Avalanche Transceivers 101:
Understanding Function
At SkiUphill, our goal is simple: to be the trusted source of expertise for everything
backcountry skiing and trail running related in Western Canada. We love being challenged
in our knowledge and all our staff loves geeking out on gear over a good cup of coffee.
Recently, Jeff Perron, well known industry rep in the Bow Valley (Black Diamond, Pieps,
etc.) swung by the store and we had a great talk about avalanche transceivers. We quickly
realized that while we understood beacon basics and features, we lacked the in-depth
knowledge. This led us to the question: How can you optimally use an avalanche
transceiver without understanding clearly how it works? At SkiUphill, we care about that, so
here is the result of our research.
What is an avalanche transceiver?
An avalanche transceiver is an electromagnetic radio signal emitter and receiver. The radio
waves they emit have a 457 kHz frequency, which is inaudible and a few hundred kHz
below your typical AM radio signal. Think as a beacon as a super low power radio station
that plays some music. When switched from “Send Mode” to “Search Mode”, it goes from
being the radio station antenna to the radio in your car, expect at a much much smaller
scale.
Why a 457 kHz frequency?
Radio waves are undulating with a certain frequency (measured in Hertz). The bigger the
frequency, the more the wave undulates. For example, a GPS uses a very high frequency,
which produces a super short wave length (let’s say 20 cm). In comparison, a single
wavelength at 457 kHz is 656 meter long. Short wavelengths (like your GPS) are easily
blocked by buildings, mountains, vegetation, etc. and snow. 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.
On a 457 kHz frequency, an avalanche transceiver works in a “near field” situation. This
means that below 100 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.
A disadvantage of the 457 kHz frequency is that “noise”, or interference is high in this
frequency. For avalanche transceivers, this means that extensive filtering needs to be done
to isolate a transmission signal.
Why aren’t transceivers more powerful? Simply because they’d need huge antennas
(optimum antenna size at 475 kHz would require a 300 meter magnetic coil) and a lot more
electricity to produce more powerful signals. At the end of the day, it needs to be portable
and convenient for backcountry skiers. This greatly limits the antenna and battery size.
Analog vs Digital
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 475 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. With you car radio, you can sometimes hear
partial sounds of radio stations when the station’s antenna is very far away. An analog
beacon works in a similar way. It’s up to the human ear to listen to the amplified signal and
follow it in the right direction based on the strength of the broadcast. Analog beacons
achieve the greatest search range because the “listening” is done by the human ear. 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. All current beacons are digital in order to offer a much
more user-friendly product that doesn’t require as much training to be used properly.
What’s the deal with having multiple antennas?
A transceiver antenna only emits in one plane. This is why, in order to calculate the distance
and the direction of a victime, a digital beacon needs to triangulate based on the flux
pattern of two antennas. The main two antennas are “X” and “Y” and they are orientated
perpendicularly inside your transceiver like an “L”. These two antennas are used for coarse
search, but as you get closer to an emitting beacon, the signal of its antennas become
tangled and cause bursts of erratic signals, called spikes. This is especially true in deep
burial situations. In those situations, the strongest signal won’t be directly on top of the
victim because of the circular flux lines that the buried transceiver emits. In order to solve
this problem, modern avalanche transceivers have a third, vertically mounted, “Z” antenna
that only turns on when the beacon gets closer to the signal it is receiving. Calculations in
all three dimensions help greatly with locating a victim with more accuracy.
An internal view of an avalanche transceiver, with the X and Y antennas visible
Why does search range vary?
For an avalanche beacon in “Search Mode” to locate a victim, its antennas need to achieve
some coupling with the signal broadcasted by the transceiver in “Send Mode”. As a result,
the transceiver in “Search Mode” won’t necessarily capture a good signal from as far away if
both beacons are in different positions. The optimal orientation for transceiver search to
work at its best is if the antennas of the receiving and the emitting beacon are aligned
together. On the contrary, if the three antennas of the “Send” transceiver are all
perpendicular to the receiving one, the coupling will be greatly reduced. This explains the
variability in search range. Most beacons do not achieve full “advertised range”
performances even in optimal orientation due to various reasons.
Various coupling positions of transmitters and receivers. (1) Good (2) bad and (3) worst
coupling position. Rx = Receiver – with three active antennae, Tx = transmitter – has only
one active antenna.
How well do you know your beacon? Do you adapt your search strategy to optimize
results? Let us know how in the comments below!
