Voice guidance is the real standout feature on this beacon, and for the most part, it works very well. In single and multiple burial scenarios, the Ortovox handled itself very well with quick processing and clear guidance, partly due to the voice assist and partly to its large LED screen with clear graphics.
We also loved how the Ortovox Diract Voice beacon felt in hand and how easy it was to move between different modes. The Ortovox has a noticeably shorter range during a signal search (almost half of our favorite, the Arva), but it’s still well within the minimum recommended search strip (40 m).
We were lukewarm on the rechargeable battery. Less waste is great, but yet another device to remember to charge, especially a lifesaving device, can be a nonstarter for some users.
In short: This is an excellent beacon for a new backcountry user looking to build on skills learned from an avalanche course or for any user who wants an easy-to-use beacon.
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Feels great in hand -
Smart design choices -
Large and easy-to-read screen -
Voice assistance can keep rescuers on track, especially in the signal search phase
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Noticeably shorter range -
Rechargeable battery is not for everyone -
Voice assistance could be more fleshed out
Ortovox Diract Voice Beacon Review
Testing
We used this beacon for a few months on personal ski tours and in a few avalanche education courses as a teaching beacon. We tried the beacon in single and multiple burial scenarios to test for signal acquisition range, how easy and straightforward it was to use, and how well it processed multiple beacons (far apart and in close proximity). We also tested many of the beacon’s special features.
As the lead tester for this review, I am an AIARE Course Leader and Splitboard/Backcountry Ski Guide. I have been teaching avalanche education courses for four seasons and backcountry touring for nearly 15 years.
When I teach avalanche courses, I see many different students with nearly every beacon on the market. I get to watch lots of people use lots of beacons every day. Because of this, I see patterns with different beacons, where many excel or struggle, as well as common stumbling blocks that students have.
Voice Guidance
The Ortovox Diract Voice standout feature is the voice guidance. This is the first beacon on the market with voice assistance (though we can expect to see more coming soon). For a first try at something like this, we think Ortovox did a great job.
We like being told which mode you are in with audio cues, along with the beacon saying it out loud. If there were an accidental mode switch, you would hear it.
During a signal search, the voice guidance tells you what search strip width to use. If the beacon detects electromagnetic interference (EMI), the distance will change from the 50m standard to 20m. Speaking of EMI, in search mode, the beacon will beep at you with a screen prompt telling you it detects interference and that you should remove the source or shorten your search strips.
When you pick up a signal, it will tell you which general direction to go following the arrows and to turn around if your distance is going up. As you get within 3 m, the voice guidance will only tell you if you are closer. Beyond that, the audio beeps will change tone based on whether you are getting closer or farther away.
So, the big question is whether its voice guidance is a game changer in avalanche rescue. For a practiced user, the audio cues are noticeably delayed from where you would be in a search. The audio cues sometimes felt delayed from where we were in a rescue scenario.
However, you can use the companion app on your phone to turn voice guidance off if you choose. Ortovox also makes a non-voice version.
Many new backcountry users taking an avalanche course will practice a little on the course and might not practice much afterward. So, the audio cues seem to be a good reminder for someone who doesn’t practice much. And it cannot be discounted that in a real scenario, having some basic guidance could make a massive difference if the rescuer panics.
We are super-excited to see something like this come to the market and know the potential is there for this to be a game-changer. We would love to see clearer guidance in the fine search or when moving between different phases of a rescue.
For instance, the beacon should tell you when to begin probing. We would also like to hear the beacon say it detects multiple burial victims. New users can get stuck or confused at these familiar places, so leveraging the technology to help them through this could be fantastic. More innovation is coming in the next few seasons, but we applaud Ortovox for trying something new in the segment.
Ergonomics
The next thing that stands out about this beacon is its ergonomics, some of the best on the market. The feel of the beacon in hand is excellent. The buttons are easy to use with gloves on, and there is no doubt which mode you are in or what you are doing on the beacon. The search tab on top is bright and orange, easy to see and use.
We appreciate the two-stage process you follow to turn the beacon off. You push the power button and then confirm by pressing the flag button. No accidental mode changes. Well done. The screen is also large and easy to read with clear icons in all search phases.
Reliable and Fast Signal Acquisition
When performing a single search with the Ortovox, once the signal was acquired, the speed and reliability of the beacon were wonderful. Most real avalanche rescues involve one person being buried, so any beacon out there should nail these single beacon searches.
Arrows and distance were reliable, and as we closed to 3 m, the arrows went away to be replaced with bracketing indicators. In the fine search, we found the beacon to handle itself well and didn’t notice any slow processing. Quick and reliable.
Range
The thing that has stood out with this avalanche beacon (and any previous Ortovox beacon we have used or seen in courses) has always been they just seem not quite to have the range other beacons have when we look at the signal acquisition phase of a rescue.
Most avalanche educators will teach the 40m search strips, but some beacon manufacturers will bump that up since some have found products can find that signal from much farther away. In most cases, when time is a significant factor in rescuing your partner, we would like the beacon to pick up a signal (reliably) from a larger distance.
Rescue is all about speed, so the less time we spend searching for the signal, the better. We found the Ortovox to work great using standard search strips of 40 m. It is certainly noticeable, though, when a competitor like the Arva gets signal acquisition reliably from nearly double the distance of the Ortovox.
Multiple Searches
Multiple beacon searches also went well. The screen indicated how many beacons it detected, and we found it to do a sound job processing and picking out each signal.
We were able to practice close proximity burials using methods like micro search strips and the three-circle method without any issue. (A 1-day rescue course is a great place to learn these methods, by the way, if you have never practiced this.)
Special Features
The Ortovox has a few unique features up its sleeve as well. Group check is convenient when doing a departure check with your partners before heading out for a day of skiing. We want to ensure everyone has a functioning beacon with an adequate battery level (greater than 60%) and can send and receive a signal from other beacons.
Group check is nice in crowded parking lots where many people are moving around with transmitting beacons, as it shortens the range to 1 m, making it easy to be certain your partner is sending a signal, not the person three cars down. You can turn on this feature with the flagging button right after you power on the beacon, and it will display the power level.
A companion app for your phone allows for software updates and some configuration options such as turning the voice assistance on or off, what language the beacon uses, enabling secondary avalanche switchover if you were performing a search and you as the rescuer, were to be buried in a second slide, along with a few other settings to play with.
Battery Life
Finally, the Ortovox Diract Beacon has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. I went from 100% to 88% in the months we had with the beacon. I would expect that from any other beacon using traditional alkaline batteries. Since it is integrated into the beacon, you do not have to remember to remove batteries from the beacon over the summer months to prevent leakage.
Having a rechargeable battery on life-saving equipment like an avalanche beacon was a love-it or despise-it feature for testers. We can envision a scenario where someone forgets to charge their beacon before a ski day and rolls up with a battery level of 10%.
With any other beacon, you can use your spare batteries in your repair kit. (You have spare batteries in your repair kit, right?) But this is one more thing to remember to charge. Fortunately, most folks can probably charge it once at the beginning of the season and once at the midpoint, and that would probably do it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Ortovox Diract, which won our most innovative beacon award in our guide to the Best Avalanche Beacons, is an avalanche beacon with much to like. The great ergonomics, the easy-to-read screen, fast processing in single and multiple burials, and a helpful voice guidance mode all make this a compelling option for new backcountry users who want something easy to use that can help them gain more confidence as they step out in the backcountry.
Advanced users will notice things like the shorter range compared to other beacons on the market, and the voice guidance, while good, has untapped potential and could be even more fleshed out.
