Help! Beacon Problem!

[H-man]

So I get done skiing at Wildcat today and my brother in law and I come home to do some multiple burial search practice before heading out to Austria in a couple of weeks. My last practice/use was about three weeks ago and everything worked fine.

I use an Orthovox M2, about 5 years old. I go out to search for the beacons and a ways into the primary search I start picking up the analog signal for both beacons, no visual clues yet. A little farther in I get the faint arrow outline telling me I'm getting closer and starting to give clues to the flux line, still have two distinct audible signals but still no distance reading. At this point everything still seems fine and is working as I am used to. As I proceed the arrow starts to fill in and I start getting a distance reading. At this point I pause to try to get aligned with the flux line and I notice that the display is fucked up. The arrow which fills in as you get closer is missing some of its digital "pixels" for lack of a better term and the same problem with the numerical distance. I try to get closer to the beacons, change the orientation, angle all kinds of crap but I can't get the stuff to fill in.

Well that is two burial deaths right there. I tried to play out the scenario thinking it was a great test for the worst case scenario. It was basically impossible because I could not differentiate between the distance readings, the arrow was not filling in and the signal to turn down the sensativity was not visible at all times. Plus I was really pissed off and frustrated that the thing wasn't working. (I can't believe I used to try to do it with old analog beacons. Sounds like that would be worthwhile practice in the future.)

Enough of the story. Is this think junk or what? Has anyone ever experienced the same thing with an M2 or any other beacon for that matter? I am a little freaked out and obviously have no faith in it as is. I really can't afford to buy another one now, my spare (Tracker from Traininvain) I don't have much experience with and is spoken for on the up coming trip by another one of my partners. I wonder if Orthovox could repair it and return it to me in approximately 2 weeks so that I could have it before the trip with a chance to verify that it is working correctly?

Any words of wisdom? Thanks in advance.

[Core Shot]

You can borrow my wifes Barryvox digital if you want.

PM me.

[mntlion]

too many problems with the newer ortovox,

call ort and ask? send it back?

buy something that has a track record (F1, barryvox, sos)

[sarge1957]

Sounds like the beacon should be checked out by Ortovox. But considering your worst case senario practice, was the audio still working? Could you have at least gone audio only and done a tangent or grid method search? It's slower, but works.

[Mulletizer]

I had an Ortovox M1 that also developed gat accuracy for pinpoint searches. I sent it back to Ortovox and they sorted it out. Contact the US distributor and they should take it and send it back to Germany.

Your beacon would have a 5 year warranty - if it's inside that they should repair it for free. Mine had to go back for something else out of warranty and they said they'd make me pay a little but in fact didn't - and gave me a new one year warranty certificate. (So I decided it was time to get rid of it and sord it on ebay).

[Meadow Skipper]

You should think hard about sending it in if you haven't done that recently, because of this:
http://www.ortovox.com/typo7/index.php?id=58&L=1

You can kill two birds with one stone.

I had an older M1 and I paid the $149 to upgrade the thing. FWIW, on a good deal push I got a Barryvox and now the Orotvox is the loaner/practice unit. The BV handles multiple searches better IMO.

[H-man]

Thanks all.

Meadow, I already have the replaced battery door and am aware of the prominent negative terminal issue. Thanks.

Sarge, you are correct about the audio only search. I kinda tried to do that but I was just so pissed the thing wasn't working 2 weeks before going to Yurp for a big trip that I couldn't focus. Actually a very good example of how shit can go wrong that you are not prepared for and you have to stay focused and perform. I failed. Thank god no ones life was at stake. Lesson learned.

Core, thanks for the offer but I am all set. I saw a buddy who works at EMS in North Conway that has three M2s. He is going to lend me one that I will put the new battery door on and use on the trip while he sends mine to Ortovox for a look see.

[Hugh Jardon]

It sounds like an issue with the LCD. What was the temperature? LCD's (LIQUID Crystal Displays) can freeze up. LED's cannot. I may be wrong but the only beacon that uses LED's to my knowledge is the Tracker DTS. Try your Ortovox inside where it's warm and see what happens.

