A Nightmare on Beacon Street
Before anyone jumps in with “It’s called an avalanche transceiver, actually…”, yes, you’re right. Technically.
But here’s the thing: jargon can gatekeep. It creates distance, it overwhelms newcomers, and it turns learning into a language exam. When I’m guiding, if I spoke in full technical vocabulary the whole time, my guests would be drowning in terminology instead of snow. Clarity > cleverness.
And the reality? Most people say “beacon.” The biggest manufacturers and retailers say “beacon.” It’s the word of the outdoor world, the parlance of our times.
So for the sake of accessibility, and sanity, we’re rolling with beacon. Let’s meet people where they’re at and focus on what really matters: using the thing well enough to save a life.
Angela Hawse and Mike Hattrup running a beacon-interference clinic in Crested Butte. That foil-wrapped chocolate bar? It tanked the signal so hard some beacons didn’t lock on until under 10m. Meanwhile, the top units still hit 40m+.
Photo: Jeff Banks
KNOWLEDGE TEST: BEACONS
What is electronic interference, and how does it affect a beacon? How can you avoid electronic interference?
Electronic interference is basically your beacon’s version of getting photobombed, except instead of your buddy popping into a group photo, it’s your phone, radio, heated jacket battery, or random metal object messing with your signal. Beacons don’t love company. When other electronics (or even magnets and metal) get too close, they can reduce your beacon’s range or create “ghost signals”, the spooky kind you don't want in the backcountry.
This interference shows up in two main situations:
In transmit mode
This is the big one: if your beacon gets buried and it's too close to something causing interference, you can’t fix it. That signal needs to be clean before you ever leave the trailhead.
In search mode
Interference can also mess with you when you're searching, showing false signals or shortening range. Thankfully, searchers can move things and troubleshoot: if they recognize it’s happening.
The good news? There’s a dead-simple solution: distance.
Beacon spacing rule of thumb: give your beacon breathing room — 20 inches whenever humanly possible.
Officially, the nerdy standard is 8" in send mode and 20" in search mode, but here’s the thing: when chaos hits and your brain is doing snow–math under stress, simple wins. If you just maintain 20" all the time, you’re covered.
More space = happier beacon = faster rescue.
So stash your phone, heated gloves battery, GPS, and radio far enough away, check before you go, and remember: don’t let your electronics ghost your signal. Save the spooky vibes for Halloween — not your beacon search.
Learn more here
What other items/materials can interfere with a beacon?
It’s not just phones and GoPros haunting your signal — your beacon has plenty of frenemies. Along with electronics, magnetic objects and metal can mess with your beacon’s ability to send or receive clean signals.
Surprise villains include:
Chocolate bar wrappers (yep that aluminum foil is an issue)
Heated gloves, socks, and jackets (tiny batteries + wires)
Aluminum emergency blankets and insulation
Magnets on things like jackets, mitt closures, or backpack roll-tops
Any other metal bits hanging out too close
Moral of the story:
Even snacks can sabotage you. Keep metal and magnetized gear away from your beacon, because the only thing worse than being buried is being buried and wrapped in an electronic burrito of interference.
What is beacon coupling, and why does it matter?
Beacon coupling is the nerd-science way of saying, “Do our beacons’ antennas like each other enough to talk?”
When your partner’s beacon is transmitting (“Send Mode”) and yours is searching, your beacon needs to “couple” with their signal, basically lock onto the invisible radio wave handshake.
Here’s the catch:
Beacons don’t shout their signal equally in all directions, and your beacon doesn’t “hear” equally from every angle. If the antennas are aligned, you’ll pick up the signal sooner and from farther away. If they’re perpendicular, your range drops and you might not detect a signal until you're much closer — or, in a worst-case scenario, you could miss it entirely for precious seconds.
So that “40-meter range” the box brags about?
Yeah… that’s on its best day, in perfect beacon yoga alignment. Real-world range can be less.
The takeaway:
Beacon orientation affects range and search speed. Rotate your beacon during a search to avoid dead spots, and don’t trust the advertised range like it’s gospel.
Learn more about coupling here
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.
Photo source: Joel Desgreniers
What does your beacon check look like, and does it need improvement?
Be honest with yourself for a second:
Are you doing a real beacon check… or are you just waiting for that happy little beep-beep-BEEP and calling it good?
Do you actually verify signal strength and direction, or do you just assume your buddy’s beacon isn’t a ghost trapped in a plastic shell?
And when was the last time your “check” took longer than 15 seconds?
If your answers fall somewhere between “uhhh” and “yeah but it always works,” then hey, no judgment. Most backcountry users do the bare-minimum check and hope the universe appreciates the effort.
But we can do better.
Our YouTube video walks you through a repeatable, consistent beacon check that not only catches malfunctioning units, but also lets you practice rescue fundamentals every single time you head out. Think of it as brushing your teeth — but for avalanche survival skills.
Hit play, give your beacon a glow-up, and make your future self (and partners) proud.
