Emergency Locators

[Undertaker]

Personal preference when my life depends on it is PLB/GPS use it on my boat, yes expensive but what's your life worth, have and do use sat phone also, having a heart attack you may not be able to spend time dialing and talking PLB is one button, or auto in case of the boat. SPOT looks interesting, but again I want the best when my life or any member of my family is in trouble. For occasional use rent the SAT phone as backup, time has gotten cheaper

[SA Bill]

Hi Jeff!
Thanks for this "real world" info on how the SPOT performed. As you pointed out, it may not be the device to pin your hopes on if you get into a pickle and need to be rescued. It is what it is and you gets what you pay for.

As you say, ultimately each of us is responsible for our own safety out in the boonies. That said, I am still seriously considering a PLB or sat phone if I go to places where I'm out of touch and bad things could happen to me. Case in point...last April, hiking out to Split Rock campsite on Marufo Vega, about 1/3 of the way in (maybe 1.75 miles?) I slipped and nearly turned an ankle. Got me thinking about what I would do if I had severely sprained or even broken it. If I couldn't walk, I was going to be stuck out there for a long time. I was due to turn in my permit the next day, by closing time, so no one was going to come looking for me until after 6pm the next day...that would be something like 32 hours. If they waited until the next morning to start looking for me, that would be nearly 48 hours until help arrived.

I probably would have survived that long but it sure wouldn't have been much fun. Going into shock would have probaly meant a touch and go survival situation. Maybe I could drag myself back to the car. Maybe someone would have come along. Who knows.

There seem to be some places that rent sat phones for reasonable weekly rates. The cheapest PLB I found to buy is $300.00. The better PLBs are gonna cost $5-600.00 to buy. I couldn't find a place that rents PLBs although supposedly they are out there.

Anyway, I need to think about this some more and decide what is prudent for me to do. As usual, anyone elses milage may vary.

Good point about the one button activation for a PLB undertaker. Something to factor in.
  Thanks!
    Bill

[RikD]

I also bought the Spot Tracker, and was overall a bit dissappointed with how it worked.  I actually took it on my OML trek last March, and out of the 20 or so "OK" beacons we sent out, about half of them failed.  We were pretty careful to make sure there were no obstructions, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes each time.  Even with that, we had the poor results.  I had also signed up for the "Tracking" service for the additional $50, and can say that didn't work more than 10% of the time.

I ended up taking it back to Sports Authority who have a 90 return policy.  I also called up the FindMeSpot people, to inquire why I had so much trouble, and their answer was pretty much "user error".  I am not saying that there was something I could have missed, but have say I was pretty careful to follow the instructions.  BTW, FindMeSpot would not refund the one year contract.  They claimed that I got least had some hits, so that it must have been working.

-Rik

[jeffblaylock]

I also bought the Spot Tracker, and was overall a bit dissappointed with how it worked.  I actually took it on my OML trek last March, and out of the 20 or so "OK" beacons we sent out, about half of them failed.  We were pretty careful to make sure there were no obstructions, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes each time.  Even with that, we had the poor results.  I had also signed up for the "Tracking" service for the additional $50, and can say that didn't work more than 10% of the time.

I ended up taking it back to Sports Authority who have a 90 return policy.  I also called up the FindMeSpot people, to inquire why I had so much trouble, and their answer was pretty much "user error".  I am not saying that there was something I could have missed, but have say I was pretty careful to follow the instructions.  BTW, FindMeSpot would not refund the one year contract.  They claimed that I got least had some hits, so that it must have been working.

-Rik

Don't know how much difference it would have made, but you might have gotten better results if you let it operate for 20 or so minutes. It makes three attempts to send an OK message over a 20-minute period. For the most part, I let it sit for about 5 minutes to make sure it got a GPS fix before pressing the I'm OK button for 3 seconds. If it has an accurate fix, both indicator lights over the power button and I'm OK will flash in unison. When it is attempting to communicate, the I'm OK light is steady for about 5 seconds. After its third attempt, only the power light will flash. Unfortunately, it does not let you know whether the message got through, which would be a helpful feature. I think pretty much everyone agrees the tracking feature is lousy. The only folks who seem to get reliable tracking results are paddlers.

Hi Jeff!
There seem to be some places that rent sat phones for reasonable weekly rates. The cheapest PLB I found to buy is $300.00. The better PLBs are gonna cost $5-600.00 to buy. I couldn't find a place that rents PLBs although supposedly they are out there.

Anyway, I need to think about this some more and decide what is prudent for me to do. As usual, anyone elses milage may vary.

How much is your life worth, Bill? I don't mean that flippantly, but if you think you want a device upon which you can reasonably depend on being rescued, then how much is it worth to you? As was previously pointed out, the PLBs have a high up-front cost but no service costs. Over just a few years, they become more cost effective than other devices on the market today. And, as Undertaker points out, they are idiot-proof, unless you're smart enough to activate it when you don't need it. 

