Barryvox S Avalanche Beacon

The Mammut Barryvox S is a digital/analog avalanche transceiver with three antennas, an impact-proof case and an animated search guide, built for ski touring and mountaineering. It weighs 210 g with its batteries.

Who it's for

The Barryvox S is Mammut's high-end transceiver for ski touring and mountaineering in avalanche terrain. It suits the tourer who wants a device that tells you plainly what to do next, with pro search settings that add an analog tone and an alternative (analog) search mode for demanding search scenarios.

How it performs in a search

Three antennas give the Barryvox S a near-circular receiving field, with almost the same range on the X and Y antennas. The digital search strip is 70 m wide with a 70 m digital receiving range. Switch to analog and the receiving bandwidth extends to as much as 95 m, with a 100 m search strip. Auto guidance keeps steering you toward the buried subject through signal drop-outs and overlaps, and a reverse direction function stops you walking 180 degrees the wrong way.

Using it under pressure

• Clear guidance: an animated visual interface leads you through every search phase, including smart guidance through the fine search, and shows an overview when more than one person is buried.
• Eyes up: a sequence of tones points you toward the buried subject, so you can watch the debris field rather than the screen.
• Multiple burials: pick a buried subject from the list, mark it once found and move to the next.
• Gloves on: the case is ergonomic, impact-proof and break-proof and works with gloves, and the backlit display stays readable through polarised lenses.
• Auto Revert: if a searching rescuer stops moving for 4 minutes, the motion sensor switches the Barryvox S back to SEND.
• Rescue SEND: a rescuer who is helping without a transceiver in hand can have their signal suppressed for a while, and the device switches back to SEND if a secondary avalanche buries them.
• For first responders: in SEND mode the Barryvox S displays vital and burial data.

Certification and standards

The Barryvox S is classified as personal protective equipment (PPE). The instructions in the user manual must be read before use and followed during use. It transmits on 457 kHz and also carries W-Link, an additional communication channel.

Maintenance and checks

Every time you switch it on, the Barryvox S runs a self test of its transmit and search functions, and it keeps running transmission and battery tests while it is on. A group check lets you test the transmission frequency and signal strength of the rest of the party's transceivers. It takes three 1.5 volt AAA batteries, alkaline or lithium, and they come in the box: alkaline gives around 300 hours in SEND and lithium 550 hours. The software can be updated, the start screen and owner details can be personalised, and the Barryvox carrying system is included. Operating temperature is -25 to +45 °C.