 This Product
Arva Neo BT Pro | |||||
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| Awards |  |  | |  | |
| Price | $322.46 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $500 List $374.96 at Amazon | $400 List $399.95 at Evo | $340 List | Check Price at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | An intuitive model that manages to pack in a host of user-friendly features that a wide range of users will appreciate | A high-end beacon that is packed full of features, with an interface that is easy to use for the less experienced | BCA honors the 'simplicity is speed' mantra, offering only the most sought-after features with this fast and intuitive beacon | This beacon might be marketed as a basic model, but its performance is on the higher end and it still has the majority of features that backcountry travelers seek | With an easy to use interface and a very fast processor, this a great option for a wide range of users |
| Rating Categories | Arva Neo BT Pro | Black Diamond Guide BT | Backcountry Access... | Pieps Powder BT | Backcountry Access... |
| Single Victim Search (25%) | |||||
| Speed (20%) | |||||
| Fine Search (20%) | |||||
| Multiple Burials (15%) | |||||
| Range (10%) | |||||
| Features (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Arva Neo BT Pro | Black Diamond Guide BT | Backcountry Access... | Pieps Powder BT | Backcountry Access... |
| Weight | 214 g / 7.5 oz | 210 g / 7.4 oz | 215 g / 7.5 oz | 225 g / 7.9 oz | 165 g / 5.8 oz |
| Number of Antennae | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Manufacturer's Stated Range | 80-90 meters | 60 meters | 50-55 meters | 60 meters | 50-55 meters |
| Flagging Feature | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life (in "Send") | Alkaline: 350 hours Lithium: 450 hours |
400 hours | 250 hours | 200 hours | 250 hours |
| Digital/Analog | Both | Both | Digital | Digital | Digital |
The Arva Neo Pro BT is a pro-level beacon at a very reasonable price. At the time of this writing, no other beacon featuring this model's level or range, multiple burial functionality, or the ability to switch to an analog-only search function can be found on a model at this price point. We found the Neo Pro quite intuitive and a top performer at nearly every stage except the fine search, which just took a bit more practice compared to some of the more speed and simplicity-focused models. With that said, the Neo Pro BT is a top-tier beacon that is priced more in line with the basic "all-around" transceivers on the market.
The Neo BT Pro has an excellent feature set to help assist a rescuer in finding a single buried beacon. Once switched to search, it prompts its signal in the classic pattern used during the Signal Search stage of the rescue to remind the rescuer what to do. Its longest-on-market range and a massive recommended 80-meter search strip width will likely help the rescuer acquire the buried beacons signal more quickly.
Once a signal is obtained, this model uses an intuitive and easy-to-interpret display with five basic directional arrows. These can use a combination of two arrows to best assist the user to stay on the flux line with loud, easy-to-interpret sounds. As the rescuer moves within 3 meters of the buried beacon, the directional arrows go away, and arrows point in all four directions reminding the rescuer to keep the beacon in the same orientation and to start the fine search/bracketing stage of the search. If you go too far past the signal, a "U" indication on the screen and a loud audible tone help alert the user that they've gone too far and need to turn around.
Here we consider a beacon's overall ease of use and processor speed and how they relate to the effectiveness of its performance (AKA the speed at which it assists its rescuer in finding the buried beacon). The interface and controls of the Neo BT Pro are straightforward to use, reducing the chance of error. The OFF-SEND-SEARCH switch has a lock button to slide, which must be depressed to slide the control lever. A deep notch also helps keep it from accidentally sliding into the wrong notch.
The processor speed of this beacon was above average but not the best. It actually felt faster than most during the Course Search and was able to deal with multiple beacons better than most but under 3 meters it was consistently a tad more sluggish.
While the Neo BT Pro has many advantages, one slight but notable disadvantage is that it was consistently less precise during the bracketing stage of the fine search than other models — particularly with newer and well-practiced users. We found after close to one hundred bracketing sessions that this model's "brackets" (AKA the box) were consistently bigger than other models. The reasons are twofold. First, the BT Pro's directional arrows disappear at 3 meters compared to many models whose arrows disappear at 2 meters. This means that you have to keep your beacon on a given line longer (a meter longer, to be precise) without the directional arrows guiding you. Experienced users had less or almost no problem with this, but newer users generally have larger boxes and noticed this more.
The second reason relates to moving the beacon while bracketing. After noticing the slightly larger brackets, we tried to replicate them without the beacon under the snow, and we noticed that quickly switching the beacon back and forth (on the same plane, same orientation but in different directions) took longer to re-adjust than others.
With that said, we didn't find this beacon inaccurate, and with experienced users, the buried beacon was most commonly found at the center of our brackets — the brackets were just larger. It should also be noted that for less practiced users, the beacon is less commonly in the center of the box, and thus a larger box will likely equate to more probing attempts prior to getting a strike.
Guides, patrollers, or other avalanche workers pay attention because this is one of the few beacons that we give an endorsement to and think is suitable for professional-level companion rescue assessments such as the AMGA and ACMG's Ski Guide Avalanche Rescue assessment or the one Beacon Drill in AAA approved Pro 1 Avalanche courses.
