Ortovox Recalls its Model 3+ Avalanche Beacons

Ortovox announced today a precautionary recall of its Ortovox 3+ avalanche transceivers running software version 2.1.  If you own one of these beacons, head over to the Ortovox website starting May 25th,  fill out a form, and send your beacon in for a software upgrade, all free of charge.

Internal testing by Ortovox identified a software glitch that could cause temporary lapses in signal transmission, potentially leading to a longer search time in the case of a burial.  Fast and efficient searches are critical for saving lives, so this is not something to ignore. Thankfully, this software bug was discovered in the office before it caused any accidents in the field. Recalled beacons will have software version 2.2 installed, which corrects the issue.

If you’re still spring skiing or chasing the endless winter south of the equator, loner beacons will be available. That’s great customer service in my mind.

Here’s a short instructional video on how to identify what software version your beacon is running. Note that the color of your beacon does not matter.