Monday, July 7, 2014

My Gu packets interfere with my beacon!?? Really?


It’s summertime, and few of us have avalanche beacons occupying our attention (if you do, please send a postcard!). Nevertheless, the other day I was part of a conversation that readers of this blog will find very interesting.  It started as many of these do, an email from an acquaintance about his buddies’ beacon. 

I have a friend who has a Pulse that occasionally beeps and displays something like “457 failure to send” (I’ve been with him when this happens). How can he get his beacon fixed/replaced?”

I replied that the “457 Send Failure”(LINK) screen prompt is actually there to alert you when your beacon experiences EXTERNAL interference from an electrical, metallic or magnetic object.  My friend, Steve Achelis of www.Beaconreviews.com , knows his stuff and remarked that they were way up on Mt Rainier where there should not have been any interference, and that none of the other group members had a problem.
My last response was “OH--last thing I thought of, a lot of people get this from a metallic foil wrapper (powerbar or the like) or electronic gizmo in the chest pocket of their jacket (right on top of beacon)....” 
Photo: Jonathan Shefftz/www.Beaconreviews.com