that the F1 has likely drifted a bit of spec. The service date (I didn’t send it in) was in 2005. In your opinion, will an Ortovox service call be adequate, assuming that it is reparable; or is this a time when it should be replaced and taken out of service? Also, I may be able to use a Pieps DSP to check the freq. today.

Funny, but it is difficult to admit that the F1 could have any flaw at all, it has always been such a good piece of gear.

Dave

]]> By: Jonathan Shefftz http://www.wildsnow.com/1881/ortovox-d3-beacon-review/#comment-22236 Jonathan Shefftz Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:27:56 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=1881#comment-22236 An F1 beacon will often cause a “ghost” second beacon to appear on any sort of model that has a multiple burial indicator, both because the F1's continuous carrier background signal: http://tinyurl.com/y9orhuu ... can be misinterpeted as a second beacon, and because the F1's relatively long “On” period can have a bit of a hiccup at the end that can also be misinterpeted as a second beacon. As for the other problems, my first suspicision is that such an old F1 has drifted out of spec. You can test that with a Pieps DSP, version 3.1 or later: http://tinyurl.com/ycxaqz7 ... an Ortovox S1 of any generation, or the Barryvox Pulse with the latest 3.0 firmware. (And if that old F1 has drifted out of spec, the only solution is to discard it.) Pieps also has a little standalone checker device, which I’m in the process of blogging, although I’m not sure if it also tests frequency drift. An F1 beacon will often cause a “ghost” second beacon to appear on any sort of model that has a multiple burial indicator, both because the F1′s continuous carrier background signal:
http://tinyurl.com/y9orhuu
… can be misinterpeted as a second beacon, and because the F1′s relatively long “On” period can have a bit of a hiccup at the end that can also be misinterpeted as a second beacon.
As for the other problems, my first suspicision is that such an old F1 has drifted out of spec.
You can test that with a Pieps DSP, version 3.1 or later:
http://tinyurl.com/ycxaqz7
… an Ortovox S1 of any generation, or the Barryvox Pulse with the latest 3.0 firmware.
(And if that old F1 has drifted out of spec, the only solution is to discard it.)
Pieps also has a little standalone checker device, which I’m in the process of blogging, although I’m not sure if it also tests frequency drift.

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