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Does the BCA Tracker Suck at Multi-Burials? | Sisters, OR United States | 12/17/08, by powderjunky
Does the BCA Tracker Suck at Multi-Burials?
Here are the results:
Multiple Search Mode, beacons Aligned Vertically
Multiple search mode directs the searcher straight to victim 1.
Multiple Search Mode, Beacons Aligned Horizontally
Multiple search mode directs the searcher straight up between the two victims and eventually around to victim 1.
Searcher beacon receives many mixed signals when right on top of victim 1, not an easy search.
Multiple Search Mode, Beacons Not Aligned
Multiple search mode directs the searcher eventually to victim 1.
Searcher beacon receives many mixed signals when right on top of victim 1, not an easy search.
Regular Search Mode, Beacons Not Aligned
Searcher is directed straight to victim 1.
Regular Search Mode, Beacons Aligned Horizontally
Searcher is directed straight to victim 2.
Regular Search Mode, Beacons Aligned Vertically
Searcher is directed straight to victim 1.
Summary
Multiple Search Mode on the Tracker is weird. The regular search mode worked fine and outperformed the multiple search mode. We also tested regular search mode by after finding victim 1, leaving victim 1's beacon on transmit and finding victim 2. Once we were 3 meters away from victim one the searcher focused on victim 2 effortlessly. One thing we learned about Multiple search mode is that you have to keep rotating the beacon to pick up both signals. After doing these tests I would use regular mode in a multi burial situation. Finally to answer the question, No the tracker does not suck at multi-burials, Sorry Ortovox.
That's Our Opinion. What's Yours?
powderjunky wrote on 12/17/08 at 2:17:27 pm pst:
A side note as to why you have to rotate the beacon so much in multiple search mode: putting the tracker in multiple burial mode shrinks the area it can pick up a signal? so instead of getting 180 degrees, you'd only get 90 which helps the to eliminate multiple signals.
However as our test showed, the regular search mode did not have a problem, but maybe if you had three buried victims it could be an issue.
Lara wrote on 12/17/08 at 7:58:37 pm pst:
That's so weird how regular mode works better. I wonder why that is?
Bruce Edgerly wrote on 12/18/08 at 1:19:46 pm pst:
Hi guys,
Bruce Edgerly here from BCA. Just checked out your video of the Tracker DTS in multiburials. You're right that the Tracker works great for multiple burials in normal Search mode. That's really the only mode we teach to recreationists. Special (SP) mode is only for "special case" close-proximity multiple burials, which are extremely rare in the recreational setting. That's why it's called "Special mode," not "Multiple burial mode," because it's for very specialized scenarios (mainly guiding exams).
In normal Search mode, the Tracker DTS will isolate the strongest signal for you once you're close (10-15 meters). Special mode deactivates this signal strength filter so you can see where the other signals are again. It also narrows the search window to the center three lights, so the Tracker acts like a "spotlight," only showing the signal it's directly pointed at, effectively masking out the one already found (assuming it's in a different orientation).
It looks like you're not quite using SP mode as described in our owner's manual. We only use SP mode after the first signal has been pinpointed, it can't be turned off, and people are digging. We only use it to see what direction and how far to go to get to the next signal. Once we're closer to the next signal, then we switch back to normal Search mode and its user-friendly signal strength filter. SP mode shouldn't be used during the primary, secondary, or pinpoint search; it is only used immediately after the first victim has been located and shovelers have begun excavating. It looks to me that you're using it during all three phases of the search.
Also, make sure you check out our Research page (http://www.backcountryaccess.com/research), which has all kinds of papers about multiple burial statistics and techniques, including shoveling--which is infinitely more important to learn and practice than special-case multiple burials!
Darn, I was in Jackson just two days ago and would have loved to have joined you guys in this exercise.
Cheers,
BE
powderjunky wrote on 12/18/08 at 2:16:46 pm pst:
Thanks for the info Bruce! Looks like i misinterpreted the manual and just assumed SP mode was for multi burials due to the nice graphic next to the button.
This info just confirms what we found: that no one should worry about the Tracker not performing well in a multi-burial situation.
lara wrote on 12/18/08 at 6:57:54 pm pst:
Huh, i always thought sp mode was for multiple burials also, so I am confused about what situations is it best for if regular search mode works fine once you are 3 meters away from the first beacon?
Jonathan S. Shefftz wrote on 03/10/09 at 3:36:39 pm pst:
"One thing we learned about Multiple search mode is that you have to keep rotating the beacon to pick up both signals."
- This article is purported to be a review of the Tracker, but really ends up being a review of the reviewer's ability to read a beacon user manual. (And the Tracker's manual is a pretty quick and easy read compared to most others.)
Looking back at some of my powerpoint slides for the avalanche course I taught this past weekend, I had told my students to
- Read owner's manual
- Practice (then practice even more)
I suggest you guys heed these points before you produce any more beacon reviews misusing various features.
powderjunky wrote on 03/10/09 at 9:02:47 pm pst:
Hey Jonathon,
Thanks for the comment. This was not supposed to be a review on the tracker. You can find that in the gear review section. One of the main complaints by the tracker's competitors is that it can't handle multi-burials very well. We wanted to find out for ourselves if that was true or not. At no point do we claim to be experts, just your average run of the mill backcountry user.
The tracker claims that it has the best ease of use. Ease of use to me means not having to read the instructions.
And I know from emails we have received from this article that we were not the only ones who thought the special mode was for multiple searches. It's easy to understand why the confusion when the picture on the beacon shows multiple people right by the button.
You are right about practice, practice practice:)
Our hope for this article was to show how the beacon functions in multiple burials from an average user, not an expert, because if we were all experts out there, there would be no need to teach your class:)