Comparison of the lightcurve of AFL 1 inferred from the MeerKAT data (orange) versus the scenario where JO623 is viewed equator-on with a magnetic obliquity of zero in an ‘aligned’ configuration (purple). In the aligned scenario, the visibility of the emission decreases significantly. Our inferred geometry therefore may hint at a detection bias at radio wavelengths for brown dwarfs in pole-on configurations with large magnetic obliquities.