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Ski more, film less

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Avifarer
Posts: 5926 - Karma: 598
Some of you might like to know this

Message below from Mtn Guide James Blench:
Today I had an interesting experience. A guest had a GoPro in her pocket (turned on) during a transceiver training exercise. Everyone near her was getting very wacky readings rendering their searching transceivers useless when they were within 3 meters of the Go Pro. It took us a while to figure out that it was the GoPro causing the interference. We turned the GoPro on/off several times to verify that it was the culprit. It was a very new GoPro; Blue Tooth enabled but without the remote control. I did not have time to investigate further but felt a heads up was warranted.
Stay Safe
James Blench

CMH has been aware of this conflict for over a year now so we do not allow guests to use a go pro camera when skiing.
Tim Pochay

Seems like for whatever reason the GoPro gives way more interference than other gadjets. For example, iPods, radios and Cellphones do interfere with searching transceivers, but only if very close (30cm is the recommended minimum distance when searching; this may change when the next study is done). Sending transceivers are not affected by these other electronics (ie your radio or phone right beside the beacon is OK for sending) but the GoPro seems to be the exception to the rule…
The solution? Ski more, film less.
Cheers

BRENDAN MARTLAND
Avalanche Forecaster; Snow Safety Supervisor
Jan 14 2013 11:13PM
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thenightman
Posts: 766 - Karma: 132
but if your getting rad and no one sees it, are you really getting rad?
Jan 14 2013 11:28PM
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Casey
Posts: 7849 - Karma: 24,317
If you are buried and no one finds you, are you really buried?
Jan 14 2013 11:33PM
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Mr.Bishop
Posts: 22708 - Karma: 76,635
If you got rad, got it on camera and then died senselessly in an avalanche... are you really rad?

Jan 14 2013 11:34PM
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thenightman
Posts: 766 - Karma: 132
yes, plus you get 1000 g.n.a.r. points
Jan 14 2013 11:36PM
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50Kal
Posts: 2828 - Karma: 5,373
Thats what a ski buddy is for. To double check your radness. And find you if you get caught in a avalanche.
Jan 14 2013 11:42PM
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50Kal
Posts: 2828 - Karma: 5,373
no you don't. You die pointlessly. Just like mr. bishop said. Not to be hater but avalanches are no joke.
S.I.P Patsy 12/12
Jan 14 2013 11:46PM
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JAHpow
Posts: 7282 - Karma: 17,176
So if an older version is used is it ok. Is the interference mostly from the Bluetooth?
Jan 14 2013 11:49PM
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m-ruta
Posts: 160 - Karma: 168

Beacon & GoPro Test from Joel Bettner on Vimeo.


Saw this on TGR a while back. Don't know about new ones, but with the hero2 turn it off if you're searching. I did the same test with my hero2 and BCA Tracker 2 and had similar results, though my gopro had to be quite close to interfere with the searching beacon. Still, absolutely not something I want to deal with in a life and death backcountry rescue.
Jan 15 2013 1:09AM
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GayWolf420
Posts: 37390 - Karma: 120,139
Is it just the hero 2's and up?
Jan 15 2013 1:13AM
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Steeze_Minister
Posts: 1432 - Karma: 240
threads for the answer to this
Jan 15 2013 2:01AM
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CrotchKiller
Posts: 9037 - Karma: 6,943
Was gonna say something about how you are clearly joking and people were taking you too serious, then I saw you username which made me think back to the Always Sunny episode about Charlie's musical. I laughed.
Jan 15 2013 2:20AM
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jimmyJAMBO
Posts: 39 - Karma: 5
95% of skiers and boarders who wear go pros are incapable of skiing avalanche prone terrain anyway
Jan 15 2013 2:24AM
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will_powder
Posts: 3194 - Karma: 5,445
I'd go 99%.

I don't know how people can ski around the whole day with it on their heads. I'm constantly taking it on and off (and I rarely shoot pov).
Jan 15 2013 3:41AM
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Vinci
Posts: 701 - Karma: 1,472
From an electronics engineer point of view: no.
It's not the WiFi crap they built in which causes the interference. Avalanche transceivers are working with 457kHz whereas WiFi works somewhere between 2.4 and 5Ghz. No chance that these two get in the way. Even if there is Bluetooth or some other communication interface built in, I hardly doubt I would be the reason. What's more likely is that the electromagnetic field, caused by every single current flow on the gopro circuit board causes the problems.

That also explains why only the search mode is affected. In send mode the beacon sends its 457kHz signal, no matter if there is EMF around or not. Broadcasting a signal isn't a delicate issue, but receiving it is. In order to maximize the search radius the receiving electronics in such beacons are extremely sensitive and my guess is, that, if near enough to a gopro and "too far" away from a sending beacon, you can get problems during search.

So the solution pretty much is to turn off and drop your gopro when searching.
Jan 15 2013 4:09AM
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90053
Posts: 2565 - Karma: 3,728
is it just go pro's or other cameras as well? surely its a problem that go pro should've addressed?
Jan 15 2013 6:08AM
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The-RZA-Of-Ski
Posts: 252 - Karma: 397
I once eard to about bacons and go pros
Jan 15 2013 10:23AM
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EvanMeyer
Posts: 3822 - Karma: 3,449
You do realize gopros are used by big film companies for pow/big mountain shots in their videos so your made up statistic is highly inaccurate. Nice try though.
Jan 15 2013 10:28AM
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No.Quarter
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 16,962
They are the 5%
Jan 15 2013 11:06AM
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CrotchKiller
Posts: 9037 - Karma: 6,943
Do you realize how vast gopro's market is? I would say that 5% is an exaggeration if anything.
Jan 15 2013 12:01PM
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Realist
Posts: 90 - Karma: 91
I'd like to know this too, but why would you have a camera in the BC that isn't on your head? I sure as hell wouldn't bring a DSLR out of the park for filming.
Jan 15 2013 12:04PM
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CrotchKiller
Posts: 9037 - Karma: 6,943
is this comment supposed to be a joke?
Jan 15 2013 12:58PM
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Drail
Posts: 14012 - Karma: 10,010
not sure about other phones/smart phones but the iPhone is pretty bad for messing with your transiver signal as well.

From what I've read, most electronics (including the GoPro) start to interfere with the signal from your beacon at around 2 to 3 feet. It's something that can be avoided while searching, but if you are the 'victim' and your all curled up in a ball under the snow putting your head mounted GoPro near your beacon (or if you have the chest mount on), it could cause problems for your friends to find you in an efficient time frame.

While the easy way it so just not bring electronics with you while touring, it won't necessarily happen. I mean hell, the best way to practice safe sex is to not have any, you know?
Jan 15 2013 1:30PM
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GayWolf420
Posts: 37390 - Karma: 120,139
Yeah sunny was all shot on the hero 3
Jan 15 2013 4:48PM
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CrotchKiller
Posts: 9037 - Karma: 6,943
yea, i heard that Kyle Decker was testing out the new GoPro primes on their backcountry trips.
Jan 15 2013 5:00PM
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thenightman
Posts: 766 - Karma: 132
Thank you, lighten up people.
Jan 15 2013 7:51PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,467
this is more what worries me, i film mainly inbounds stuff. when im in the bc iv got my phone on pretty much constantly and this really scares me. it seems like this a big area for research and could easily become a pretty solid profession.
Jan 15 2013 8:11PM
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