Old Analog beacon question

Yesterday I got to finally check out the Alpental Beacon park.  I was driving from visiting friends in Seattle to my home in Eastern Washington.   I didn't have a lot of time, but I messed around for 45 minutes or so.  Here is my question:  I have an old Ortovox F1 (the baby blue and yellow Fisher Price-looking one).  I have heard that over time the signal can creep a bit, but I'm wondering if it is possible to lose sensitivity in the fine search mode (1 to 2 meters on the dial) over time?  I was very frustrated because I would routinely and quickly lock onto signals and get it to within a few meters.  The signal strength indicators where topping out and when I switched to the finest search setting, it was like the signal went away.  I was low to the ground and moving it slowly across the top of the snow.   I was trying to outline a box to probe in and it proved difficult.  There was another fellow that was trying out his new Tracker 2 for the first time (no previous experience) and he seemed to find the boxes fairly quickly while I took forever.

I have taken avalanche level 1 class, another when I was in school at WWU, and I used to practice fairly regularly when I worked at Scottish Lakes.  I am admittedly out of practice and fully willing to swallow my pride and accept operator error.  I am also wondering if the boxes are buried fairly deep?  Most of the practice I have done is in snow no more than 1 to 2 feet deep.  Maybe the finest setting doesn't work on deeper burials. 

I've been avoiding buying a new digital transceiver, but maybe it is time.  I would appreciate any thoughts on the subject of old analog  failure, or fine search mode operator failure.   Thanks

I messed around for 45 minutes or so........... I am also wondering if the boxes are buried fairly deep? 

You didn't get a hit in 45 mins of trying?

Well, when I was there with the guy with the Tracker 2 we teamed up and did a medium search with 2 burials.  We found the first in a little over 3 min.  We didn't tag the second one until 12 or 13 minutes.  We both zeroed in on the targets, but when we got close it was the Tracker 2 that seemed to zero on the boxes more accurately.  I was a couple feet off where the actual boxes were.  After he left I set up one to do solo, and I didn't hit the box after about 20 minutes of trying, and I was getting pressed for time so I gave up.  The one I was looking for was by a tree and the ground was really icy in places.  I couldn't get my probe through the snow in the first places that I tried, which may have been another reason for my frustration.   The concern for me is that I have done this successfully several times in the past with this beacon, but it really seemed to drop the signal when I turned it to the finest setting, yet the second finest was too loud to get a narrow enough search box.  I think I'll start looking for another beacon, yet I hate to replace something that is perfectly good still just because of operator error.

With the greatest respect it really sounds like you need to get (re)taught how to do this properly. 12-13 and then 20 minutes searching in a beacon array is pitifully slow and your description of how you attempted to do a pinpoint search by outlining a box is completely contrary to modern practice (maybe even really old practice too?)

Tossing the old F1 beacon is probably a good idea.. modern digital beacons are just better.

Agreed on getting rid of the old F1. Sounds like something is wrong with the fine setting.

I have been using two older F1's for training purposes this winter (they get buried with a mannequin).  One failed in the transmit mode- you could receive the signal to within 3-4 meters, then nothing.  I checked the unit against my DSP and the signal drift was all over the place. 

Both Alpental and WSDOT used the F1's for years and have now switched to digital beacons, as our F1's get older we continue to see more malfunctions in both transmit and receive modes.  They've been around for some time and we've gotten plenty of good use out of them.  They're just not designed to last forever.

As for the searching, you should be able to find the pads if you get within a meter.  (The pads are 30cm x 30cm and I try to keep the depth at 1 meter- recommended training depth).  Proper probing techniques should get you a positive strike.

Cheers,

$

Some useful insight into frequency drift in older analog beacons and the effect it has on newer digital beacons that are likely going to be used to look for you.