Personal Locator Beacon/Epirb

[+MedicOne]

I did a search and found nothing on this topic so here goes. I was a mountaineer, backpacker, and scramble hiker long before geocaching was invented. Up until last year I never carried a Personal Locator Beacon. Last year I was given a Spot Messenger and gave it a try; for the most part it worked quite well and they have come out with an improved model, the Spot 2, which has now been recalled because of problems with the batteries I believe. Soooo, I'm thinking of going with one of the ACR electronics Sarlink PLB's. I just learned that you can send an "I'm OK" message or an "I'm here (coordinates and map) and I'm Ok." The PLB doesn't require a subscription only that you register your beacon. To get the service of the messages you must subscribe on www.406link.com (a subsidiary of ACR I believe. Using the self test feature in conjunction with the subscription you can message up to five people with your I'm OK message. You can also file a "flight plan" with 406 link to give searches a heads up as to your route of travel.

 

Any backpackers/peak baggers/geocachers out there using one of these devices? If so any problems, caveats, upsides, downside, or other information you'd like to share before I spend the $400 to acquire one.

Edited February 3, 2010 by MedicOne

[+cerberus1]

I believe there were two pages of info in the GPSr section under SPOT II.

May get something that you were looking for there.

[DonTom3]

The PLB doesn't require a subscription only that you register your beacon.

 

What happens when it's not registered and you need to use it? I have always been curious about those things and wondered if they could be used for backpacking. I knew they were commonly used for marine use.

 

-Don- Reno, NV

[+Cairngorm]

I got a SPOT a few weeks ago on the advice of a local cacher who'd had to be helicoptered off a hillside just a few miles from civilization at the expense of SPOT's insurance company. The policy costs $7.95 - sounds good to me.

 

I went for the old model because the SPOT2 is recalled, new ones currently can't be activated and people who got them for Christmas (other midwinter holidays are available) still can't use them and cannot find truthful ETAs for replacement units at http://www.facebook.com/spotmessenger. It is an older GPS, and it loses satellite communication in the canyons and woods around here. But that said, it's a whole lot better than nothing at all, I know that the help and 911 buttons make more attempts per hour to send their messages than the regular functions, and by stacking rebates I got the machine for free. I like it enough that I'll probably splash out on the promised upgrade deal for existing owners, if the company ever gets around to keeping that promise.

 

The annual running cost is worth looking at before you start, and you can find pure emergency beacons that cost more to buy and nothing at all to use, but SPOT does more. Check out the customer feedback at rei.com and at Amazon (where the price has just been cut, darn it).

Edited February 4, 2010 by Cairngorm

[polskikrol]

Looks like Delorme Earthmate is going to come with SPOT builtin. Amozon Linky You may want to wait for this before blowing all that money

[+TotemLake]

Looks like Delorme Earthmate is going to come with SPOT builtin. Amozon Linky You may want to wait for this before blowing all that money

The SPOT is not built-in. It is a separate device. What the PN-60 will do with it is free form text messages up to 50 characters. It will also advise the status of the SPOT. The SPOT is spec'd to be about half the size of the PN-60. For comparison, checkout anyone with a PN-40/30/20. If you scroll down far enough on the linked page, you'll see the two devices side-by-side. If the PN-60 ever goes haywire on you, the SPOT will still act as a standalone.

Edited February 5, 2010 by TotemLake

[+Captain's Crew]

I am in my second year of using the Spot. I have used it as much for off road driving as for hiking. My wife and I loved the added security of having a device that sent messages to family and friends of our location. This is an add on feature. It also can gather this data together to add geotagged photos for a trip plan or profile. The device constantly sends to a web location that is open to only those you give access and they follow you along on your trip. This is beyond the emergency call. There are two levels of the call for emergency. the one that goes out to public agency (an insurance can be had to cover the costs of recovery) and another that has a message to alert friends and relatives of your location and a request for help that you have preloaded for sending from the web. These can be sent to a number of people both by email and txt messaging. It is small and is handled for reception just like a gps. Some users have a difficult time because it is a dumb device and all the input, settings, and turning on and off need to be practiced by following the manual carefully. I met people that could not do it. In a nutshell, if you want the security and peace of mind that it can give you and maybe more importantly to your family it is worth the price.

[+Cairngorm]

I see the Spot 2 has finally been re-released.

[+Kit Fox]

I would much rather rent a Sat phone, or continue doing what I normally do:

 

I Carry full survival gear.

