Poster: A snowHead
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I have a Recco device which is, I presume some sort of passive transponder.
I took it out of an old Nevica all in one ski suit, which I am long since far too embarrassed to wear. Since then I always put it in my jacket pocket. I'm not an off piste skier (and if I was I would equip myself with more than this) but you never know.
Question(s): is this thing still useful? Likely to be working - detected by search crews? Am I wasting my time?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It will work to reflect the signal back, but if you were buried in an avalanche with only that to find you, odds are that you'd be dead by the time they get the receiving gear to you.
I've been told that a mobile phone or similar works just as well to reflect the Recco signal anyway, but I don't know how true that is.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I was told by an instructor that a Recco is far more accurate and can be detected from further away than a transceiver, but as mentioned above it'll likely only serve to locate your corpse. The search kit is apparently quite cumbersome.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@JamesN, what I had heard was that the search kit was quite expensive and many resorts didn't think it sufficiently good value. They'll find your corpse come summer easily enough.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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All you ever wanted to know is on the Recco website http://www.recco.com/the-recco-system
A couple of interesting points. It can be used from a helicopter in the case of a massive slide. Unlike other technologies,the more reflectors you have on your person, the easier you are to detect.
As others mention, it is largely considered a body finder. It used to be the case that every top end jacket had a Recco reflector, now you rarely see it mentioned.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My C&A jacket had one in!!!
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Thanks all.
So I'm going to continue carrying it so they can find my cold dead corpse before spring.
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PowderAdict wrote: |
A couple of interesting points. It can be used from a helicopter in the case of a massive slide.
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The French rescue helicopters are also equipped with avalanche beacon detectors with a big antenna so have a long range so there is no advantage to recco in that case. The portable detector is fairly compact and the piste patrols in all the big stations have them and use them. There have been a few live recoveries but like anything where you are waiting for outside help time matters. 15 minutes under the snow, the time most piste patrols will take to reach you, can be fatal. Worth having anyway.
A recco is like one of those little metalic stickers they put on library books or clothes to guard against theft.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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As others have said basically used to find your cold dead corpse.
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Body Finder a bit out of date. Most resorts much better equipped now than they were even a few years ago and modern detectors are little bigger than beacons and also detect bacon (sic) signals too.
Sure your *best* chance is being found by the people you're with inside the 15 minute magic time - but they cost next to nothing, weight next to nothing and are included in lots of clothes nowadays and do give you a *little* bit of an extra chance so why not. There is no downside. (as long as you don't think they are magic).
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