 Summary: The Freeride is a single-antenna
digital transceiver. This is definitely the smallest avalanche transceiver (it is less than half the size of the
Tracker DTS).Searching: As a single-antenna transceiver, the Freeride cannot
display a direction indicator that points you to the victim. Instead, you must manually locate
victim by using the Freeride's distance indicator to find the shortest distance. The lack of a direction
indicator is a significant disadvantage relative to multiple-antenna transceivers.
The range of the Freeride is extremely short (only 25 in the two tests I've performed). The distance displayed on
the screen greatly exaggerates the distance to the victim (displaying 41 meters when the transceiver was 25 meters
from the victim).
The display contains an arrowhead that grows when the transceiver senses a strong signal. This is similar to the arrowhead displayed
by the Ortovox M2. The arrow can be a little misleading, as it indicates signal strength
rather than direction.
Multiple Burials: The Freeride displays three little dots on the screen if there is more-than-one
victim (the distance to the closest victim is always displayed). You will need to use the
expanding circle or
micro search strip techniques to locate the additional victims (which is a little challenging without
a direction indicator). The Pieps Freeride can be disabled using a
Pieps iProbe.
Spikes: The Pieps Freeride has only one-antenna and as such, it
suffers from spikes (i.e., the strongest signal may not be directly over the buried victim).
Controls: You turn the Freeride on/off by twisting the battery door. It looks like it might be possible to
unintentionally turn on the Freeride via a bump in your car or luggage.
You switch the Freeride from transmit to search mode by pressing a lone "Send-Search" button three times. That is similar to the
Barryvox 3000 (an otherwise great transceiver) and sounds like something a novice may forget.
By default, the Freeride does not automatically return from search to transmit
mode. To change this setting, turn on your Freeride and wait until a "P" and a number is displayed. Then press-and-hold the Send-Search button to cycle between P0
(never return to transmit), P3 (return after 3 minutes), P5 (after 5 minutes), or P8 (8 minutes) is displayed. When you see the value you want, release the
Send-Search button. Each time you turn on your Freeride, this P number will be displayed on the screen for a few seconds.If you
use the default mode (never return to transmit), press and hold the button for 2 seconds to return to transmit.
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| Pieps DSP |
If you press the Send-Search button while in Search mode, it turns on the screen's (somewhat weak) backlight. Press it a second
time and the "transmission check light" (the little LED that normally blinks to indicate that the transceiver is transmitting) turns on so you can use it as a tiny
emergency light.
Other: The Freeride (as with version 5.0 of the Pieps DSP)
supports the iProbe. The Freeride has the shortest warranty of any of the beacons (two years).
The user manual was improved significantly in the Fall of 2009.
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| Pieps DSP |
Conclusion: I think the Freeride is a good transceiver for people who want a tiny transceiver and who already know how to search without a
directional indicator (and who are willing to do very narrow
search strips),
but I do not think it is appropriate for people who are purchasing their first transceiver or who have been using a multiple antenna transceiver. These
folks won't understand the additional practice required to search using a single-antenna transceiver. Please don't skimp on price and give this as a gift to a novice.
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