does anyone use anything like an avalanche beacon in case of bad emergency?

if so what do you like and why

This topic was moved to Backcouontry Health and Safety forum.

An avalanche transceiver (it's not a beacon) has a very narrow function. Its purpose is to locate someone who is buried in an avalanche. It's of no help at all unless it's turned on all the time you're wearing it, and unless the others in your party also have transceivers. It is not for general emergencies, only for others in your party to be able find you and dig you out. It has a very short range.

If you want a gadget to summon help in general emergencies, there are several different items:

Satellite phone, probably the most expensive, but allows you to communicate directly with the emergency folks, which may be important if you do not have the skills to stabilize a patient until help arrives. It works where cell phones do not.

Two-way radio--assumes there is someone at the other end with a radio tuned to your frequency.

Personal locator beacon (PLB)--this gadget uses the US government satellite network and is registered with the Coast Guard. You push the button only in case of life-and-death emergency, unless you want free board and room in a federal facility for a while. There is no communication with the other end, so you're on your own until rescue arrives, which normally will happen within 24 hours, weather permitting (as we all know, sometimes it doesn't permit!).

SPOT Satellite Messenger which has a tracking function (optional) and allows you to send several pre-programmed messages including a "911" emergency call. Since it uses a private satellite network, it's not quite as reliable as the personal locator beacon in a dire emergency. However, its other features, such as tracking and "I'm OK" messages home, make it attractive to many, especially those with nervous relatives back home. Again, there is no direct communication with Search and Rescue until they get to you.

None of these, of course, are of any use if you're unconscious or dead and therefore unable to work the gadget.

OM is right, a beacon (I know, but everyone calls them that) is useless if you are by yourself, the rest of your party doesn't have one or if they do, don't know how to use them. If you aren't dug out quickly, the likelihood of being found alive is pretty slim. If you get one, take a class of some kind and don't just rely on the instructions. A beacon by itself is useless. You also need a probe and shovel and everyone in your party should have one of each. One shovel among all of you means nothing if the person buried is the one with the shovel.

Don't rely on a cel phone. It is NOT a sat phone. Alone, a PLB is probably your best bet.

I use a SPOT I. It drops electronic bread crumbs every 10 minutes that a trusted friend can watch at home. It also sends and OK signal, a HELP signal, and a 911 call. These can be programmed to go to email or as a text message to a cell phone. We use Help for a non-medical emergency where it's not critical to be picked up immediately.

At the beginning and end of each day, we send an OK signal, although he knows we could be in a dead spot.

From reviews on motorcycle forums, I've learned SPOT I has better coverage, seems to be more reliable, and battery life is longer (about a year with daily use.)

I've never activated it, but I consider it one of the essentials. If I need picked up at some random road along a trail, it makes it easy to send coordinates to the person who will pick me up. Then they can just get directions from Google.

Avalances are nasty things and the chances of surviving them are bleak. Research from Italy examening more than 400 skiers caught in the snow is this: 92% survival within the first 15 minutes, 30% after 35 minutes and near 0% after 2 hours. Those that died in the first category died from injuries. In the second category the death came by suffocation and the third group died from hypotermia.

A beacon may have some point when in a downhill area, especially for those that like off-pist running. In the backcountry they are not very useful. Even if the rescue heli were near it would take close to an hour to get to the place you are and start the search.

I would spend my bucks on things like the Spot or similar, and learn how to avoid getting caught in an avalance.
Otto