[betteroutside]

After comparing the service cost of my 5 year old PLB ($250+), with the cost of a new one at $299, I went with the new one. Quite a difference in size and weight also.

[SA Bill]

Jeff wrote:
"How much is your life worth, Bill? I don't mean that flippantly, but if you think you want a device upon which you can reasonably depend on being rescued, then how much is it worth to you? As was previously pointed out, the PLBs have a high up-front cost but no service costs. Over just a few years, they become more cost effective than other devices on the market today. And, as Undertaker points out, they are idiot-proof, unless you're smart enough to activate it when you don't need it."

Oh I agree Jeff! I'm just bemoaning the high up front cost. I'd probably rent a PLB or a sat phone before I'd buy one. That way each time I'd have (hopefully) the latest and greatest technology and still be about half the yearly amortized expense compared to buying.

That's the least expensive PLB I've found anywhere, betteroutside. At the $299.00 price point, I could almost talk myself into buying one. If I was making more trips into the wild each year, I probably would get one. Making just one trip per year puts me on the fence as far as buying.

Thanks for the feedback gentlemen!
    Bill

[Undertaker]

My nickname " Undertaker" is not who I want to meet when hiking, boating or flying, safe better than sorry, be prepared I second whoever mentioned ACR, leaders in field with most experience. Sat phone rental is the way to go if you are traveling every so often, If you own the phone you are stuck with current version as technology moves ahead. If you are only using sat for safety rental is cheap. As with everything marked marine, aircraft the technology is expensive, but so is life, if you are found alive with an injury, the PLB will have cost way less than the shortest recovery in a modern hospital. When the doors swing open you just dropped $400+ bucks.

[betteroutside]

Here is a review of the McMurdo PLB. My first generation was a ACR brand, as it was all that was available at the time. I don't mind saving a couple of hundred bucks. Chevy vs Land Rover. http://www.equipped.com/McMurdoNewFastFind.htm

[SA Bill]

Here is a review of the McMurdo PLB. My first generation was a ACR brand, as it was all that was available at the time. I don't mind saving a couple of hundred bucks. Chevy vs Land Rover. http://www.equipped.com/McMurdoNewFastFind.htm

Good review. This what I will buy...I think...when the time comes.
   Bill

[SHANEA]

FREE is good!

Get a Free Spot Now

yea, you have to sign up for two years of service upfront - but you are going to pay that anyway - aren't you?  You can save $150 or so and get it free!

Free is good in these tough economic times...

 

I really like my SPOT

[Boot Canyon 1 Cougar]

I now carry the following:

http://www.acrelectronics.com/product2.aspx?sku=2898

It is a bit lighter than this one, which is what I used on December 30, 2006:

http://www.acrelectronics.com/product2.aspx?sku=2798.4NH

I would prefer to trust my life on the ACR product, versus the other products.

Here is a link to some reviews of locaters:

http://www.equipped.org/

Boot Canyon 1 Cougar

[chisos_muse]

I know that there are people that love me and care about whether or not I live or die, but when I go hiking or driving where danger may lie (which is anywhere), I just don't think about this kind of device. Not saying it isn't important, but it's just not something that is on any "must have" list of mine. Guess we all have our priorities...

[jeffblaylock]

I know that there are people that love me and care about whether or not I live or die, but when I go hiking or driving where danger may lie (which is anywhere), I just don't think about this kind of device. Not saying it isn't important, but it's just not something that is on any "must have" list of mine. Guess we all have our priorities...

I always view myself as the single greatest survival device when I'm alone in the backcountry, so I agree with you Muse. For me, something like the SPOT messenger is marginally better than nothing at all, but it is no PLB. That said, I do not want to trust my life to any electronic device. I trust my life to me. I am responsible for whatever happens to me, whether in the middle of nowhere or at 26h and Guadalupe.

[Boot Canyon 1 Cougar]

My "trust my life" phrase could have been better stated, as it may have created an impression different from what I intended.

A better choice of words is probably, "When Murphy (of "Murphy's Law" fame)" appears around the next corner during your trek, it may be better to have the option to seek help, versus not having that option.

If you are out and about in the wilderness and in a dire, life threatening situation, eventually SAR will be brought into the loop, and SAR will expend thousands of dollars and many hours in responder time trying to locate you--even if by the time SAR finds you you are room temperature or lower, and  even if the vultures and coyotes and javalinas (and mountain lions and bears?) have had several snacks on your corpse.

From a SAR perspective, it will save SAR time and money if they can locate you with the least amount of effort.  And I bet that SAR would rather find a live person than a corpse.

For an interesting compilation on the ways that Murphy can pop up on the trail, check out this blog:

http://hikerhell.blogspot.com/

[Undertaker]

Your single best survival device is between your ears, all others pale by comparison. Murphy will always win. I like technology but know how to use a map and compass as well as sextant and watch (auto winding) when sailing. If you are going to trust your life to technology then buy the best afford (again whats your life worth), then use your brain and study how to make it work before you need it, practice, practice, practice before you might need it in real life.