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With the Diract Voice, Ortovox now offers a brand new tracker beacon. 3 antennas – you know the drill. Range 50m – nothing new. Group check function – already been there. But that’s it for the similarities to devices from other manufacturers. This practical test should clarify what else the device can do. This much can be said in advance: it is the sum of the improvements that make the Diract Voice a hot tip for ski touring beginners, but also for experienced ski-mountaineers.
April 2021 – a picture-perfect spring day. However, with above-average snow conditions for this specific time of year. Reason enough to test the device in a real environment. For the season finale, we head once again to the mountain that can be seen from almost every house in Garmisch-Patenkirchen: the Alpspitze. Up the north face Via Ferrata, down the steep descent on the north flank.
Unboxing
Already when unpacking the Diract Voice, the high-quality feel of the device is noticeable. Clean look, neatly finished and also the operation of the switches and buttons leaves a very “full” feeling. Another positive feature is the rubber coating on the side of the device – no matter which glove you use to pull out the transceiver, it fits perfectly in your hand and slipping is almost impossible. Quickly insert the batteries – ah…wait. There was something: the device comes with an integrated lithium-ion battery, which is particularly suitable for low temperatures. It is charged – in keeping with the times – via a USB-C cable at the mains plug, laptop, car or at a power bank. According to Ortovox, the operating time in transmit mode is >200h, in search/receive mode >50h – without any disadvantages. The data is definitely top!
Basic functions & voice navigation
To switch on, the toggle switch is folded out, the power button is pressed and the switch is folded back again – the latter thus covers the button, which makes it almost impossible to switch off the Diract Voice accidentally. In this position, the device is now in transmit mode and can be safely stored in the carrying system. This is the first time you become aware of the voice function – a hint tells you that you are in transmit mode. To switch to search or receive mode, flip open the orange switch, which works easily even when wearing thick gloves, and is again briefly confirmed by the voice output of the Diract Voice.
The first rescuer is also supported with voice commands in the signal search, coarse search and fine search. These are deliberately chosen so that only the most necessary instructions are passed on to the searcher. Commands such as “Run in 50m search strip and keep a lookout”, “Run straight ahead” or “Keep left” help to keep a cool head in the enormous stress situation (speech calms in emergency situations!) and ensure a fast approach – a real novelty on the avalanche transceiver market! Since it is not possible to look permanently at the display during the search process on an avalanche cone, this feature is a useful addition – however, voice navigation should not and does not replace the basic knowledge of how to proceed in a buried search.
Security features
In addition to a group check function, which is now a standard feature of modern beacons, the device also has a standby mode in which the device is switched on but does not transmit or receive. Especially in scenarios where several rescuers are at the scene of the accident but do not take an active role in the search for buried subjects, the activated standby mode can avoid interfering signals during the avalanche transceiver search. But what about post-avalanche protection in this situation? Don’t worry – after 120 seconds without movement, the Diract Voice switches from standby mode, search mode and group check mode back to transmit mode.
With beacons, a distinction should always be made between the maximum and usable range. In this case, “usable” means that the signal strength is sufficient for a reliable directional indication of the 360° arrow. The usable range of the Diract Voice allows a search strip width of 50m even under less favourable conditions. Several search runs confirm this value, provided the device to be found is not in an unfavourable coupling position. In this case, almost every device on the market has a shorter search range – unless the buried person is in possession of a device with Smart Antenna. This feature analyses the positions of the three antennas during transmission and automatically switches to the best one. This increases the transmission range on the one hand and the precision of the fine search on the other. Whereas in the practical test, it was difficult to find a 3-antenna device from another manufacturer that was standing vertically and was about 15 years old, the Diract Voice was located without any problems in the most unfavourable coupling position. This is a great function, which is an additional safety plus in case of an emergency!
Back in the search function, it is also useful for the fine search to know that the direction arrows disappear after a distance of 3m and then the classic crossing out begins. It is precisely in this phase that the search precision of the test device was significantly increased. Why is this important here? Specific time measurements showed that the most time is spent in the close range of the search and that this is where the greatest potential for improvement lies dormant. The Diract Voice was always spot on in search exercises with high reproducibility and was able to display the smallest value precisely – you can’t really ask for more here. Once a device has been located and is to be hidden in the course of a multiple burial, the marking function comes into play, which worked very reliably in our test even with several devices at close range.
What else has been noticed?
Up to now, little attention has been paid to the carrying systems of avalanche beacons – but wrongly so. In short: flat, ergonomic, well-thought-out. The holder supplied with the Diract Voice is hardly noticeable and sits on the body without slipping. The real highlight, however, is the removal mechanism. The tab for securing the device in the holder has a hybrid function: if you open it and pull on it, the avalanche beacon pops out at you so far that you almost have it in your hand. The RECCO reflector integrated into the shoulder strap is a further feature, which takes away the arguments of “I carry my avalanche beacon in my trouser pocket” fanatics who want to do without a carrying system. For me, too, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, which is why I will carry it tidily on my body on future tours.
In the age of digitalisation and smartphone apps, it is only natural that a Bluetooth module is built into the device, via which software updates can be carried out by the user himself. In future, the corresponding app will make a visit to the trusted dealer superfluous – at least for this occasion.
Where does the Ortovox Diract Voice rank?
In addition to the Diract Voice, the Diract is also offered, which does without voice navigation, but otherwise has identical functions and features. These two devices replace the Ortovox 3+, which was also available on the market for many years.
Result:
With the Ortovox Diract Voice, both beginners and experienced ski tourers get a very well put together an overall package with numerous improvements to previous devices. The constant further development culminates in the (almost overdue) voice navigation, which is supposed to show its strengths, especially in emergency situations. Of course, one hopes that it will never come to that – but in an emergency, most people will be grateful for any additional assistance.