New Transceiver = Ortovox 3+

[sfotex]

Saw an add for this in the new issue of Backcountry - guess they'll be for sale this year.

[Jonathan S.]

Saw an add for this in the new issue of Backcountry - guess they'll be for sale this year.

Yes, it's for real -- mine is supposed to arrive in a few weeks, upon which I'll revised my previous review although the only updates will probably be for initial acquisition range and on/off switch.

[DAFTC]

Yes, it's for real -- mine is supposed to arrive in a few weeks, upon which I'll revised my previous review although the only updates will probably be for initial acquisition range and on/off switch.

Thanks for both of those reviews (3+ and T2). Missed them on Wildsnow this spring, but really helpful being in the market for an upgrade from my M2.

[huckster989]

Thanks for both of those reviews (3+ and T2). Missed them on Wildsnow this spring, but really helpful being in the market for an upgrade from my M2.

wow thats exactly what I'm doing, replacing an M2, not that I don't like the beacon but with new tech I know I can be faster and more efficient in an emergency. anyone know what retailers are going to be getting the 3+? I'm hoping to buy one ASAP so I don't blow the money on something like more skis hehe

[Jonathan S.]

All Ortovox retailers are expected to carry the 3+ so that should be almost any shop that carries beacons.

[Hacksaw]

The October 2010 issue of POWDER has an article about avalanche transceivers (Hardcore: Mandatory Bling, page 054). But, there is some major “back-story” that isn’t in the article copy.

First off the Ortovox 3+ transceiver that was sent to POWDER was a preproduction model. POWDER was told that Ortovox was going to change the on/off switch and the battery hatch system. So, the comments about the on/off switch and battery hatch should be disregarded.

[huckster989]

good to hear about the powder model being pre-production. I've trusted ortovox products for years in the BC and I plan to keep on doing that. I'm stoked to see how well this one packs up, that was always a complaint of my M2 of how it always had straps flapping around when not in use. Not that it really matters I just like neat and tidy things when I put them away.

pic stolen from tetonat (thanks randosteve I dig the site)

[huckster989]

looks like REI has it up on backorder, http://www.rei.com/product/807471

20% off coupon for members right now brings it down to $280 when I get my pay check I might have to pull the trigger

[Jonathan S.]

The green color scheme is now in stock at REI.
Backcountry.com has both colors.

[Hacksaw]

So, I got to do my first outdoors test drive with the new Ortovox 3+ transceiver, while here at ISSW.

Strait out of the box and I didn't even read the user manual (something I normally don't endorse). So, there where four transmitting transceivers. I found all 4 within 1 minute and 45 seconds!!

The 3+ is outstanding!!!

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

Awesome to hear - mine is en route. Will follow-up on some personal observations (especially from a long time Tracker user).

[land]

Awesome to hear - mine is en route. Will follow-up on some personal observations (especially from a long time Tracker user).

For a first time beacon buyer (like myself) that will be useful information. Tracker is the obvious choice, but the 3+ sounds more and more like a much better option.

looking forward to more reviews!

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

^^^^^ No problem. I have always used a Tracker, but can also add some comparisons to the Pulse and S1 as I have played around with both of those at a beacon facility in Tahoe. Not much time, but enough to give some high-level thoughts.

[The Dad]

So, I got to do my first outdoors test drive with the new Ortovox 3+ transceiver, while here at ISSW.

Strait out of the box and I didn't even read the user manual (something I normally don't endorse). So, there where four transmitting transceivers. I found all 4 within 1 minute and 45 seconds!!

The 3+ is outstanding!!!

I also played with it at ISSW, but inside. I'm not exactly a beacon expert, having used only my Pieps DSP intensively, but it seemed like a solid entry to me.

[ForceFed]

20% off coupon for members right now brings it down to $280 when I get my pay check I might have to pull the trigger[/QUOTE]

I don't see where they are offering this. Guess I missed out.

[Hacksaw]

Check out the recent review of the Ortovox 3+ transceiver on Beaconreviews.com. They gave the 3+ a five star rating.
http://www.beaconreviews.com/transce...tovox3plus.asp

[Jonathan S.]

My demo unit just arrived now – will be put through the paces at this Sunday’s avalanche course, then I’ll report back as an addendum on the WildSnow review for any differences from my preproduction unit. (Impression so far is that the redesigned On-Off-BatteryCompartmentOpen switch is just fine. No cheat sheet on the housing for error code translation, so I suggest making you own and taping it to the back - unless you have a really good memory! Overall though, I strongly suspect that everything will check out great just like it did in the spring on the preproduction unit - the only issue left to check for is range.)

[carolena]

So I just purchased this beacon. On sale by the way for 250.00 at REI. I tried and tried to follow the directions for the group/partner check. It says "Switch the 3+ on and press the marking button simultaneously". Well, I am doing something wrong. It seems to me it takes two hands to turn the beacon on. 2cd--the beacon should already be on. Do they mean turn it off? 3rd-When I press both at the same time it doesn't do a group check. What am I doing wrong? Carol

[nesta]

I was going to say, group check function does not compute! Agree with Carol that it is not ergonomic at all to switch the beacon on while holding the marking button down. Anyway, not that important for me, as I only really need to check one partner and I can just do that on receive by having them walk by and watch the display. By the same token, couldn't you just do that for a group, same way it has always been done, each person walk by slowly from a few meters away?
Other than that, I am very impressed with the 3+. I was able to find 2 beacons really quickly. Now just need to practice with it more and experiment with different burial scenarios to get used to any idiosyncrasies.
$250 BTW is a great price. I paid slightly more than that Canadian pro price!

