Article in JH NAG today http://jhnews.com/article.php?art_id=2625indicates that the first group to the scene didn't pick up their signals. Search and Rescue shows up later and locates two of them with beacons. What's up with that?
Afton avy victims missed by first beacon sweep
- Thread starter revpilot
- Start date
C
Comp 670
Well-known member
When I was in a avy a couple of years ago,after I dug myself out I turned my beacon to search mode for my friend and didn't get much of a signal..Another person came right up with a better beacon and picked it up right away..
Beacons are NOT something to save a couple of buck on..I allmost had to learn that the hard way.If the other person with the better beacon was not there we would not have got my friend out in time.
By the way..I had a SOS beacon..COMPLETE junk!!! I cut it in half when I got home and bought a beartracker..Now I am looking at upgrading again because better ones are out there now.
Beacons are NOT something to save a couple of buck on..I allmost had to learn that the hard way.If the other person with the better beacon was not there we would not have got my friend out in time.
By the way..I had a SOS beacon..COMPLETE junk!!! I cut it in half when I got home and bought a beartracker..Now I am looking at upgrading again because better ones are out there now.
There was a story a couple years ago and I don't remember all the details but basically a group was unable to find a buried friend. It later turned out that a cell phone can't remember if it was a searcher or the victims but anyway it was causing interference. Not saying its the case this time but definetly something to remember leave the phone home or off. I never thought of it tell I had read that article but usually left it in the pickup anyway being it didn't work anywere I road.
If you read your beacon manual, it'll most likely tell you that any other electronics that are close to the beacon can cause interference (it's in all 3 of the manuals for each different beacon I have). ALWAYS have your cell phone off. Radios and GPS can cause that as well.......keep them on the OPPOSITE side of your body from your beacon...or better yet, in a handlebar/windshield bag. If you are involved in a search situation, turn all of those other items off while you are anywhere near the search area.
You are right on the mark there CatWoman.
Don't forget metal can throw it off too. watches or a shovel in your hand.
Wow! GREAT pointers, guys! Tips like this may really help! Keep 'em coming!
sad...............
I am glad all of you are just learning this, but we have been preaching these items for YEARS on these forums.........
please, Please, PLEASE always read every thread you see about avalanches on the forum.
Learn how to use the equipment to own (Not just buy it and forget about it thinkning you are protected).
Practice, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!
I am glad all of you are just learning this, but we have been preaching these items for YEARS on these forums.........
please, Please, PLEASE always read every thread you see about avalanches on the forum.
Learn how to use the equipment to own (Not just buy it and forget about it thinkning you are protected).
Practice, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!
I can identify with having the beacon give confusing info, mine has done that because of other electronic interference or whatever reason but I've never had it tell me there was nothing if there was a beacon transmitting within 40-50 yards. I guess that if you were searching 10 acres and not extremely experienced you could miss picking up a signal. I'd like to know what the problem was so it doesn't happen to me.
M
mtn mike on boost
Well-known member
after mark (aa/at) came back and told the story, i too changed beacons. much prefer the tracker, even if someone is in a panic, pretty much fool proof
imo...
imo...
There are multiple reasons that a beacon could miss a signal. I'm not saying any of these were the case, but these are possible reasons. I was not involved and there could easily be other circumstances that caused the beacons to not pickup a signal.
1) Lack of practice and/or knowledge of how beacons function and how to perform a primary search. You need to know the range of your beacon and how to search the avalanche area.
2) Frequency drift. Beacons are set to operate on the frequency of 457kHz. Older beacons may drift from this frequency slightly. Some of the beacons have a greater bandwidth area that can pickup beacons that have drifted slightly and some have a smaller bandwidth area that increases the range the beacon will operate, but will decrease the tolerance of frequency drift. Again, this comes back to practice though. You need to practice with your beacons often and make sure they operate both on transmit and on receive.
3) Defective beacons. Although this is rare, beacons are electronics and they are not 100% failproof. You can damage your beacon or it could be defective from the get go. Again; PRACTICE OFTEN with your beacon to make sure it is operating correctly.
4) Interference with other electronics
1) Lack of practice and/or knowledge of how beacons function and how to perform a primary search. You need to know the range of your beacon and how to search the avalanche area.
2) Frequency drift. Beacons are set to operate on the frequency of 457kHz. Older beacons may drift from this frequency slightly. Some of the beacons have a greater bandwidth area that can pickup beacons that have drifted slightly and some have a smaller bandwidth area that increases the range the beacon will operate, but will decrease the tolerance of frequency drift. Again, this comes back to practice though. You need to practice with your beacons often and make sure they operate both on transmit and on receive.
3) Defective beacons. Although this is rare, beacons are electronics and they are not 100% failproof. You can damage your beacon or it could be defective from the get go. Again; PRACTICE OFTEN with your beacon to make sure it is operating correctly.
4) Interference with other electronics
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Just one more reason to leave all that crap at home! What if the victim has his cell phone on or was tracking his route with gps? There will be no way for the victim to turn off that equipment. None of us plan to get in a slide but it can happen before you know it, no time to turn of your extra gear. IMO if you can't leave your sat/cell phone and gps at home, you shouldn't be out riding in the first place!
S
snow-seeker
Well-known member
That is total BS. I do run with my phone off, but you are freakin right I have it with me. Ever herd of GPS cel location? emergency services can locate your phone and then you when you turn it on.
GPS, If need be I can tell my GPS to retrace my steps to get out of the back country. It can ignore things like marking up meadows, or hill climbs.
I can turn it off once I mark my launch point and tell it to point the way home once turned on. Problem with that could be a large rock (see mountain) in the way and you choose the wrong way to go around or over.
I do not have to rely on these things to get out. A good compass and a good set of eyes will get you home if you had to. I have the technology though and you're damn right I am going to use it!
E
Ex-Member
ACCOUNT CLOSED
Electronics near a beacon are more of an issue when using a beacon on receive than it is on transmit. Transmitting on a two-way radio near a receiving beacon will probably cause what's known as "front-end overload" on the beacon... where an adjacent signal overloads the receiver and it can't separate signals it wants vs. noise. Given how sensitive a beacon's receiver has to be, it's likely a 1/2W UHF signal (FRS/GMRS radio) could overload the beacon's receiver.
Two transmitters next to each other isn't much of an issue, still comes down to how well the receiver can separate the two signals. (Think about an antenna tower... there's *lots* of transmitters on one tower...)
Two transmitters next to each other isn't much of an issue, still comes down to how well the receiver can separate the two signals. (Think about an antenna tower... there's *lots* of transmitters on one tower...)
WTF?? put down the pipe...
A Sat Phone and a GPS could be the 2 best tools to get the fastest Search and Rescue arrival.
WTF?? put down the pipe...
A Sat Phone and a GPS could be the 2 best tools to get the fastest Search and Rescue arrival.
if you want some help finding the dead bodies, then by all means sit on your thumbs and wait for SAR.
If you want to find some live bodies, then do some reading, and PRACTICE.
S
SSWIM
Well-known member
I really do not think he is saying wait for SAR to dig someone that is buried.
A Sat phone and GPS can help savwe a Life.
Sam
I take it you've never been caught in a complete whiteout and needed it to get back? Cell phone, sure, shut it off (mine stays in the truck because it won't work 98% of the places I've ridden), but I can't say leaving the GPS at home is an option.
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