Item: A COMPREHENSIVE TESTING TOOLKIT FOR AVALANCHE RESCUE TRANSCEIVERS
-
-
Title: A COMPREHENSIVE TESTING TOOLKIT FOR AVALANCHE RESCUE TRANSCEIVERS
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Manuel Genswein [ MountainSafety.info, Meilen, Switzerland ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: The goal of the MountainSafety.info Avalanche Rescue Transceiver Testing Toolkit is to provide to anyone with some technical background interested in performing an objective test of one or multiple avalanche rescue transceivers. Independently if you are an institution which needs to make a purchasing decision on a larger number of transceivers, an outdoor magazine which would like to provide to its readers a trustworthy comparative test of the devices currently on the market, or you are simply an interested individual, this toolkit will provide you with a comprehensive collection of tests. The toolkit was designed to reduce the overall testing time by cleverly combining a limited number of individual tests. The governmentally enforced European Standard EN ETS 300718 covers the fundamental safety requirements and ensures compatibility between all devices sold, independently of the brand and model. Certification to EN ETS 300718 includes complex, expensive testing of mechanical, electrical and electromagnetic properties, requiring very specialized, costly equipment and expertise. While EN ETS 300718 covers fundamental safety and compatibility requirements, the Avalanche Rescue Transceiver Testing Toolkit allows to determine what makes the difference between a "device compliant to the bare legal minimum" and an "effective search device with standardized key user interface functionality and design, providing a high level of compatibility to modern search protocols, and additional user safety provided by supplementary functions and criteria". The toolkit includes a definition of the formal criteria of a clean testing environment followed by individual tests covering: (1) search strip width, (2) limitation of highest distance indication, (3) distance indication scale, (4) deep burials and 3d topography of the debris, (5) marking feature, (6) group check, (7) safety criteria for automatic revert to SEND features, (8) user guidance in specific search phases and (9) standardization of key terminology and symbols.
Object ID: ISSW2026_P1.62.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790098872
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Jakub Hornowski
Keywords: avalanche rescue, transceiver testing, avalanche beacon, search strip width, group check, user interface
Page Number(s): 2406 - 2412
-