Avalanche beacon how does it work

The technology of beacons changes so rapidly that anything we say here would be quickly out of date, so be sure to read the latest reviews of beacons in the magazines and web sites. Talk to the salespeople in the stores and be sure to shop around and play with several different models.

Practice, Practice, Practice No matter what beacon you buy, the most important step is to practice, practice, practice.

Remember that finding a single beacon in a parking lot is far easier than finding multiple buried beacons in a realistic situation, especially when a loved one is under the snow. Many mountain locations now have automated or semi automated beacon trained centers. These allow one to practice both single or multiple victim rescues, solo or as a group.

Short wavelengths like your GPS are easily blocked by buildings, mountains, vegetation, etc. For this reason, a longer, less undulating wavelength is much better at passing through objects. As a result, an avalanche transceiver signal does not bounce or reflect off objects in the backcountry.

This allows for a victim to be found under the snow. This means that below m distances, the signal transmitted is predominantly magnetic since the wavelength is so long. This leads to a complex signal that has a curved magnetic field pattern. The variation of this circular magnetic signal depending on distance, along with complex mathematical analysis, is what allows your beacon, in search receiving mode, to locate victims and display approximate distances.

For avalanche transceivers, this means that extensive filtering needs to be done to isolate a transmission signal. At the end of the day, it needs to be portable and convenient for backcountry skiers.

This greatly limits the antenna and battery size. An analog beacon is a much more simple device than a digital beacon. Think about the car radio. An analog beacon is like an AM radio with a dial that is fixed at a kHz frequency. When it captures a radio signal magnetic in the case of a beacon , it filters and amplifies it before broadcasting at an audible frequency.

An analog beacon works in a similar way. But keep in mind that a weak signal at a long range needs a well-trained user. This is where digital beacons simplify everything. A digital beacon takes that signal, filters it and amplifies it just like an analog beacon. The signal is then digitized to allow for a microprocessor to run algorithms based on the signal strength, shape and direction. The result is an audible and visual display that includes a direction and a distance to the victim.

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