[H-man]

It sounds like an issue with the LCD. What was the temperature? LCD's (LIQUID Crystal Displays) can freeze up. LED's cannot. I may be wrong but the only beacon that uses LED's to my knowledge is the Tracker DTS. Try your Ortovox inside where it's warm and see what happens.

Thanks Hugh thats a good idea. A little worriesome, but a good idea.

[Hugh Jardon]

hell yeah it's worrysome! I have never been able to figure out why most beacon companies use LCD's when it's proven they perform so poorly in the cold. Although I noticed the Arva uses LED's that look just like the Trackers. Maybe there is change on the horizon.

[cj001f]

H-man-
Even if you can't see the volume indicator, just turn down the volume until you can barely hear the beacon. Approach beacon, repeat. Easy enough. May take longer, but it's better than a probeline. It's hard in a rescue sometimes but work hard on keeping a n even demeanor, and remember you still have to dig 'em up and put 'em right before the rescue is done.

hell yeah it's worrysome! I have never been able to figure out why most beacon companies use LCD's when it's proven they perform so poorly in the cold. Although I noticed the Arva uses LED's that look just like the Trackers. Maybe there is change on the horizon.

now my beacon LCD may fail when it reaches -20C. The minimum specified, and claimed, operating temperature for all beacons (storage is -30C) Oh, that's right, the Tracker isn't spec'd below -20C either and may fail too

[Hugh Jardon]

I've seen two beacons that use LCD's freeze up: characterized by weird rainbow colors and sluggish tracers on the display. These beacons were worn in the outside pockets of jackets and pants during a normal ski touring day, nowhere near -20C (note: they were not worn under layers of clothing which is the proper way to wear them obviously). They worked fine after being warmed up. I was suspecting that a beacon being exposed to cold temps for long periods of time while practice searching could show the same symptoms.

[cj001f]

I've seen two beacons that use LCD's freeze up: characterized by weird rainbow colors and sluggish tracers on the display. These beacons were worn in the outside pockets of jackets and pants during a normal ski touring day, nowhere near -20C (note: they were not worn under layers of clothing which is the proper way to wear them obviously). They worked fine after being warmed up. I was suspecting that a beacon being exposed to cold temps for long periods of time while practice searching could show the same symptoms.

My point was all beacons are designed and certified to work at -20C, and should work at -20C absent a manufacturing defect, which do happen. Some LCD's can have temp problems, so can LED's and you can easily purchase LCD's that function down to -50C (below the range of some LEDs). i.e. it's not LCDs that are the problem it's the ones the manufacturer chose to use, if that even is the failure mechanism.

[Hugh Jardon]

My experience was that the LCD's had issues in cold where my LED's did not (ok, I don't use a harness either). I thought it was interesting. You have a good point, maybe I will tell my two friends to get their beacons checked out for a manufacturing defect concerning the LCD's as at least a place to start the trouble shooting.

[Yossarian]

Cornhole had a weird thing happen today with his M2
Display read 99 on battery when he strapped in (on) as usual; I could pick him up so we knew he was beeping; yet he couldn't hear me - audio or visual.
No signal received, in spite of the fact that he appeared to be on per the norm.
I'll check my Tracker against another peep tomorrow just to be sure it wasn't me, but we don't think so. He's sending it back in, I believe.

[Yossarian]

My Tracker was working fine today, must have been Cornhole's M2.

[Cornholio]

Update on the M2 thing:

It seems it wasn't switching to "recieve" mode at all. It has to do with the mechanism on the bigger unclicker thingy (right hand). When I unclicked it as normal to go in to recieve mode, it wasn't fully disengaging.

Obviously, this is distressing. I can make it work by physically pulling the two little slider dealies apart, but really not acceptable.

Send it back? It's about 4 years old.

[Meadow Skipper]

Send it back? It's about 4 years old.

Send it in - you got a five-year make-it-good from Ortovox:
http://www.ortovox.com/typo7/index.php?id=232&L=1

[Hugh Jardon]

My buddy sent his beacon back today and was told that it was very likely the LCD was failing. CJ00 has a good point: there could be some lame and defective LCD's out there that do not meet spec.