Pieps Beacons under fire

[XXX-er]

https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/op...UMggjvqPBQwoMA

A good artical connecting all the dots by Vince Shuley

[Eluder]

“We are working on the solution, but right now the data is telling us we don’t have a recallable device according to the standards set for the industry,” explained Dicuollo. “But we’re listening to the community and we know that it’s not necessarily just about data … it also has to do with confidence. We’re interested in the safety of all backcountry skiers and we’re taking it very seriously.”

At least it seems they are listening.

[3PinGrin]

https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/op...UMggjvqPBQwoMA

A good artical connecting all the dots by Vince Shuley

some good info, thanks for posting that

[indyjones]

https://rhelaw.com/class-action/piep...-class-action/

[Peruvian]

https://rhelaw.com/class-action/piep...-class-action/

Considering some of the models they reference have a different mode switch, I’m not convinced that firm knows what’s going on.

[~mikey b]

I’m pretty convinced quite a few people don’t know the difference between the models but they’re OUTRAGED anyway.

[XXX-er]

A couple days ago there was a FB link to global news so average folks could watch the story while they were eating dinner

and now we got a class action with a Vangroovy law firm

so much for the story just fading away

[Boissal]

Ambulance chasing, winter edition...

[XXX-er]

I acused L hutz esq of being an ambulance chaser to which he replied

" I am volenteer FD so we get there before the ambulance "

[BFD]

https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/op...UMggjvqPBQwoMA

A good artical connecting all the dots by Vince Shuley

I do not think he connected all the dots. Did the dead skier or Mcnut check to see if their beacons were working after the beacon test before they dropped in. Was Mcnut the last perform to go on search when doing the beacon check? I mentioned that I skied the entire day with my beacon off. We performed beacon check and I am sure I pressed the lock when going back to search and inadvertently went into off mode. This is very easy to do with this beacon. I am not a professional but am fairly experienced backcountry skier and I made this mistake. Since the beacons were inspected and found to be working fine I tend to think this could be the issue.

[3PinGrin]

I do not think he connected all the dots. Did the dead skier or Mcnut check to see if their beacons were working after the beacon test before they dropped in. Was Mcnut the last perform to go on search when doing the beacon check? I mentioned that I skied the entire day with my beacon off. We performed beacon check and I am sure I pressed the lock when going back to search and inadvertently went into off mode. This is very easy to do with this beacon. I am not a professional but am fairly experienced backcountry skier and I made this mistake. Since the beacons were inspected and found to be working fine I tend to think this could be the issue.

I found it useful from the perspective of some of the interactions with and response from BD that I hadn't read elsewhere.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[XXX-er]

I thot Vince did a good job of putting it all in one spot from a connecting the dots perspective,

I will ask the dead guy when I see him on the other side eh

[Boissal]

I acused L hutz esq of being an ambulance chaser to which he replied

" I am volenteer FD so we get there before the ambulance "

HA!
Wildsnow is on the case with an article this AM. I have to agree that the story is making enough noise that it may yield some results. Are there any standards other than frequencies in the beacon world though? Who is regulating these things?

[TG]

any indication if McNutt's beacon smacked the tree(s) he was so violently swept into?

also, might have missed it, but was his switch facing into his body or to the outside?

[I've seen black diamonds!]

A few folks have posted that a beacon should be worn in the harness with the screen facing in. This also happens to be how I wear it. But this is NOT how it is shown in the DSP manual:

[3PinGrin]

A few folks have posted that a beacon should be worn in the harness with the screen facing in. This also happens to be how I wear it. But this is NOT how it is shown in the DSP manual:

Just for comparison sake, I have the older version DSP tour with the gray switch, here is a snip from that manual. The harness for mine is specifically curved in the shape of the beacon body so that the screen faces in.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Just for comparison sake, I have the older version DSP tour with the gray switch, here is a snip from that manual. The harness for mine is specifically curved in the shape of the beacon body so that the screen faces in.