The Neo BT Pro will display up to four beacons using four people icons on the left-hand side of the screen. If the beacon has more than four signals, a "+" symbol is displayed. Once the flag button is engaged, a little flag appears next to the beacon that was just marked. In our testing, this model was among the most difficult to "trick" and was generally able to differentiate beacons quite well even if two beacons were in close proximity (less than 2 meters), which is the case in the AMGA's Ski Guide Avalanche Rescue Drill.
Also, the Neo BT Pro is ultra-fast and easy to switch between digital and analog modes for more complex rescues. To switch to analog mode, simply press the up and down buttons simultaneously while the beacon is in SEARCH mode. The same process will take it back to digital. Analog models, especially one as true analog as this one is, are highly useful for advanced applications. The advantage is any signal lock can be completely turned off, letting the beacon jump freely between signals while allowing the rescuer to hear them simultaneously. This design is essential for "micro-strip" searching, which is many professionals' "troubleshooting technique" for multiple burials where flagging/marking may not be working for some reason. What is particularly nice about the analog mode of the BT Pro, besides the common elimination of signal lock, is the fact that it still labels the number of beacons it sees while also giving the current distance to the closest one.
The Neo BT Pro has a scrolling mode that can be set up ahead of time (via Bluetooth and your smartphone ) but lets you use the "+" and "-" buttons to move between buried person icons, which blink when highlighted to let you manually switch between signals. This sounds really cool, but this technique is best utilized by professionals and very well-practiced individuals, as it can be quite confusing in a real-world rescue.
The Neo BT Pro has the longest overall range in our review, matched only by the Mammut Barryvox S at 90 meters in analog but with an unheard-of 80-meter range in digital mode. This means you could search a debris field with an 80-meter search strip width of work downhill with 40 meters of range on either side of you. This is double what AIARE, the Canadian Avalanche Association, and other large national avalanche education groups suggest.
We typically think that people put too much weight on the maximum range, as it doesn't actually help that many people find a buried signal faster; however, when we are talking about nearly doubling the search strip width of a lot of other beacons on the market, we DO think it makes a difference. This is because of the ability to walk straight downhill (versus having to descend in a zig-zagging pattern) in an area just slightly smaller than a football field wide. In a very large portion of avalanches, this is a pretty big advantage.
This beacon is PACKED full of features and is easily among the most feature-rich models in our review. Some of our favorites that we feel improved the usefulness of the Neo BT Pro include the ability to scroll through and manage up to four beacons, the ability to use Bluetooth to manage settings and software with your smartphone, and the very easy to use "Group Check" mode.
Many more advanced beacons can be challenging to do efficient trailhead checks with (also called beacon checks or function checks). However, with the Pro BT, it couldn't be easier — once it finishes its initial boot-up, just press the flag button while the "Group Check" icon is flashing, and voila, it eliminates the signal lock and alternates between flashing useful messages. If you forget to push the flag button, you can also access the "Group Check" mode from SEND mode by holding down both directional arrows. We think this is a great design for newer users who VERY frequently forget to activate their beacons group check mode and are forced to power it down, wait 15-30 seconds, power it back up, let it boot up, and wait for the 3-5 second window of time in order to access it.
We also really like this model's auto search-to-transmit switchover in case of a second avalanche that uses an internal motion sensor and can be customized via the Bluetooth app. The other small but handy feature is this model's signal interference icon. There has been a lot of research done recently about how badly cell phones and other devices can negatively affect an avalanche beacon's performance, and the Pro BT has some sort of sensor that can identify when this is happening and displays an interference icon on the top right side of the screen letting the user know to move their phone or whatever device away from the beacon as it is at least partially negatively effecting the search.
The Neo BT Pro is a capable beacon suitable for a huge range of users. We think it is ideal for all but the newest users or folks who just aren't going to practice as regularly. This is because there are beacons that are easier to use during the fine search. However, for even a brand new user who is about to take their very first avalanche course (but knows they will be a little more committed to practicing early on) up to the seasoned pro, we think this beacon offers the usability and the features to give it wide audience appeal. Lastly, for the advanced recreationists and the seasoned and aspiring pro, this model does as well as any at the AMGA's 4-beacon Avalanche Rescue assessment, which is one of the more demanding beacon drills for an avalanche transceiver.
The Arva Neo BT Pro easily competes with our other top-scoring models, though each has its niche. The BT Pro is basically as feature-rich as the Mammut Barryvox S, but the majority of people will find it easier to use. The Backcountry Access Tracker4 is also simpler, easier to use, and likely faster for the majority of people at finding a single person, but the BT Pro crushes for multiple burials and complex situations while having a bunch more features and a range that is basically double. Lastly, the Black Diamond Guide BT is better in the fine search, and less practiced users will do slightly better as a result; however, those with more experience will find this is less of an issue, and for more complex scenarios and multiple burials, we think the BT Pro is a superior beacon.
