Red 457 (Barryvox 3000)

The Red 457 is a unique beacon, from the look down to the features. Adopting the trend of the computer industry, the case of the 457 is a translucent blue, reminiscent of the iMac. But the nicest feature of the 457 is that it is completely customizable to the user. You can set the beacon to be strictly analog, digital or a combination of the two. This enables the user to use the settings that best suit their searching methods.

The harnessing system on the 457 is also very unique. The harness consists of a pouch with two straps, one for the shoulder and one for the waist. The beacon slips into the pouch and is tethered with an elastic cord and secured with a fastex-tyoe buckle. The beacon hangs in a slanted position, much like the radio harnesses that the Ski Patrol wears.

The Red 457 is a slick unit. A large LCD that is backlit displays data to the user. Like the Tracker DTS, the dual antenna allows the user to adjust to the flux line on the fly. This beacon notifies the user of multiple burials and then switches the speaker to analog and locks onto the strongest signal within 30 meters. It also has instructions for search silk-screened on the beacon.

The Red 457 has a few drawbacks like the same processing delay problem as the Arva 9000. Also, if the buttons protruded instead of being recessed, they would be easier to use with bulky gloves.

The Red 457 is distributed by:
Red Corp.
603-746-3176
http://www.red-corp.com/