[Jonathan S.]

The shortened-range aspect of the companion check feature can indeed be accomplished via other means, but the 3+ (and ditto for the S1, Pulse, and DSP) includes various diagnostic tests too for a partner’s transmission.

[nesta]

fantastic Jonathan, now care to enlighten us how this group check works? As Carolena mentioned, doesn't work as described in the booklet that comes with the transceiver.

[Jonathan S.]

I don't have it in front of me, and all I can remember is that it wasn't very memorable. I should have one again soon, but isn't it just press & hold the marking button while simultaneously turning on the beacon?
Here's what I wrote awhile ago on that feature:

http://www.wildsnow.com/2720/ortovox...lanche-beacon/
That same button is also used for the companion beacon check, which like the S1 includes frequency drift, transmission On time, and transmission total cycle time. Unlike the S1, the 3+ reports any errors not with relatively intuitive graphics, but rather with one of seven error codes (i.e., representing all seven possible combinations of the three different failures) — I hope that the production model will provide a “cheat sheet” for the back of the beacon!

[sachelis]

<snip> I tried and tried to follow the directions for the group/partner check. It says "Switch the 3+ on and press the marking button simultaneously". Well, I am doing something wrong. It seems to me it takes two hands to turn the beacon on. <snip>

I don't have a 3+ in front of me, either, but my review on BeaconReviews.com says "Enabling the mode requires dexterity and a good memory. With the transceiver turned off and the two sliding switches slid outward (so the transceiver will start in Search mode), turn on the unit (which requires you to slide a release catch while twisting the battery compartment knob), and at the same time, hold the multi-burial Mark button depressed."

I recall it took a little positioning with my fingers to figure out how I could perform the three tasks (release catch, battery knob, and mark button), but it was doable.

Steve

[neck beard]

I recently bought six 3+ units for myself. Of that 6:

- 3 had a minor cosmetic/qc issue: the plastic ring surrounding the LDC display was not properly attached and taking it out of the pouch caused them to almost rip off. I used super glue to repair and received a 20% discount from REI (thank you). I also got some super glue on the LCD screen, which now makes the beacons look cheap. Not a major issue, but if qc misses that obvious build mistake, what else have they missed? Well, read on:

- 1 unit had something seriously loose inside it. Just handling it caused a loud heavy clunking rattle that you could hear and feel. Perhaps it was a loose antenna (!!) perhaps the entire set of componentry was rattling around inside the plastic shell (!!!!). What ever it is, it is not right for a life saving device with sensitive electronics. REI gave me a full refund (thanks again)

- Finally, 1 unit displayed very worrying behavior. Scenario: in search mode, looking for a signal, over 100m from the burial. Unfortunately a skier wearing a beacon quickly skied by, the searcher picked up their beacon, then quickly lost it as they skied out of range in a few seconds. From that moment onwards the searchers beacon read 9 ('meters') and displayed no directional indicator. For the remainder of the scenario, as the searcher passed directly over the buried beacon, the unit displayed 9, made no sounds and had no arrows. That simply is not good enough.

He had to turn it off and on again then go to search mode before it behaved like a normal beacon.

So out of 6 beacons, 3 were cosmetically poorly made, one was potentially fatally poorly made, and one appears to not work as designed when a signal is quickly acquired and lost again (I am yet to replicate this behavior). Two of the six beacons have not been used yet, so who knows what issues they have.

Finally, I assume this is by design, but if the searching beacon is stationary when it acquires a signal, it does not emit any sound until you move it. Minor stuff, but it throws me off when some beacon basics are being taught and one person in a line asks why his isn't beeping like everyone else's (in search mode). I have to tell him to move it around a bit to get it beeping (despite that fact that it displays a range and direction indicator). EDIT: seems that it just takes several seconds to start beeping when a signal is acquired, by which stage the user has started to move the beacon wondering 'why isn't this thing beeping yet'. This lead to the incorrect conclusion that the unit had to be moving to force it emit a beep.

I know Ortovox has lost about 4 sales due to some or all of these issues.

[neck beard]

And to add:

None of the units reliably or consistently display the flashing "transmission elements" on the screen when in send mode.

When you first switch them on or turn to send, the "transmission elements" flash faintly, then quickly become invisible. EVERY SINGLE STUDENT who used this beacon has asked why there isn't an obvious flashing light on the unit somewhere. They all ask say something like "I'm not sure if I am sending or not". Some think that the unit has turned off as there is no animated electronic feedback being provided. Of course one should trust the position of the send/receive switch, but the only visible sign that you are in send(ski) mode is a small un-animated battery strength indicator (a graphic of a battery with bars in it).