Search tips

When searching, the distance to the object is an important factor. At a short distance, radio contact with the beacon will be established successfully. If the distance is large, the search may be difficult: the Beacon may not respond to the call, or it responds but we do not "hear" it. In this situation, focus all efforts on establishing radio contact: try switching off the squelch on the radio and catching the Beacon's weak signal to get the search direction and move closer to the object. If this does not help, find high ground and call from there, or use another beacon as a repeater by lifting it into the air on another aircraft. Sometimes we do not hear the beacon even at a short distance, for example if it fell into water, deep snow or landed antenna-down. In this case, follow the same guidance: switch off the squelch and look for a place from which the reply can be heard.

Searching with tBeacon Findy S

To start the search, call the beacon. Findy S offers several call options, each with its own purpose.

Single call - Findy S makes one attempt to call the beacon. Since the beacon may have been in standby, it may not send current coordinates; this is visible from the number of satellites shown on the Findy S screen. After receiving the call, the beacon switches on GPS, and the next call will be more informative.

Tracking - a cyclic call-and-receive mode. Findy repeats calls and listens to the air even if there is no connection with the beacon. This mode is convenient because you can switch it on and move around the area: as soon as a connection appears at some point, Findy S will signal it.

Searching with the radio and GPS

In this case the search is quite simple: after activation (a call from the radio), the beacon reports the last coordinates received from GPS (and switches on GPS to update them). The user's task is to write down the coordinates and reach the point using any GPS navigation tool.

A smartphone with any navigation app is usually used as a handy navigation tool.