my F1 is at least 12 years old now. works great. the battery life is good. i like having the extra range (almost twice what you get with digital). i don't have any experience with the new digital transceivers other than messing around with my friend's tracker in his front yard for a few minutes.

i'm curious about this "ghost multiple reading" that one reviewer mentioned on this page. is that really legit? what's the explanation behind that?

Have had the F1 for 5 years. Easy to operate and dependable sum this beacon up the best, and isn't that all you need? Digital displays are cool, but I see no need for anything beyond the F1 at this point.

I absolutely love the F1. I've been using it for 2 years now and I don't expect to go digital anytime soon. This beacon, with a little practice, will give you a faster search time than almost anything else. I consistently have faster search times than my friends with digital/analog combos(perhaps with the exception of the M2)and especially faster than pure digital. This beacon is logical and simple to use, even with 2 burials. It lacks the lag time of the digitals as well, which means when your on your skis doing your initial search, you don't have to stop and wait for your beacon the catch up. There are few quirks about this beacon and no "special" tricks or techniques to master. To sum it up, its the simplest and most proven reliable beacon on the market.

As a former Pro Ski Patroller, I am choosing the Ortovox F1 analog avalanche beacon; it was the model supplied by the Ski Patrol to all the Pro Patrollers. I was naturally interested, as well, in the digital beacons being offered, now, specifically the Ortovox X1; but after reading several reviews by both field-testers and actual users, I made my decision to stay with the familiar reliability of the tried and true! The reported main benefits of the Ortovox F1, over others, were its ability to better distinguish between multiple transmitters (useful for more than one buried person), greater detection range, and lower price! In contrast, others seemed to have had problems which the Ortovox F1 avoids, such as digital read-outs that were hard to read in bright light. Consider what the best device is for you and those who will use the device. You may well decide that a digital beacon is right for you. Whatever you decide, WEAR it! Also, carry a portable shovel and avalanche probes whenever you are out of controlled areas.

Having spent many years training as a ski patrol with this beacon, I find that I still can't persuade myself to switch to one of the newer digital beacons. The range (when searching), in my opinion, cannot be matched by the beacons currently offered on the market today. The F1 is a great beacon if you are practiced, if not you may have quicker results with a digital beacon. Also, I find that I get much greater battery life that any of my friends who use digital beacons. Simple, tried and tested get an F1!

The venerable F1 has lost some respect due to the hype of new beacons clamoring for attention. I have used mine for many years - it has proven to be reliable, durable and easy on batteries. Most importantly, my practice rescues are faster than most other people's. One reason is that I DO practice, the other is that, as taught in a beacon class, I trust my beacon. Even though it doesn't point me directly to the victim, it arcs me in quickly and accurately.

Have used this transceiver for over four years and it has proven simple and reliable in practice situations. It does require some practice to find victims quickly, however, as the directional signal does not usually point to the sending transceiver in a straight line (it may not be the best choice for occasional or novice users for this reason). It has been dead-on accurate at close range (inside of 2 meters); I usually hit the practice "victim" with the first probe stoke. I believe that it is still near the top in both sending and receiving range and is still the standard among old school backcountry guys in the US in the event that you need to loan or trade transceivers.

This beacon is quite easy to use and basic. Just what you want in a beacon. But I have not had to actually use it in a real situation, which is a good think.

Don't forget compatibility issues when scoping out the latest and greatest transceiver. The Ortovox is probably the most used around the world, and has a PROVEN track record and excellent range when in a party with various brands of transceiver. This baby takes a little extra skill to use but for my money is the one to go for. Maybe the X1 would be better but only because of the 2 aerials. Digital schmigital!

great beacon, not so useful for multiple searches. this goes in my girlfriend's or my dog's pack when we ski, now that i have the D3

As the prime supplier to the avy professional market we are all to aware that the continuous carrier, when on send, signal on the F1 does make for a confused or ghost multiple reading on many of the current digital beacons... the M2 is always a better choice as this is not an issue with the trend going towards digital transceivers.cheers Surfnsteve.