Avalanche Transceivers

People working, traveling or playing in avalanche-prone areas should wear critical safety devices called avalanche transceivers. Since survival after being buried in an avalanche is usually measured in minutes, rescue must be carried out by other people close by who were not buried. By homing in on the signal transmitted by an avalanche transceiver, those who are buried can hopefully be found and dug out, before they run out of air.

These transceivers should not be confused, however, with 406 MHz COSPAS-SARSAT beacons like PLBs, ELTs, and EPIRBs, or any of the alternative locating devices currently on the market. Avalanche transceivers cannot be detected by COSPAS-SARSAT satellites, overflying aircraft, or even heard by the human ear without the help of another beacon set to “receiver”. They are not designed, nor are they suitable for distress alerting.