Comments on: Pieps Avy Electronics — It’s not just beacons anymore http://www.wildsnow.com/2605/pieps-review/ Backcountry Skiing Weblog Blog, FAQs, more, links and info about randonnee, telemark and backcountry ski mountaineering. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:43:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Maki http://www.wildsnow.com/2605/pieps-review/comment-page-1/#comment-38714 Maki Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:53:35 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=2605#comment-38714 I think the Backup is a better idea than a "motion-dependent revert-to-send mode". If you are caught in a secondary slide while performing a search your beacon is very likely to get lost unless attached with a strong leash. Actually that mode can even be counterproductive since other rescuers would be searching your lost beacon instead of you. I think the Backup is a better idea than a “motion-dependent revert-to-send mode”. If you are caught in a secondary slide while performing a search your beacon is very likely to get lost unless attached with a strong leash. Actually that mode can even be counterproductive since other rescuers would be searching your lost beacon instead of you.

]]> By: Jonathan http://www.wildsnow.com/2605/pieps-review/comment-page-1/#comment-38711 Jonathan Sun, 02 Oct 2011 17:38:13 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=2605#comment-38711 I'll incorporated this into the end of the review, but also repeat here the two new Pieps avy items for this coming 2011-12 season: -- The ~$100 Pieps Backup is a transmit-only beacon, and that furthermore transmits only in the absence of any movement. The concept is that if you're searching and are then buried in a secondary slide, when your Pieps beacon still in search mode, the Pieps Backup will then kick in. (Note that some competitors essentially incorporate this kind of motion-dependent revert-to-send mode into their beacons.) -- The $150 Pieps TX600 is an off-frequency transmit-only beacon, intended for dogs and gear (e.g., tents, gear stashes). The TX600 can be located only with a Pieps DSP beacon running the very latest 8.2 firmware. I’ll incorporated this into the end of the review, but also repeat here the two new Pieps avy items for this coming 2011-12 season:
– The ~$100 Pieps Backup is a transmit-only beacon, and that furthermore transmits only in the absence of any movement. The concept is that if you’re searching and are then buried in a secondary slide, when your Pieps beacon still in search mode, the Pieps Backup will then kick in. (Note that some competitors essentially incorporate this kind of motion-dependent revert-to-send mode into their beacons.)
– The $150 Pieps TX600 is an off-frequency transmit-only beacon, intended for dogs and gear (e.g., tents, gear stashes). The TX600 can be located only with a Pieps DSP beacon running the very latest 8.2 firmware.

]]> By: Jonathan Shefftz http://www.wildsnow.com/2605/pieps-review/comment-page-1/#comment-24620 Jonathan Shefftz Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:26:39 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=2605#comment-24620 Maki, those are all good points & questions -- I wish I knew the answer and/or solution! I'm meeting Friday to demo a new beacon with the U.S. head of a beacon company, so I'll raise that issue with him then. Maki, those are all good points & questions — I wish I knew the answer and/or solution!
I’m meeting Friday to demo a new beacon with the U.S. head of a beacon company, so I’ll raise that issue with him then.

]]> By: Maki http://www.wildsnow.com/2605/pieps-review/comment-page-1/#comment-24618 Maki Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:10:34 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=2605#comment-24618 Yes, that was actually my point. I think we are seeing again the situation when each country had its own frequency (ok, now it's better, but you get the idea...). I just don't understand why these people don't sit around a table to set new common advanced specs rather than trying to impose proprietary solutions without even having the force to do that. They know they'll eventually have to evolve together, so why not doing it now? This gear could be so much better, it makes me sick to see industries slowing down the developement for commercial reasons. Even more so when we are talking about things that can save human lifes. Yes, that was actually my point. I think we are seeing again the situation when each country had its own frequency (ok, now it’s better, but you get the idea…).
I just don’t understand why these people don’t sit around a table to set new common advanced specs rather than trying to impose proprietary solutions without even having the force to do that. They know they’ll eventually have to evolve together, so why not doing it now?

This gear could be so much better, it makes me sick to see industries slowing down the developement for commercial reasons. Even more so when we are talking about things that can save human lifes.

]]> By: Jonathan Shefftz http://www.wildsnow.com/2605/pieps-review/comment-page-1/#comment-24535 Jonathan Shefftz Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:22:00 +0000 http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=2605#comment-24535 Unfortunately the current beacon spec is still designed around the limited capabilities of the old analog-processing beacons. Amazing how much digital processing is now being performed by various models of a transmission that was never designed with that purpose in mind. If a new spec was developed from scratch, I suspect that beacon searching would far far easier, especially for multis. We're already seeing a potential parallel transmission come into development: currently the Barryvox Pulse uses its W-Link only for ancillary info, and not searching, but the ARVA Link promises (although has yet to deliver) the utilization of that additional frequency for signal separation. To be continued for sure! Unfortunately the current beacon spec is still designed around the limited capabilities of the old analog-processing beacons. Amazing how much digital processing is now being performed by various models of a transmission that was never designed with that purpose in mind.
If a new spec was developed from scratch, I suspect that beacon searching would far far easier, especially for multis.
We’re already seeing a potential parallel transmission come into development: currently the Barryvox Pulse uses its W-Link only for ancillary info, and not searching, but the ARVA Link promises (although has yet to deliver) the utilization of that additional frequency for signal separation.
To be continued for sure!

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