Gear Review | Black Diamond Guide BT LVS

In case anyone is confused, lets piece it together slowly:

Black Diamond Guide BT = Pieps Pro BT in black = successor to Pieps DSP Pro.

Black Diamond Reckon BT = Pieps Powder BT in black = successor to Pieps DSP Sport.

First impression

Compared to its predecessor, the DSP Pro, the Guide BT hasn't changed much at first glance: The device has remained the same size, still has two buttons (Mark - flag symbol and Scan - Wifi-like symbol) and a slide switch with which you switch the avalanche transceiver on and off and switch from transmit to search mode. I find the slide switch a little stiff and usually have to give it a little help to engage. In search mode, the switch does not want to engage completely and I can always switch from search mode back to transmit mode with one hand and without pressing the lock button. This is also the case with my DSP Pro, so it is reasonable to assume that this is how it is intended. In transmit mode, the switch engages firmly and the slider can only be moved if the lock button is moved at the same time.

The carrying system has remained the same, with the exception of one small, somewhat surprising change: in the old harness, the avalanche transceiver slips out of the stiffer "socket" when you open the buckle and pull on the fastening strap, as this runs behind/under the device. This is no longer the case with the new carrying system. Not a particularly significant change, but I personally found it practical and wonder why they have now given up on this convenient feature.

Bluetooth functions

The "BT" in the name stands - precisely - for Bluetooth. The Pieps app, which is available for Android and MacOS, allows you to communicate with the avalanche transceiver via Bluetooth. To use the app, you need an account for the Pieps online portal, which you can set up quickly with just a few clicks. You can carry out device updates yourself via the app - a significant advantage over the previous update options (sending it in or taking it to the "service centre"). There are also various extra settings that can be easily activated or deactivated via the app as required:

• Vibration alarm - default setting: ON. If this function is active, the device vibrates when you switch from search to transmit or from off to transmit and does so 10 times, which I personally find a little irritating in practice (frequent switching back and forth), which is why I have switched it off. Regardless of the transmit vibration alarm, the device vibrates in search mode on first reception. The idea is that you don't have to look at the device while searching for a signal, but can concentrate on walking, which works well. If the device finds a signal, it alerts you with a vibration.

• Analogue mode - default setting: OFF. If the option for analogue mode is active, you can switch to it in search mode using the scan button. The whole thing works in principle, but the acoustics seem very noisy to me - much more so than I remember from admittedly long-ago attempts with old analogue devices.

• Autorevert - default setting: OFF. BD/Pieps still relies on the Pieps backup, which is probably why the autorevert function is not active by default. In the app, you can set whether the AR starts after 60, 90 or 120 seconds. If the AR function is active, "AR" appears on the display in transmit mode. If you do not move the device in search mode for the selected time, a rather piercing countdown tone warns you first, then the device switches to transmit.

• Group Check - Default setting: Normal Group Check ON, Pro Mode OFF. Like its predecessor models, the Guide BT has a Group Check mode. The standard version of the Group Check (Simple Group Check) is activated by pressing and holding the Mark button when switching on. The display shows the distance to the transmitter if the transmitting device passes the group check; the transmission frequency is tested. The extended Group Check is activated by pressing the Scan button instead of the Mark button; the pulse and period duration of the transmitter are then also tested. The device displays "OK" if the transmitter passes the test. The extended group check is recommended for old, single-antenna devices, which should of course no longer be used anyway.

• The Pro mode, which can be activated via the app, has the same features as the extended group check. In addition, you can switch from transmission mode to search mode with the "checking" device by tilting the device up or down. Personally, I find the Pro mode a little confusing for my purposes and  "too much of a good thing" - for guides who want to check their groups quickly and easily for searching and sending, for example, the Pro mode is probably practical.

• Mark Range - default setting: 5m. The mark range can be extended in the app from 5m to 20m or the maximum range. This means that you can mark transmitting devices at a distance of 20m or at the maximum range, and not only when you have approached them by 5m.

• Scan Mode - Default setting: Regular. Regular mode corresponds to the scan mode of the previous models. A detailed mode can now be activated in the app for the Guide BT, in which the direction and distance of the three strongest transmitters within range are displayed in scan mode. The Mark button can be used to "scroll" through these three transmitters and select one. The mark function is then not active. In the event of multiple burials and several searchers, you can theoretically use the Detailed Scan to prevent everyone from rushing to the nearest transmitter. Overall, the possibilities offered by the Detailed Scan mode seem potentially very helpful, especially for organised rescues.

• Battery type - Default setting: Alkaline, can be changed to lithium.

• Training mode: If you have several Bluetooth-enabled BD or Pieps avalanche beacons, you can control buried transmitters using the app and, for example, change the transmitting antenna to produce different training scenarios.

Conclusion

High-end LVS with long range and all the other functions that are now commonplace, as well as extensive options for device management via app and Bluetooth. The update option via app seems particularly useful to me. Many of the additional options that can be activated via the app are probably overkill for standard use, but may be very interesting for training purposes, for organised rescue or for guiding activities.

Advantages and disadvantages

+ High range

+ Numerous, customisable functions

Details according to the manufacturer

• Maximum range: 60m

• Recommended search strip width: 60m

• Dimensions (mm, LxWxH): 118 x 76 x 29

• Weight (g, incl. batteries): 230

• Power supply: 3 batteries (AAA)

• Battery life (min. h): 600

• Receiving frequency (kHz): 457

• Transmitting frequency (kHz, according to EN300718): 457

• Temperature range: -20°C to +45°C

Here is the Black Diamond website with further information.

The avalanche transceiver was provided to PowderGuide free of charge by the manufacturer for testing. Find out how we tested it in our test statement.