beacon interference

[skidoo xp]

I just got a BCA beacon this year. Was reading somewhere a while back that electronics(ipods) interfer with the signal. is this true???

 

[newmy1]

Cell phones yes. Not sure about iPods. Need to revoke one from a riding buddy if so, had not even thought about the iPod.


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[EagleRiverDee]

Yes, it's true that iPhones can interfere with a beacon. I always turn mine to Airplane mode before riding, and pocket it on the other side of my body just in case.

 

[newmy1]

IPhone on airplane mode is an iPod, does that mean an IPod will not effect a beacon?


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[snowww1]

All electronics should be off while searching. Only thing to be on is a SPOT.

 

[deschutes]

We did some testing last year, and running sleds can cause major interference with beacons in search mode as well. Modern sleds are full of electronics with what would appear to be very dirty electrical emissions. Turn any nearby sleds off during a search.

 

[snowww1]

Deschutes,
You are 100% correct. Some beacons are rendered useless in the search mode when you are on or close to a running snowmobile. Both 2 stroke and 4 stroke sleds cause problems. I did a day of testing with BCA two years ago and they published the results on their blog. We found that you had to be at least a meter(3.3 feet) away from a running snowmobile to avoid the interference. More testing needs to be done. Best to turn off the sled.

Mike Duffy
Avalanche1.com

 

[Covelli44]

Mike, you said while searching. Does that mean I am ok to listen to an iPod while riding, making sure I turn it off if I need to switch my beacon to the search mode?

Also, does this apply to the transmit mode? If I had an iPod playing and ended up being the one others were searching for?

Thank you in advance

 

[snowww1]

Turn off electronics when in the search mode. Transmit mode is ok to have electronics on.
I'm not a big fan of people listening to ipods when in the backcountry for the reason that you usually can't hear people shouting to you.

 

[throttlejocky316]

Turn off electronics when in the search mode.

Does this include GPS devices too?

 

[Qreiff]

All electronics should be off while searching. Only thing to be on is a SPOT.

This should answer your question.

 

[throttlejocky316]

This should answer your question.

I really an new to the beacon thing so I am trying to learn. I guess I should have stated my question a little different. This thread is talking about shutting electronics off when doing the searching. I was talking about when being searched for. Do the beacons only get interference on the search signal or recieve signal? If I have a gps/ipod/cell phone in my pocket and then get buried in an avy then what...is anybodies beacon going to be able to find me? Is it pointless to purchase a beacon if you are going to ride with those items on you?

 

[Snowbird11]

Keep metal objects and electronics at least 6" away when transmitting and 12-20" away when searching. i've seen a camera in someone's breast pocket interfere with a searching beacon that was about 8" away. check your jackets for magnetic closures, as they can interfere and even turn some beacons off (those with magnetic on/off switches).


a good time to test for interference is during your distance checks at the trail head.

 

[aphoric]

Found out the go pro makes it go crazy under 1m, can't search worth a damn. The receivers in the beacon must be pretty sensitive. GPS is receive only, but that doesn't mean that some units may give off more EMI than others. If searching, I'd say leave all the doodads on your sled.