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 If you are buried by an avalanche, wearing a transceiver
will help people find you. However, it will not prevent you from being buried, it will not prevent you from being killed by trauma, and it will not prevent you from suffocating while
buried. (Of course, if you are killed by an avalanche, a beacon will make it easier for rescuers to recover your body.)
Avalanche transceivers (a.k.a. "beacons") can either transmit or receive a signal (hence the name transceiver). In normal operation, the
transceiver is set to transmit a signal. If somebody gets buried by an avalanche, other people search for the buried victim by switching
their transceivers to receive mode. Note that everyone who was not buried by the avalanche must switch to receive mode or the searchers will inadvertently search for somebody
on the surface.
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Analog transceivers simply let you hear the audible beep when in receive mode. You then search for the
loudest beep. Almost all analog transceivers also display a visual indication of the signal strength.
Digital transceivers display a distance
indicator which estimates the distance to the victim in meters. Digital transceivers with
multiple antennas also display a directional indicator that points
to the transmitting beacon. If a transceiver only has one antenna, you need to locate the victim by searching for the strongest signal (i.e., either the loudest audible signal or the
shortest distance) without the aid of a directional indicator. Some digital transceivers start in analog mode and switch to digital mode as they near the victim. Some transceivers
can be manually toggled between analog and digital mode.
The basic search technique is to travel a zig-zag-like pattern on the surface of the snow until a signal is received (the
primary search) and then to follow the directional indicator toward the victim (the
secondary search), and finally use the distance indicator to locate the victim (the
pinpoint search). A transceiver's range determines the appropriate
spacing for the primary search (typically 40 meters).
When you are within a few feet of the victim, you use an avalanche probe to locate the victim.
When you locate the victim with your probe, you use a shovel to unbury them.
Special techniques are required to locate multiple victims. The technique you use will
depend on the type of transceiver you own. Locating multiple victims is relatively complicated. It is important to use safe travel techniques that limit the number of people who are
exposed to the avalanche hazard.
BeaconReviews.com contains the largest collection of technical information regarding avalanche transceivers in the world. However, if you
find all this technical information overwhelming, you can jump to the conclusions.
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