I leave a detailed itinerary and map of the area I'm going to visit with my wife and dad.

 

Those two items alone have saved far more people than a "Spot."

[+pinelvr]

Hi - I bought a SPOT 1- (the tracker) and turned it on today. I'm feeling pretty good about the purchase for my own peace of mind and for the peace of mind those that know me and don't like me hiking alone all the time. Many places I hike do not get cell signal, I do bushwhack off the trail I've told everyone I'm going to take (sometimes) and other times, I occasionally take side trails that I haven't told anyone I would take. I also hunt down multi caches sometimes and these can take one in odd directions. The thought of crawling many miles dragging my survival gear with me and managing my dog if I'm hurt badly doesn't excite me. I found the tracker itself, new online for just less than $90 - $50 of that comes back in rebate. There were some on ebay for < $90 but it doesn't look like the rebate gets honored then. I bought the annual basic plan for another $99. I do not need to resubscribe again next year if I decide I don't want to.

 

There are 3 possible levels of messages it sends out under the $99 basic plan: 1) a checkin message like "all is well" with details about your location 2) a send help message with location ( but it's not of a 911 nature - I would use for non life threatening injury and have it sent to a friend) 3) or a full 911 message notification to the local SAR authorities.

 

I tried out the checkin message; it sends out an email to whomever you say to in your setup and it sends a cellular text message to whatever # you designate. You cannot change the settings of whom you send to while you are in the field only via your internet setup. These test messages were received by me within 5 minutes of sending and both messages included lat/longitude. The email that gets sent also includes a clickable link that you follow to a google map of your location - really really cool !!!!

 

Additionally, you can set up a viewable page on their website that has your 1-7 day history including locations on it. You can password protect this and give it out to anyone you like; and you can enable and disable multiple pages with different information. If anyone wants to see how this viewable page works with a track on it - please send me a pm directly and I'll send you a link to see it.

 

I'm totally unhappy about the extra weight and think they could have done this with less weight; mine clocked 7.4 ounces. I'll continue taking all my survival gear so this weight just adds even more !!!

[+EscapeFromFlatland]

I would much rather rent a Sat phone, or continue doing what I normally do:

 

I Carry full survival gear.

I leave a detailed itinerary and map of the area I'm going to visit with my wife and dad.

 

Those two items alone have saved far more people than a "Spot."

 

*nod*

A PLB is no replacement for smart planning and preparation for your journey, but it does come in handy when you are looking at needing to be evacuated from the middle of nowhere, or need to send a message that you're fine when you're past your projected return time and you are out of cellphone communication range.

 

I have a SPOT, have used it on the tracking-mode while out by myself in the Columbia Gorge. Friends know where I'm going and when I'll be back. I've used some variant of "out late, doing ok" as my "I'm OK" msg.

I've used SPOT in Iraq a few times. Works great to say you're ok to a loved one when you're at a different base and dont want to track down a phone or computer before going to bed at 7am.

 

I haven't had much experience using Sat phones. 1 practice call to show I can operate it, and then a PMCS to make sure its working before missions. What kind of rates are there for renting them?

[+Touchstone]

I would much rather rent a Sat phone, or continue doing what I normally do:

 

I Carry full survival gear.

I leave a detailed itinerary and map of the area I'm going to visit with my wife and dad.

 

Those two items alone have saved far more people than a "Spot."

 

I couldn't agree more, although my wife would tend to disagree. She really likes the updates on the SPOT site. It seems like the SOP of most SAR's folks is to wait until the exit date/time has passed before even beginning a search, whereas the "911" button on the SPOT, pretty much activates the search immediately as well as giving a location. Everything has it's place I suppose.

 

As far as the Sat Phone option, you can pretty much pay for a SPOT in a few weeks of the Sat Phone rental fee. The only beef I have with the SPOT is the fact I have to lug around another gadget/paperweight. I must admit that the Delorme/Spot combo looks very tempting.

[+Monkeybrad]

As I hike alone more and more often I have added a Spot to my gear list. Originally, I bought it for the protection of the 911 feature, but what I have discovered is the thing is worth it's weight in gold for the peace of mind it gives my wife when I am out there and she can look at a webpage and see that I am moving along on the trail. I had not thought about how much my crazy hiking schemes made her worry, so this little device has been a godsend. Is it perfect? By no means, but for the money it is a pretty good solution.