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For a single burial, or a multiple burial where you can turn off each beacon as it is found, this beacon is amazingly fast for a novice, and gets even faster with more practice. However, multi burials in which each beacon stays on as it is found can be very tricky and require significant practice. Also, although the shorter range (as compared to analog beacons) is almost always not a problem, occasionally it can interfere w/ the search if the beacons are aligned such that the range is at its absolute minimum. Membrane buttons can be a bit hard to press if wearing very bulkly winter gloves.
Couldn't ask for more in a beacon, easy to use, good instructions, took it out on a 3 day backcountry skiing course and had no problems with our beacon search drills.
Much simpler than the Pieps beacon or old analog beacons. Not the best technically but simplicity matters at least as much when in an adrenaline-filled search
This is by far the easiest beacon to use. It's so simple that I found practicing with it is kind of redundant. It's like practicing walking on flat ground (sober). The range is pretty lame, but realistically I think it would be plenty in almost any real-life situation.
The Tracker is the best beacon I've tested. In practice sessions I have found all hidden beacons (in trees, under rocks, buried 3 ft.). It starts receiving at 40 meters but really starts to locate at 36 meters. Locate time on any hidden beacon for me was 3 minutes or less from 100-yards away. I highly recommend it.
At the pressure of my snowmobile riding buddies I needed to find a beacon. I chose the tracker based on the ease of use and am very happy I did. I consistently am one of the first to locate a hidden transceiver when we practice in mock scenarios. Easy to use, almost idiot proof... Just the way I like it.
REM7600 in Idaho
I just realized that my review from many years ago is still archived and contains a potentially confusing reference:
"Membrane buttons can be a bit hard to press if wearing very bulky winter gloves."
Starting in Fall of 2004, BCA redesigned the housing with buttons that are far easier to operate with bulky winter gloves, so please ignore that part of my old review!
I got this beacon back a few years ago and out of the box I was amused. At first I thought great, turn it on and it works...! But when I looked at it hard I noticed...
1. I had to turn it on, it wasn't just automatically on when I put it on.
2. It was big and bulky
3. it has a short range, like less then 40m
4. The lights are indicating where the flux line is
5. The numbers mean very little, especially in a multiple burial scenario.
6. When in close (5m) for the fine search the beacon is not very good at all.
7. It hears everything, so you will ultimately be able to find that transmitting beacon.
8. I was way faster at finding someone with my F1 focus that was 10years old.
So I sold my Tracker right away and got a different beacon that actually delivered on its promises. I am sooo tired of high end PR selling product that is less then it is made out to be. Considering the technology in Tracker is now more then a decade old it is hard to believe anyone would buy one. Everything else on the market is a better deal. Don't read this wrong, the tracker works, but not like they say it does. Ask any professional patroller who has used many types of beacons in practice and they say the same thing, "the tracker sucks!"
I bought this beacon based on the reviews of other people on the site and other friends. I just took my Avalanche Level I and the instructor recomended this beacon as the best too. We used it a ton in the class and it worked great with all the other beacons everyone had. Overall great device very ergonomic and easy to use. Make sure to practice multiple burials a lot. Tricky w/ any beacon.
Trackers are great. Grabbed 2 of these for myself and my wife as we're getting more into winter backcountry activities and had tremendous success with them during an Canadian Avalanche Association course we took. Others were using Pieps SOS F1-ND transceivers, and while they worked ok, my wife and I were finding people using our Trackers on average maybe a 30 secs to a minute faster as complete newbies.
This Tracker DTS got the NOD!! Who else has one like this.Was the comment from the Diammond Helli guide out at Powder Mt.Thats what they like to see out there. Great stuff that is REAL easy to use.I like the way it straps on and has a little cup like pocket that it fits in while you skiing.Comfort was great, fit, light weight, very nice.This is what I'll buy my sons when we start backcountry skiing together next year NO DOUBT.Thanks for making me feel safer out there in the backcountry.
Great for the casual user. During a critical situation the ease of use is paramount.
However, when testing if the transmitting beacon is situated vertically the range is severely diminished.
I really like this beacon, and it's amazing how simple it is to use. On big days, I even wear this guy in-bounds on the steep stuff since the bulk is pretty low. Sure, professional guides and patrollers might have newer gear, but for the price point, ease of use, functionality and track record - this has been a great choice.
I just got this beacon, and i am completely happy with it. It is as simple as they advertise, and it is very solid. All there is to using it is pressing the red button to switch from recieve to transmit, press the yellow button for multiple burials, and the on/off switch on the back.
This is my first Digital beacon. Its very easy to learn, and will switch from transmit to search very quickly. It picks up a signal and gets you there fast, however once within a few meters its hard to determine the exact location unlike an analog.
The Tracker is one of the best beacon options on the market today. Unless you are practicing beacon searches on a daily basis (i.e. ski patrol), this is the product you want for any and all of your winter backcountry adventures. The digital display and direction lights are extremely intuitive, and in a highly pressured situation, you won't be wasting extra time in evaluating your beacon's responses. It is fast and easy to get in and out of search mode, and teaching yourself the basics on this one is about as straight-forward as it gets. A beacon that is truly idiot-proof. The beacon's range is slightly less then that of other brands but if you are following proper avi protocol, that should not be an issue- with point last seen etc. Batteries last a long time, and straps are easy to use and release.
After taking an avalanche class last year through Exum mountaineering, I decided to purchase A BCA Tracker. This beacon is extremely affordable, allows you to locate multiple burials and hone in on one, and is very easy to use as long as you know how to use a beacon. Batteries last a long time, the strap to wear the beacon is very comfortable and you almost don't notice its there. Definitely a great buy
this is my first beacon, and really dont think i'll ever need a different one. the thing is super easy to use/train with. and its pretty low bulk so wearing it under your jacket is that bad! Also with the batteries, so much life to it!
Lots of the pros rely on this one and so I hopped on board and have been very satisfied. Listening to guys like Jim Conway talk about their preference of this beacon over others convinced me to buy this one and I have been very satisfied and assured with it out in the backcountry. It gives a very accurate signal for searches and hopefully nobody will ever need to find mine outside of a drill.
The kind of equipment you don't really want to have to actually use! In practice it is very good. Overall easy to use, but since my purchase I heard (not confirmed) that other units may transmit farther. That could be very important some day. You should check it out.
This beacon is easy to use. Tested it out through a few beacon drills and I carry it with me on all my tours. So far I haven't had to use it in a real life/death situation (hope I don't have to), but with the drills and the Tracker's simple design, I think it will work well for me when the stinky stuff hits the fan and the adrenaline's pumping.
I took my new BCA Tracker DTS beacon to Level 1 Avalanche training. During our two days of field work I compared it to the beacons used by my classmates. It did not have quite the range of one other beacon. It was however far and away the easiest to use. For a user like me, two to three days a month, the BCA Tracker DTS was definitely the right choice.
It is amazingly fast and easy as a beginner to find single burial. Not only as a beginner but pros use it too. The guys of TGR (Teton Gravity Research) used it when making Soul Purpose. People like Jeremy Jones and Victoria Jealous used it. SO it’s simply the best out there right now.
