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Ortovox
Ortovox is a leader in Mountain Safety Equipment. If you are venturing off-piste or going back country it is crucial that you have the correct equipment should you encounter an avalanche or the unexpected
Ortovox evolved because of the Avalanche Transceiver. The Company was founded in 1980; the main reason behind this was because the only Avalanche Transceivers available worked on different frequencies. This made it impossible to rescue a victim in time . Ortovox decided to develop a transceiver which had double frequency.
Ortovox are all on 457 kHz frequency.
- 1989 - F1 Classic
- 1990 - F1 Plus (the first transceiver with an in built visual search aid)
- 1994 - F1 Focus
- 1998 - M1 (the first digital analog transceiver with computer prompts to guide users)
- 2000 - M2
- 2002 - X1
The decisive advantages of the Ortovox Transceiver are:
- Fast reception of first signal and greater range
- Precise calculation of the direction and the distance to the buried person
- Clear indication and accurate guidance to the victim
- Easy use and clear functions
A Transceiver on its own is not going to complete a rescue: there was an obvious need for products that would compliment the transceiver and facilitate rescue. Ortovox developed Avalanche Shovels, probes and 1st Aid Bags.
What then followed was the development of backpacks designed specifically for this safety equipment to fit in different compartments of the backpack. Three types of Backpack were developed:
- Evolution Line
- Performance Line
- M-Line
Ortovox Transceiver History
- 1980 - Gerald Kempel and Jurgen Wegner develop the first double frequency avalanche transceiver the Ortovox F2 to search for buried people in an avalanche. At the time there were other avalanche transceivers on the market, which transmitted different frequencies 2.275kHz and 457kHz. This led to a number of avalanche deaths as people couldn't be rescued immediately because transceivers were transmitting different frequencies. The Ortovox F2 became market leader after two years as it was able to transmit and receive both frequencies.
- 1985 - The Ortovox powder snow backpack and avalanche shovel were added to the Ortovox F2. The backpack and avalanche shovel are still being used today.
- 1989 - Ortovox launch a new transceiver. The Ortovox F1 classic has a flexible body belt, an integrated loudspeaker and an optional earphone.
- 1990 - The company was renamed Ortovox sportartikel gmbh. The ORTOVOX F1 plus, the first avalanche transceiver with LED technique, came onto the market. The visual search indicator and a method of looking for any companion or lost skis, represented a substantial development in the market for avalanche transceivers.
- 1994 - The legendary F1 focus was presented. This avalanche transceiver is an incredible sales success. Globally it is by far the most sold avalanche transceiver. The concept was to facilitate the search by using an arrow in the colours of a traffic light. This visual help accelerated and simplified the search for a person buried in an avalanche.
- 1998 - ORTOVOX m1 - a star was born! This was the year of birth of the first fully compatible, digital-analogue avalanche transceiver. The m stands for menu-controlled search.
- 1999 - Development takes place quickly, still quicker is the ORTOVOX m2. The avalanche transceiver with, what is at the moment, the quickest pulse rate, the easiest and quickest switch-over from transmit to receive mode, a unique innovative belt system and the possibility to locate reliably several people who have been lost in an avalanche. The ORTOVOX m2 has been declared the winner in more international tests than any other ORTOVOX avalanche transceiver.
- 2002 - The first fully automatic digital avalanche transceiver ORTOVOX x1 with direct indication of distance was launched. The dual frequency beacon automatically controls the receiving volume from receipt of the first signal until the pinpoint search. The x1 captivates with its simple handling, a range unmatched at the moment (up to 70 m), high precision and a fully automatic search system. The search for several signals works automatically.
- 2003 - The additional micro-processor of the ORTOVOX x1 version 2003 accelerate the speed of the display indications.
- 2005 - The world-wide first sensor-controlled avalanche scanner S1. Thanks to the entirely new technology the direction and distance of up to four signals can be simultaneously indicated on the display. The search via cross-hair on the display is considerably easier due to the visualization.
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