Recommendations and costs for a emergency locator.

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joerunner
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Recommendations and costs for a emergency locator.

Post by joerunner » June 4th, 2012, 6:37 am

Anybody have advice for purchasing a PLD? What should I expect to pay for one and how much per month? I think my wife would rest much easier knowing I had a way to signal a emergency. Thanks!

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Grannyhiker
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Location: Gateway to the Columbia Gorge

Re: Recommendations and costs for a emergency locator.

Post by Grannyhiker » June 4th, 2012, 10:32 am

I last researched this about a year ago, so some of this info may be a little out of date.

There are two kinds of emergency locators:

A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) sends a signal to the US Coast Guard when you activate it. It broadcasts your location. Since you pre-register with NOAA right after you buy the beacon, they know your information and your contacts. It uses the Department of Defense satellite system so has universal coverage. It is therefore quite reliable in an emergency situation. Should you activate it when it's not a life or death emergency, the result could be a hefty fine or some residence in a Federal facility. The one I have (McMurdo Fast Find 210) cost $250. Registration with NOAA is free, so there is no other cost involved. Reputable brands are ACR and McMurdo. When I bought mine two years ago, the McMurdo Fast Find was half the weight and half the price of the ACR units. However, ACR has since made a unit that is comparable in weight and price.

The SPOT uses a private satellite system (Globalstar) so doesn't have as good satellite coverage as a PLB. The SPOT also requires an expensive subscription. It has emergency ("911") coverage but because the signal goes to Globalstar rather than direct to the Coast Guard, it may take a little longer to get help. However, with the SPOT you can send "I'm OK" messages to your family. You can also have tracking service so your family (and everyone else if you make it public) can see where you are on the map. Not all messages get through, although the more recent version of SPOT is much better at this. With the newer SPOT, you can also pre-program a couple of messages to send through (such as "Delayed" so your family doesn't call SAR if you're a half hour overdue).

I haven't investigated it, but I understand that ACR now has a subscription service that will allow tracking and "I'm OK" messages with a PLB.

With none of these is two-way communication possible. The only thing that will do that is a satellite phone. Those have the advantage of being able to communicate the exact nature of the emergency and allow those on the scene to get verbal help from SAR while waiting for rescue. They are, of course, quite pricey.

I suspect that within a few years, limited two-way communication will be possible with these gadgets. They may also do a singing and dancing routine to keep you entertained while waiting for rescue! The technology is advancing rapidly.

IMHO, if your purpose is only to call in the troops in an emergency, get a PLB. If you also want to be able to reassure your family each day, get a SPOT. Do warn them, though, not to panic if one of your calls doesn't get through.

Doug Ritter's site "Equipped to Survive" website has excellent reviews of all these emergency gizmos.

joerunner
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Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Recommendations and costs for a emergency locator.

Post by joerunner » June 4th, 2012, 3:11 pm

Thank you so much GrannyHiker. I will show this to my wife so we can have a discussion. I think the PLB would be perfect for me. How big is the unit that you have?

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Grannyhiker
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Re: Recommendations and costs for a emergency locator.

Post by Grannyhiker » June 4th, 2012, 3:43 pm

You can check out the McMurdo 210 FastFind online. Mine is 5.4 ounces. It's just 2 years old (I just got the registration renewal notice) so the current ones are probably a bit different.

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mjirving
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Re: Recommendations and costs for a emergency locator.

Post by mjirving » June 5th, 2012, 4:59 am

The SPOT also has customized text messaging one way now for about 99cents a text. The pre defined ones are free. It works in conjunction with your smart phone. I use it with my iPhone. The service is $99 per year and the spot can usually be had for $99 on sale and I got 50 free custom texts for free which will last a long time as I use the sparingly. Also your spouse can track you with every ten minute pings showing your location on a map. Assuming you have a clear shot to the sky. It can be a bit "techy" in nature to operate, but I've been very pleased with mine.

joerunner
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Re: Recommendations and costs for a emergency locator.

Post by joerunner » June 5th, 2012, 5:55 am

Thanks for that info mjirving. Unfortunately I am one of the last 2 or 3 holdouts on owning a cell phone so any device I get will have to be self reliant. I do like the feature where my wife can watch my track.

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retired jerry
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Re: Recommendations and costs for a emergency locator.

Post by retired jerry » June 5th, 2012, 5:57 am

"I am one of the last 2 or 3 holdouts on owning a cell phone"

You don't own a cell phone???

I thought I was bad not having a "smart" phone so I can send texts and surf the web while hiking

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mjirving
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Re: Recommendations and costs for a emergency locator.

Post by mjirving » June 5th, 2012, 7:47 am

SPOT does have a stand alone one that will lay a track for you. The only thing you can't do with it is send custom text messages and I think it only has one or maybe two predefined text options. (e.g., Arrived OK)

joerunner
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Re: Recommendations and costs for a emergency locator.

Post by joerunner » June 5th, 2012, 8:26 am

No I wouldn't own one of those annoying little things. I think that cell phones are the blight of mankind. So is the internet but I've got to draw the line somewhere. :geek:

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retired jerry
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Re: Recommendations and costs for a emergency locator.

Post by retired jerry » June 5th, 2012, 9:21 am

Have you transitioned to horseless carriage yet are are you still riding horses? :)

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