Recco - Anyone got any 1st hand experience?

bandit wrote:

ise wrote:

Finally, phones are useful but can't be used in combination with transceivers, the transceiver signal is deflected by the phone.

I had my doubts about this deflection issue. Then I saw your Tracker being deflected from the signal my Ortovox F1 was transmitting, by the two mobile phones I was carrying.
Next time we must check out if the F1 suffers the same way.

And I was going to comment on that.

For those that weren't there, bandit was skiing towards me slowly and I moved my Tracker to receive. This is a standard "ski by" transceiver test, people often stand by each other and check which is good but this is better, the idea is you can pick the other person up at around 30m and they move towards you etc, it's a good range check for the transceiver.

What happened the other weekend though was as bandit closed the distance my receiver leapt about 1.5 m away from here signal. That's consistent with the reported problems with mobile phones so I asked if bandit had a phone. What's interesting there is that you're only 100m from the phone mast so is the signal stronger or weaker?

I did subsequently wonder if you'd hit a flux line though and that's what happened although I don't think I've seen that happen on a "ski by" before.

ise wrote:

What happened the other weekend though was as bandit closed the distance my receiver leapt about 1.5 m away from here signal. That's consistent with the reported problems with mobile phones so I asked if bandit had a phone. What's interesting there is that you're only 100m from the phone mast so is the signal stronger or weaker?

I did subsequently wonder if you'd hit a flux line though and that's what happened although I don't think I've seen that happen on a "ski by" before.

If the mast on the cable car station is a transmitter, then the signal that my phones send (to the transmitter) will be weaker, as they reduce their power output (power saving).

So, if this was the case, as I got closer to you and your Tracker (nearer to the c/c station) then my phone signals should have been weaker.

bandit wrote:

ise wrote:

What happened the other weekend though was as bandit closed the distance my receiver leapt about 1.5 m away from here signal. That's consistent with the reported problems with mobile phones so I asked if bandit had a phone. What's interesting there is that you're only 100m from the phone mast so is the signal stronger or weaker?

I did subsequently wonder if you'd hit a flux line though and that's what happened although I don't think I've seen that happen on a "ski by" before.

If the mast on the cable car station is a transmitter, then the signal that my phones send (to the transmitter) will be weaker, as they reduce their power output (power saving).

So, if this was the case, as I got closer to you and your Tracker (nearer to the c/c station) then my phone signals should have been weaker.

are you sure about that? I'm not :D Radio signals are odd things, you know how that transmitter in your transceiver works, it's built into our search techniques to allow for the flux lines and dead spots.

ise wrote:

bandit wrote:

ise wrote:

What happened the other weekend though was as bandit closed the distance my receiver leapt about 1.5 m away from here signal. That's consistent with the reported problems with mobile phones so I asked if bandit had a phone. What's interesting there is that you're only 100m from the phone mast so is the signal stronger or weaker?

I did subsequently wonder if you'd hit a flux line though and that's what happened although I don't think I've seen that happen on a "ski by" before.

If the mast on the cable car station is a transmitter, then the signal that my phones send (to the transmitter) will be weaker, as they reduce their power output (power saving).

So, if this was the case, as I got closer to you and your Tracker (nearer to the c/c station) then my phone signals should have been weaker.

are you sure about that? I'm not :D Radio signals are odd things, you know how that transmitter in your transceiver works, it's built into our search techniques to allow for the flux lines and dead spots.

Yes, radio signals are odd things, and no I'm not sure, so I asked Mr bandit, who has been in the industry since the mid 80's. It's all very straightforward for him :D
I still find it very confusing :lol:

Hi all and thanks for the interesting responses. I guess this sort of confirms my suspicions that whilst wearing a Recco can do no harm it also doesn’t ever seem to have done anyone any good :(

I’d still like to hear about anyone who has ever had a successful rescue due to one

Jan

Jan I Stenmark wrote:
I’d still like to hear about anyone who has ever had a successful rescue due to one

Jan

Don't hold your breath, I've only heard of a few

1. skier 1987, found in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, after dogs and probes couldn't find her.
2. boarder, Les 2 Alpes, 2001, no details
3. Savognin, Switzerland, 2002, 8 snowboarders, 2 burials, one dead at scene the other died a few days later. None of the party were equipped.
4. Kaunertal Glacier. 2002, snowboarder in crevasse fall.
5. Prägraten, Austria, 2004, ski tourers not equipped, found using RECCO but not carrying reflectors, signal from phone or camera.

That's up to a couple of years and it's not very encouraging. Even in that first case the woman must have survived a long burial which is pretty unusual. Also note that there's no live recoveries where the victim was actually equipped.

Rescue teams like it, they're arriving on scene quite late and RECCO detectors are very quick compared to transceivers but otherwise it's not a good story.

I found this report of it saving a life.

http://www.avalanche-center.org/News/2005/2005-12-31-germany-recco.php

Hirsty wrote:I found this report of it saving a life.

http://www.avalanche-center.org/News/2005/2005-12-31-germany-recco.php

I should have remembered that one, I think I recall seeing the TV report. Again though you've got an unequipped party and a lucky survival after a long burial (45 min's). Most people (70%) dug out after 45 mins are deceased regardless of how they're found.