Choosing your first transceiver or even replacing an old model can be a difficult decision and you can spend hours researching various different makes and models only to be left none the wiser as to which one is best. As I’ve said before, the good news is that you can’t really go wrong…
The first step is to identify your needs from the device and be realistic about how much you will actually practise using it. Then work out how much you’re prepared to spend on it, bear in mind that you may need to purchase a shovel and probe as well, if this is the case then check out our Avalanche Safety Packages.
This will determine whether you want a ‘standard’ or an ‘advanced’ transceiver. For most recreational users a standard transceiver is absolutely fine. If you are the gadgety type, want some additional functions and are going to practise using them then you might want to consider an advanced transceiver. Professionals or those who will be using it more frequently than a few times a season might also benefit from an advanced transceiver.
To understand exactly which features you want and what we mean when referring to a standard or an advanced transceiver read our latest Transceiver Review 2018/19.
Once you’ve narrowed down whether you want advanced functions or not then you’ll be left with a choice of devices suitable for you. The standard devices all pretty much do the same thing while the advanced units do offer some different functions. At this point you can’t really make the wrong choice so the best way to decide is to read our description of the ones you’re interested in and watch the videos of Stu performing a search and giving an overview of the features. This will allow you to check how the buttons are laid out and what the display is like and how the unit behaves in a ‘real world’ situation.
The videos are on each product page and as the Transceiver Demo Playlist on our YouTube Channel:
We also have a video playlist of Transceiver Features:
If, having watched this and read the transceiver review 2018/19, you’re still not sure you can either give us a call to discuss or just pick one – for the standard transceivers in particular you can’t really go wrong.
We’ve also got a Transceiver FAQ which answers the basic questions about transceivers in general.