ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE IN AVALANCHE TRANSCEIVERS
The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) is issuing a comprehensive position statement regarding the critical issue of electromagnetic interference (EMI) with avalanche transceivers.
Mobile phones, GPS, smartwatches, heated gloves: how compatible or harmful are they to avalanche transceivers?
There's not much to do! Electronics have forcefully entered our daily lives and we have become very quickly accustomed to taking advantage of their countless benefits .
But there is always the other side of the coin; in our case, the downside is certainly about their compatibility with the main electronic tool for those who tackle the snowy mountains: the AVALANCHE TRANSCEIVER.
Until now it has always been more or less known and taught that any electronic instrument placed or worn in the immediate vicinity of the AVALANCHE TRANSCEIVER, would cause more or less impactful disturbances, both in transmission and reception, with possible even tragic consequences; for example, false positives.
Searching for avalanche victims in areas near power lines or snowmaking and ski-lift facilities can also be much more complex precisely because of the electronic interference they generate.
It is an issue that the UIAA, the International Union of Mountaineering Associations, has taken very seriously with practical field tests and scientific research, the result of which was summarized in a recently published worldwide memorandum.
Bluerando, which since the very beginning has been very attentive to the issue of safety in the snowy environment, thought it would be useful to contribute to its maximum dissemination. We offer it to you in this Blog; download it and read carefully.
It's really worth it, for our safety and for those whose lives might really depend on our behavior and knowledge.
Have a great outing!
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Ernesto Bassetti
Ernesto is one of the leading snow and avalanche experts in Italy and beyond.
By passion and by profession, he has been involved in mountain safety for over 40 years, with particular attention to the avalanche issue.
He is co-founder, and until 2020 Vice President, of MND Group; important international player in the field of mountain infrastructure and world leader in controlled avalanche release systems.
He is a ski instructor, National Ski Mountaineering Instructor, former director of the Mario Righini Ski Mountaineering School.
He was promoter, co-founder and soul of the "Servizio Valanghe Italiano" (Italian Avalanche Service), of which he held the Presidency for 18 years.