It actually fits in the harness best when inserted like this:



I've fiddled with this thing some more now. With very light pressure on the lock I can slide it from send to off. Too light, I think. In fact, if I place it in the harness as shown in the manual and put a bit of pressure on the buckle (which is exactly where pressure is most like to be exerted in a crash) I can easily slide it from send to off.

Here is a vid: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NmimUP7US83Sfvny9

If you place the beacon in the harness facing the other way this is also possible, albeit with more pressure. I'm pretty sure I'm done with this beacon. As I mentioned earlier, without pressing on the lock, mine stays in firmly in send, but the amount of pressure need to "unlock" the switch is much too light. Put me in the anti-Pieps camp.

[3PinGrin]

It actually fits in the harness best when inserted like this:

I've fiddled with this thing some more now. With very light pressure on the lock I can slide it from send to off. Too light, I think. In fact, if I place it in the harness as shown in the manual and put a bit of pressure on the buckle (which is exactly where pressure is most like to be exerted in a crash) I can easily slide it from send to off.

Here is a vid: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NmimUP7US83Sfvny9

If you place the beacon in the harness facing the other way this is also possible, albeit with more pressure. I'm pretty sure I'm done with this beacon. As I mentioned earlier, without pressing on the lock, mine stays in firmly in send, but the amount of pressure need to "unlock" the switch is much too light. Put me in the anti-Pieps camp.

That's not good. My ex has the sport version with the same switch which I'm going to get my hands on later this week to inpsect, but it's looking like even without a cracked switch cover it's going to be of concern.

[dcpnz]

It actually fits in the harness best when inserted like this:


.

I wear mine screen in too, but the other way around. Then you can see the flashing red light to visually confirm its in send mode while it's in the harness.

The buckle over the lock button if you wear it screen out does seem problematic - never occurred to me to wear it that way because of the curvature of unit and harness but apparently other people do.

[teledad]

Are there any standards other than frequencies in the beacon world though? Who is regulating these things?

At least in the US, they’re regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The CPSC was involved with the Ortovox beacon recall a couple of years ago:

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2018/or...communications

[doebedoe]

I wear mine screen in too, but the other way around. Then you can see the flashing red light to visually confirm its in send mode while it's in the harness.

The buckle over the lock button if you wear it screen out does seem problematic - never occurred to me to wear it that way because of the curvature of unit and harness but apparently other people do.

Not surprising that people do when Pieps own marketing material has it setup that way.

[whyturn]

I will say Ortrovox handled my S1 recall very well and provided a new beacon.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Jonathan S.]

It actually fits in the harness best when inserted like this:



I've fiddled with this thing some more now. With very light pressure on the lock I can slide it from send to off. Too light, I think. In fact, if I place it in the harness as shown in the manual and put a bit of pressure on the buckle (which is exactly where pressure is most like to be exerted in a crash) I can easily slide it from send to off.

Here is a vid: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NmimUP7US83Sfvny9

If you place the beacon in the harness facing the other way this is also possible, albeit with more pressure. I'm pretty sure I'm done with this beacon. As I mentioned earlier, without pressing on the lock, mine stays in firmly in send, but the amount of pressure need to "unlock" the switch is much too light. Put me in the anti-Pieps camp.

In that video, the user has inserted the beacon into the harness face out so that the lock switch is easier for him to depress, then he simultaneously moves the switch.
Such a series of deliberate actions could achieve a similar result with many other switch designs.
And his actions in that video are not a realistic simulation of what could actually happen in real use.
I'm not saying that the switch design is infallible, but that video is extremely contrived.

[Jonathan S.]

A few folks have posted that a beacon should be worn in the harness with the screen facing in. This also happens to be how I wear it. But this is NOT how it is shown in the DSP manual:

That is indeed really messed up in a major way. Even more so for this model...
I would never let my touring partner or one of my avy course students do that, with any beacon model. I've even pointed that out to strangers that they might want to consider changing the orientation when I see a glimpse of a screen.
Bizarre that a user manual shows that!

[~mikey b]

I agree.

Looks like the Marketeers got into the manual.