Voice navigation, an extended 80-meter range, and interference protection: the new Focus Voice and Focus Pro redefine avalanche search.
Forty-six years after the market launch of the legendary F2, Ortovox continues its history of innovation and reaffirms its leading role in mountain safety with two new avalanche transceivers—the Focus Voice and Focus Pro—available for the 2026/27 winter season.
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Focus Voice meets the needs of experienced ski mountaineering enthusiasts, yet its ease of use makes it suitable for occasional off-piste skiers as well. Focus Pro, on the other hand, is designed for professional use, featuring additional capabilities tailored to mountain guides and mountain rescue personnel.
With an 80-meter search strip, the two new avalanche transceivers offer one of the widest search ranges on the market, creating the conditions for a fast and efficient search. The patented voice guidance system was developed to provide practical support, particularly for less experienced users.
This technology is complemented by integrated interference protection and Smart Antenna technology, which automatically selects the most effective transmitting antenna based on the victim’s position. It is a suite of technologies designed to enhance safety during winter ski touring outings.
In 1980, the F2 revolutionized the market by introducing the ability to transmit and receive on two different frequencies. In 1994, the F1 Focus became the first device to feature a visual element to aid in searching, marking a major market innovation. In 2021, we added a new milestone to our history by patenting voice navigation. The Focus Voice and Focus Pro once again demonstrate our relentless pursuit of innovation to make mountain sports safer.
Dieter Kotlaba, Senior Product Manager Safety Ortovox.
Both devices have been available in stores since September, priced at €380.00 and €480.00, respectively.
Maximum support: patented voice navigation during search
Thanks to patented voice navigation—first introduced in 2021 with the Diract Voice device—Focus Voice provides step-by-step guidance throughout the search for avalanche victims.
The clear, easily understood instructions help maintain calm and provide a comprehensive overview precisely when every second counts. Voice navigation also helps reduce stress levels and search times, as highlighted by a recent behavioral science study (Wallner, B. et al., 2025. *The effect of automated verbal commands during avalanche transceiver search on acute mental stress and arousal—A mixed-methods crossover field study*, published in *Brain and Behaviour*, Vol. 15, Issue 7, July 2025).
High-readability MIP display
The largest Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) display currently on the market adapts to the various stages of the search and displays key information with excellent readability, even in bright sunlight and when wearing polarized sunglasses.
Unlike standard full-graphic displays, the high-resolution display maintains a particularly clear view and good contrast, even in very bright sunlight.
Maximum coverage: 80-meter search strip width, up to 90 meters with compatible Ortovox devices.
With an 80-meter search strip, Focus Voice ranks among the highest-performing avalanche transceivers on the market. When searching for other Ortovox devices compatible with Smart Antenna technology, the search strip width can increase to up to 90 meters.
Especially in challenging reception conditions, greater coverage makes it possible to reduce the search path and save valuable time during rescue operations.
Focus Voice also features a stable signal display from the moment of initial reception—a design element intended to facilitate faster localization.
Maximum protection: faster location tracking thanks to Smart Antenna technology.
In recent winters, the growing prevalence of electronic devices used by ski touring enthusiasts—from smartphones and GPS watches to action cams—has made the issue of interference even more significant.
Electronic interference affecting the magnetic field of avalanche transceivers—devices that are already particularly sensitive—can indeed compromise their coverage.
Whether in search or transmit mode, Focus Voice automatically adapts to sources of electronic interference and alerts the ski mountaineer via a clear audible signal. Transmission power is automatically adjusted when necessary.
In search mode, the device avoids so-called “ghost signals” and dynamically adjusts the width of the search corridor based on sources of interference. This enables a more stable, interference-free search.
Focus Pro: additional features for professional use
Focus Pro shares the same technical specifications as Focus Voice, adding specific features developed for professional use by mountain guides and mountain rescue teams.
These features include a continuous overview of the distance to the four nearest transmitters, designed to handle potential multiple-burial scenarios. A scrolling function allows for the targeted selection of each of the four transmitters.
The large MIP display and the large switch—easy and safe to operate even while wearing gloves—allow mountain rescue professionals to maintain a clear overview during emergencies.
In particularly complex situations, the search strip width can be manually reduced to 20 or 3 meters. This option allows for focusing on the nearest signals and minimizing interference.
With Focus Pro, mountain rescue personnel can also select analog audio output—a hybrid mode combining digital information display with analog sound reproduction, enabling the acoustic identification of interference sources and potential signal overlaps.
