Avalanche Transceiver

Avalanche Transceiver

Avalanche transceivers or avalanche beacon are a class of active radio beacon transceivers operating at 457 kHz and specialized for the purpose of finding people or equipment buried under snow. When the owner sets out on a skiing descent, the transceiver is activated, causing the device to emit a low-power pulsed beacon signal during the trip. Following an avalanche, and if the holder of the transceiver is safe has not themselves been caught by the avalanche, they may switch the transceiver from transmit into receive mode, allowing use as a radio direction finding device to search for signals coming from other skier's transmitter beacons who may be trapped. A 457 kHz beacon is an active device that requires batteries. Ski suits may also contain a passive RECCO transponder sewn-in to the clothing.

Early avalanche beacons transmitted at 2.275 kHz (2275 Hz). In 1986, the frequency international standard of 457 kHz was adopted, and this remains the standard today. Many companies manufacture beacons that comply with this standard.

An avalanche beacon is not considered a preventative measure for possible avalanche burial, but rather it is a way to reduce the amount of time buried.