turn off your cell phone in avy country

[Meadow Skipper]

And your camera too, I guess. Cell phones and cameras create a measurable disturbance for avalanche beacons:
http://www.mammutavalanchesafety.com...erference.html

I've noticed that a patrol radio will often affect beacon signals during practice searches.

[Name Redacted]

Seems like your camera is off most of the time anyway, and you'd have to be pretty stupid to stand in the middle of avy terrain to take a photo, but I'm sure it's done every day.

I carry my beacon in my front left pant pocket and phone in the right chest pocket usually turned on, but I think that's further than 20cm (8.5 inches). In a search, I'd try to remember to turn it off, but I can see that being forgotten. Maybe I'll consider turning it off in the future.

[Shredhead]

It's been our SOP during beacon check for years. We're not in the GoPro gen, but we do usually have radios.

[Tuckerman]

Hmmm why not just turn your phone into a beacon? Cell phones give off a pretty strong signal maybe even stronger then a purpose built beacon. Just thinking out loud.

[PNWbrit]

Cell phones give off a pretty strong single

Probably not even a single[sic] bar buried under snow though.

When you're buried in an avalanche you really don't want your rescuers running around on the surface asking "can you hear me now?"

maybe even stronger then a purpose built beacon

What "signal" do they just "give off" that would be stronger? blue tooth? Or do you mean maintaining a cellular call in avy terrain? Call at the car hang up at the bar?

[::: :::]

i'm good about turning my mobile off when touring, but the times i beep inbounds, i have to admit i leave the phone on

[Meadow Skipper]

Seems like your camera is off most of the time anyway, ...

GoPro?

Hmmm why not just turn your phone into a beacon? Cell phones give off a pretty strong single maybe even stronger then a purpose built beacon. Just thinking out loud.

Because frequency? And receiving someone else?

Edit so as not to be too cryptic: cell phones don't transmit on 457hz frequency, which beacons receive, and cell phones don't receive 457hz, which you'd need to search for someone.

[PNWbrit]

GoPro?

Report mentions chest harness cameras.

Probably unwise to bad mouth a ~$3 billion corporation in a snow science white paper though

[Meadow Skipper]

Report mentions chest harness cameras.

And those seem to be on all the time.

Probably unwise to bad mouth a ~$3 billion corporation in a snow science white paper though

In a perfect world, GoPro would probably put something about radio interference prominently in the instructions.

[TBS]

Good reminder MS

Nothing new in the Mammut paper - this article has been around for several years
http://beaconreviews.com/transceivers/Interference.asp

And this was presented at the last ISSW
http://www.tetongravity.com/story/sk...eivers-6497429

In my own unscientific testing, interference seems to occur when a smartphone is less than 6" from the beacon, and when the phone is transmitting Bluetooth signal (wireless headset).

Tuckerman, convergence of the smartphone and beacon occurred five years ago.
https://www.wildsnow.com/1773/avi-th...on-for-iphone/

[Name Redacted]

GoPro?

Uh yeah, duh. Didn't even cross my mind, I just don't own one.

[adrenalated]

Mostly old news (but good reminder), but....

Please note: "Airplane Mode" on a smartphone does NOT reduce the electromagnetic field sufficiently. Phones need to be OFF or at a distance greater than the respective recomended distances.

This is the first I've seen something specifically talk about whether or not going to airplane mode is sufficient for smart phones. Simply going to airplane mode has been SOP for many (including me). I do keep my phone more than 50cm away from my beacon (top pocket in my backpack), but it appears turning it fully off is the better call.

Everyone I know that uses a Go Pro puts it on their helmet when touring for exactly this reason.

[Mr brownstone]

Easy enough to just leave the phone and or camera in the car. Less to carry. Then there's no chance for interference.

[Name Redacted]

Easy enough to just leave the phone and or camera in the car. Less to carry. Then there's no chance for interference.

Except if you need to call for help. Imagine an injured member of your party or another party needs help and you are five miles across a valley from a trailhead. Gonna be a lot longer evac if you have to ski to the trailhead, get your phone, call for help, and wait.

[Mantana1]

Except if you need to call for help. Imagine an injured member of your party or another party needs help and you are five miles across a valley from a trailhead. Gonna be a lot longer evac if you have to ski to the trailhead, get your phone, call for help, and wait.

Exactly. This is why I like to (and advocate) carrying your phone but having it off. In addition to avoiding possible interference, it helps save the battery for an instance when you might actually need it (evac).

[PNWbrit]

Except if you need to call for help.

The Rog don't need help.

[Name Redacted]

The Rog don't need help.

I know, I fell for it, hook line and sinker. He only tours on golf courses, and only 72 hours after a storm.

[NoPostholio]

I am still waiting for the pieps app for sunglass retrieval - sux losing them in bc to a burial -

[Mr brownstone]

I am still waiting for the pieps app for sunglass retrieval - sux losing them in bc to a burial -

Croakies solve this^^^^^^

[NoPostholio]

True - but they suck when you want to play spider solitaire in the tent

[Mr brownstone]

Honestly tho, many of us started touring long before cell phones, new fangled cameras and other tracking devices existed. Twas just a pieps 457 opti-finder, a probe, and a shovel. We knew we were out there on our own and if shit hit the fan, it was on us to get home safely. Mindful of every single step and move to achieve that goal.

Worked fine back then, still does. To each their own.

[coldfeet]

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...-beacon-search

Keep phones, or IMO anything with a power supply and turned on, including airplane mode, from getting close to a beacon in SEARCH mode.

IMO a phone, camera, or similar isn't going to interfere or drown out a beacon in SEND mode, can't hurt to turn it off though. Likely fine to have the phone and beacon on at the resort, keep them in separate pockets. Are you going to remember to keep the phone or Gopro away from the beacon in haste, if you have to do a search?

Beacons work at 457 kHz, much lower frequency than cell phones or bluetooth, because it propagates better through snow and other objects.

ETA: The Mammut paper also makes the very reasonable point that having your SEND beacon near a big piece of metal, or even foil, like a shovel blade or even Jonathan's pocket full of Gu wrappers, can cause problems.

[PNWbrit]

Rog is getting all Walter Bonatti on us.

Next he'll be missing hand/home made pitons, hemp ropes and hobnail climbing boots.

[smitchell333]

Except if you need to call for help. Imagine an injured member of your party or another party needs help and you are five miles across a valley from a trailhead. Gonna be a lot longer evac if you have to ski to the trailhead, get your phone, call for help, and wait.

Even better than a phone, have a PLB or similar
http://m.rei.com/learn/expert-advice...r-beacons.html

[Name Redacted]

Even better than a phone, have a PLB or similar
http://m.rei.com/learn/expert-advice...r-beacons.html

Yeah, and don't forget to activate it before every run!

Remember the kid who was activating his PLB that he got for xmas before every run on Berthoud pass?
http://berthoudpass.org/2009/12/27/p...am-needs-help/

You know, there were probably people skiing the backcountry before beacons too rog. I used a peips 457 for a few years too, then I upgraded.