Operating Instructions; Power Supply - bca Tracker3 Owner's Manual

Familiarization
Adjustment/Fitting
Tracker3 can be worn with or without its harness. When used with a
harness, Tracker3 should be worn underneath your outer garments,
as shown in Figure D.
Figure D
Waist Strap
Waist Attachment Buckle
Lanyard Attachment Loop
Distance/directional display should be against your body and transmit light
should be exposed and visible.
To search, remove Tracker3 from its pouch, but keep the harness on and
lanyard attached. If using without a harness, keep Tracker3 in a secure
pocket, preferably in your pants or other garment that won't be removed
while traveling in the backcountry. Attach the lanyard clip to a zipper or
other solid fixture. If the lanyard is removed from harness or clothing for
searching, keep it attached to your wrist with the loop provided.

Power Supply

Tracker3 operates with three AAA alkaline batteries. Use only high-quality
alkaline batteries of identical age and brand. Do not use rechargeable,
lithium, Oxyride, PowerPix or any other non-alkaline battery. Replace with
fresh batteries at the beginning of every season.
If Tracker3 is exposed to excessive moisture, open the battery door
to help allow the unit to dry. To prevent corrosion of contacts, remove
batteries during extended periods of inactivity. The manufacturer does not
warranty damage caused by battery corrosion.
Trailhead Test
To ensure proper transmit and search functions, always perform a
trailhead test before starting your tour. One person should walk 20 meters
away and make sure his or her signal is detected by the others. Then the
rest of the group switches to transmit mode and walks toward the leader,
who should confirm their signals can each be detected from 20 meters
away. The leader should always switch back to transmit mode after the
test is completed.
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Shoulder Strap
Lanyard
m
Searching
Tracker3 operates using the 457 kHz international standard frequency.
It is fully compatible with all avalanche transceivers adhering to
this standard. Do not use with 457 kHz transceivers designed for
firefighter rescue.
When searching, keep Tracker3 at least 20" (50 cm) away from
electrical equipment, including cell phones and video cameras.
Turn all electrical equipment off if possible.
The search process includes four phases: the signal search, the coarse
search, the fine search, and the pinpointing/probing phase (See Figure E).
Figure E
SIGNAL
SEARCH
> 40 m
20 m
40m
20 m
COARSE
SEARCH
3–40 m
FINE
SEARCH
< 3 m
Signal Search: The signal search refers to the process of establishing a
search pattern and looking for a signal. The search pattern will be defined
by the victim's last seen area, the size of the slide, and the number of
searchers. Refer to Figure F to establish a signal search pattern. If the slide
is less than 40 meters wide, the signal search path will be directly up or
down the center. If the victim's last seen area is well defined, the signal
search will follow a direct path along the fall line (up or down) from this point.

Operating Instructions

Objective: Locate signal
• If no "last seen area," search entire path
• Rotate Tracker horizontally and vertically
• Max 40 m between searchers or switchbacks
20 m
Objective: Move quickly to 10m, slowly to 3 m
• Follow general direction of center 3 lights
• Make sure distance readings are decreasing
• Slow down at 10 m
Objective: Locate smallest distance reading
(strongest signal)
• Use Tracker3 close to snow surface
• Ignore fluctuations in distance and direction
• Begin probing at lowest distance
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