R
OK, so back in 99? 2000? I retired my old Pieps, earphone and all. Honestly, I only had it to satisfy the patrollers at the access points at Snowbird (yeah, I'm a skier, sorry, Dogmeat. We "practiced" with them, aka burying the last beer on the side of the road waiting for a ride up the canyon (I got mine used in 89? Something like that).
So, I bought two of the "new" BCA Trackers. They look pretty much like the Tracker DTS:
http://www.snowbigdeal.com/avalanch...ns/bca-avalanche-beacons/bca-tracker-dts.html
Basic layout is the same, but the red search button is smaller and harder to use. They've served me well over the years. Never had to REALLY find one, thankfully, but I've always managed to find them (most of the time "alive," aka <3min, sometimes very much dead...) after putting them in a white plastic bag and hucking them down a hill.
Finally broke down and bought a new Tracker 2. Going to buy another one for my primary skiing, errr, sledding partner (the kid, ie, cost is not the object). I like the T2, I like the S1+, there are lots of good options out there.
On one hand, I'm doing my damndest to avoid putting the kid in that position - I never, ever want to put HER in charge of digging ME out; that's a sh1tty situation to put a kid in (and I certainly act accordingly on the days we're out as a pair). So, I'm MOSTLY concerned with transmit, in this case.
I'm going to get her a new beacon this year - either the T2 I just got and I'll get a S1+ for me, or another T2 - the question then becomes whether I should just retire these/donate them to beacon-bashes, or keep them around for "loaner" beacons/backup beacons?
Thoughts?
RH
Question is, how _bad_ are these things?
So, I bought two of the "new" BCA Trackers. They look pretty much like the Tracker DTS:
http://www.snowbigdeal.com/avalanch...ns/bca-avalanche-beacons/bca-tracker-dts.html
Basic layout is the same, but the red search button is smaller and harder to use. They've served me well over the years. Never had to REALLY find one, thankfully, but I've always managed to find them (most of the time "alive," aka <3min, sometimes very much dead...) after putting them in a white plastic bag and hucking them down a hill.
Finally broke down and bought a new Tracker 2. Going to buy another one for my primary skiing, errr, sledding partner (the kid, ie, cost is not the object). I like the T2, I like the S1+, there are lots of good options out there.
On one hand, I'm doing my damndest to avoid putting the kid in that position - I never, ever want to put HER in charge of digging ME out; that's a sh1tty situation to put a kid in (and I certainly act accordingly on the days we're out as a pair). So, I'm MOSTLY concerned with transmit, in this case.
I'm going to get her a new beacon this year - either the T2 I just got and I'll get a S1+ for me, or another T2 - the question then becomes whether I should just retire these/donate them to beacon-bashes, or keep them around for "loaner" beacons/backup beacons?
Thoughts?
RH
Question is, how _bad_ are these things?