When To Wear Your Transceiver And Why

You’ve invested in a transceiver. Good decision. (See FreeRide Essentials) 

Let’s hope you never have to use it for real, but practise with it as if you will. (See Safe Travel in Avalanche Terrain)

Because you read the manufacturer’s instructions when you unwrapped your shiny new toy (and if you didn’t, go read ‘em!) you already know that you wear the transceiver in its harness under your outer shell jacket or in the pocket of your trousers if it’s specifically designed for that purpose. 

But transceiver manufacturers are less forthcoming about exactly when you should wear your transceiver.

So when should you wear it?

When you’re in FreeRide Terrain – for sure.

When the avalanche danger scale is 3 or above – most definitely.

When you’re taking on a gnarly line – no question.

Sadly, too many avalanche burial victims are caught without a transceiver and, even more tragically, some are found to have been wearing a transceiver they hadn’t turned on.

Whenever you head out on the hill

At the Republic, we think that, since you now own a transceiver, you should wear it whenever you head out on the hill. And when you put it on, turn it on. Even if you’re not planning to head off-piste and regardless of the avalanche danger scale – this best practice minimises the margin for error and could save a life. 

If you’re worried about conserving battery life, don’t be. In send or transmit mode your transceiver will use very little charge and will last for days, if not weeks (typically 200 – 300 hours). That said, your transceiver will burn through a lot more power when in search mode so aim to replace batteries when they reach 60%* – this ensures that, regardless of the make or model of your transceiver, you will have in excess of 20 hours in send mode and 1 hour in search mode. 

This brings us to the principal reason why we think you should always wear your transceiver and always turn it on, regardless of the terrain you are riding. 

At the FreeRide Republic, we encourage you to think of your transceiver, not as personal protective equipment, but as essential rescue gear. We don’t wear our transceivers because we expect to become avalanche victims but because we’re always ready to assist in the rescue of others. It’s the exact same reason that we also always carry a shovel and probe. 

It’s this thinking that sets us apart from other riders and we welcome you to join us as part of the rescue community. 

* It’s worth noting that different manufacturers have different recommendations on when to replace batteries. For example, Ortovox specifies batteries should be replaced when their remaining capacity falls below 50%, Mammut recommends 40%. In some models, Pieps have built residual capacity (20hrs in send and 1 hour in search) into their battery meter reading so that batteries can be replaced when the meter indicates empty. You’ll need to check the instructions on the make and model of the transceiver or just go with the 60% rule, it’s up to you. Batteries are inexpensive (but always buy a quality brand, when it comes to batteries you really do get what you pay for.) 

While manufacturers don’t always agree on battery life they do agree that all the batteries should be changed out at the same time. Most manufacturers also specify the use of alkaline batteries (although there are exceptions). Do not use lithium batteries unless you have first checked that your transceiver can support them and never use rechargeable batteries as battery life cannot be accurately monitored.

What’s your main reason for wearing a transceiver?

Let us know in the comments – could it be…

1. To protect yourself in the event of an avalanche
2. To protect others in the event of an avalanche
3. Because it looks cool in the apres bar 😉
4. A combo of the above