Pieps DSP harness question ?

[Dobish]

try it....

i only did about 75 trials and came up with some very different results for average/consistent distance with the freeride vs the dsp when the beacon was vertical vs horizontal. I was using both a dsp and a tracker as my control beacon, and was playing around with the freeride, the dsp, and the tracker as my search beacons....

i set all beacons both horizontally and vertically and tested range... i'm not trying to argue with you, i'm just saying what I got....

i also wish my computer didn't get corrupted, because my whole study is now gone, so i cannot send it to you to show you my results...

i would be interested to see if you got different results depending on beacon orientation....

[Jonathan S.]

Did you mean to say that your comparison search beacons were only the DSP vs Freeride, or instead the DSP vs Freeride vs Tracker?
If the only the former two beacons, then that doesn't mean much, since so far in my trials the Freeride has registered the worst range of any beacon I've ever tested.

[Dobish]

i used all three for beacons emitting signals. i used all three for searching, for each of them (ie, freeride emitting, searching with all three... etc) The difference between distances on the tracker and the DSP were minimal, but the freeride was way low for the distances no matter which beacon was emitting. I could get the freeride to be at about 55m, but i would have to get the orientation of the search beacon had to be just right. overall, the freeride was the worst, but the tracker and the dsp were pretty consistent....

[Jonathan S.]

Right, exactly what I would expect -- a 3rd antenna makes no difference for initial signal acquisition range with respect to vertical orientation (although the DSP is intentionally designed to minimize range degredation with respect to coupling, and succeeds at that goal), and the Freeride has very poor range.

[Dobish]

yeah, my numbers were a little more consistent with the DSP on the higher end, but there wasn't really a significant difference....

what it came down to, was if you have the freeride, you need to practice a lot.... and if you have the dsp, it still helps to practice...

[Bigmtnsledskr]

I found that the old harnees fits better between my waist strap and chest strap on my packpack. However, my girlfriend just ordered the harness, itself, from Liberty Mountain and she really likes it. Seems to work well for people who are around 5' to 5' 5".

[SDW]

New harness is easy to figure out compared to the old.

It's a really tight fit for the beacon itself, making it tough to get it out with a gloved hand. Maybe it will break in.

The zipper orientation would be best for those wearing the beacon on the user's left side. It'll work on the right, but not as easy to access. Bummer for those carrying radios on the left.

[SDW]

A few weeks of using the new harness daily:

I cut off the yellow chapstick holder - it just gets in the way.

I now carry my radio on the right so the beacon can go on the left - the only side this harness will really work on.

The zipper slips down throughout the day. The tether gets in the way of the zipper.

The fit has broken-in and it's now easier to get the beacon out with a gloved hand.

I still don't understand why manufacturers don't follow the simple, always "on" harness design of the F1.

[khyber.pass]

The Freeride is really only an 'inbounds' beacon, or a ski mountaineer race beacon at lowest weight. Frankly, I discourage people from buying it.

[chadneufeld]

i would gladly trade you my new pieps harness for your old one. or if anyone else is reading this and has one they want to trade email me chadneuf@gmail.com thanks.

Anyone know where I can buy (online) one of the new Pieps harnesses? I've got a DSP and don't particularly like the harness, the new one looks sweet.

I looked on the Pieps website but didn't see a way to buy one.

But I did look over their 'history of the Pieps' on the website and noted that my first beacon was the original red 2275Hz Pieps 1 from 1975 which I've still got in a junk box somewhere.... I think it still works.

It sure brings back memories of ski trips on narrow skis and wool clothing and frozen toes :-) .....

anyway thanks,

ronco

[chadneufeld]

i would gladly trade you my new harness for an older version if you or anyone else has one email me chadneuf@gmail.com