AmSnow.com is now SnoWest.com
¦ Upgraded tech & changes
The second-gen design was a lot more sophisticated. First, the transmitter was eliminated and replaced by a capacitance sensor on the throttle side of the handlebars to know when the rider’s hand was on the bars. This design also incorporated a tachometer circuit to initiate the unit only when the rpm were high enough, as when the clutch was engaged. There also was a sensor added to detect rollovers and shut the engine down when the sled was inverted. Additionally, the rider could customize a delay in the shutdown from each sensor, controlling when the motor would stop when the rider’s hand left the bars or when the sled rolled over. This customization was done on an easy-to-use remote control.
This gen had long installation times and the hand sensor occasionally was fooled in humid conditions.
¦ Latest and greatest
The third-gen Phantom Teth-Air is even more effective, with an easy plug-in installation, and a small pod mounted on the throttle block. Its wiring plugs into the factory speedometer wiring with OEM style connectors and the hand sensor was replaced with a Class 1 laser. I was skeptical at first with the laser sensor being sure that snow would get packed around it or prevent it fr CV TECH om reading correctly. A season of riding proved there was no problem. The placement of the sensor is ideal to keep snow from inhibiting its function. It read my hand position just fine.
Note too that the Teth-Air now only engages while the track is spinning and your throttle hand is not on the handle bars, or when the sled is inverted. However, you can program the engine shutdown to be delayed 0.5 to 3 seconds.
When might you want this delay? Well, if you’re going down a hill or the trail and temporarily take your hand off the throttle (while the sled is still moving/coasting) to adjust your goggles, helmet, or just to stretch your hand. By customizing the tether’s delay, the machine keeps running during that short period.
My tether is programmed for a 3-second delay, allowing me to adjust my gear while coasting downhill. There also is a light that provides a visual cue on the pod to let you know when it is sensing a hand, reminding you to put your hand back on the bar.
The Teth-Air has greatly improved and while not perfect, gen-three is a vast improvement from cabled tethers, or not having a tether at all. It’s priced at about $300 in the U.S. and $395 in Canada. For more info,
click here.