Of course the F2 is the older dual frequency transceiver with the necessity of using an ear plug. It takes a skilled operator to be able to follow a flux line with that model, not to mention the 30 seconds or so it takes to get the ear plug in place and to hold it there while searching.
Although this is just an approximation, an average searcher might have taken 3:30 to 4:30 with and F2, 3-3:30 with the F1, but something like 2-2:15 with newer digital/ digital/analog units. That may not seem like a lot but it matters a bunch. One set of Swiss statistics show that the mean survival time in rescues for complete burial was only 11 minutes - this from a large statistical sample. At this point in time, $120 seems like a lot for an F2. I retired my own stable perhaps 5 years ago and haven't allowed clients to use the F2 in Avy courses for 3-4 years now.
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