A Step-by-Step Guide

This check should be carried out each morning unless you are skiing with the same group day after day when a simple send check is sufficient and can be carried out from day 2 onwards. If there are new members to the group, then this check should be done each morning. This check
should only take a couple of minutes and should not be onerous.

This procedure is in line with Avalanche Canada’s recommended transceiver check, it has been developed as modern transceivers do not allow the traditional walk past method of transceiver check.

• All transceivers start in the off position.
• All the groups’ transceivers including the Checker are turned to send (transmit) mode check the battery level and for any error messages (Battery should be 60% or more).
• The group now all turn their transceivers to search (rescue/receive) mode.
• The checker remains in send.
• The group should all now receive the signal from the checkers transceiver, the reading on their transceiver should approximately match the user’s distance to the checker.
• Once every person has done this the group turn to send and put their transceivers away in the skiing position for the day.
• The checker now uses the group check function on their transceiver to check that each member of their group is in send.
• Once the group has been checked the checker turns their transceiver to send then shows it to the last person in the group to confirm they have been turned into send mode. They then put it in its skiing position on the body.
•  Transceivers should not be turned off or removed throughout the day such as for lunch

We recommend you learn how to use the group check function on your transceiver. Each transceiver manufacturer engages its group check function differently. Simply turning a beacon to search will not perform a group check effectively on a modern 3 antennae transceiver that is equipped with a mark function.