UKC

Personal Locator Beacon - advice

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 Pietrach 26 Apr 2016
Hi
My wife is getting increasingly nervous every time i go hill walking by myself, and recently suggested i should have something that would enable me to call for help anywhere and anytime. That would make her calm down... she claims

Do you use such devices and what are the recommended ones? All it needs to do is to transmit a distress signal with location. No fancy functions needed.

Thanks
 davis.pete 26 Apr 2016
In reply to Pietrach:

How about something like this: https://www.findmespot.eu/en/index.php?cid=100

Haven't used it myself, but it looks like what you are looking for.
 toad 26 Apr 2016
In reply to Pietrach:

One of my all time favourite UKC threads

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=272218&v=1#x4029688
MarkJH 26 Apr 2016
In reply to Pietrach:


> Do you use such devices and what are the recommended ones? All it needs to do is to transmit a distress signal with location. No fancy functions needed.

Fortunately no experience of using one in anger, but have carried them in the past.

To be honest, for use on land there isn't much to choose between the 406MHz Cospas-Sarsat types (probably best if you don't want anything fancy like real-time tracking or two way communication etc).
I would advise you to read up on terms and make sure you are buying the correct type. 'PLBs', 'ELTs' and 'EPIRBs' are designations based on the specific code of the distress signal, and are for terrestrial, marine and aviation use respectively. However, in practice, pretty much everything is called 'PLB' when it is designed for personal use. Make sure you are buying the correct unit.

Also make sure it is registered and the information is kept up to date; it will make rescue much quicker should you need it. Even so, don't expect it to be near-instantaneous (as it might be with a phone). Usually rescue authorities will be notified within an hour of activation, but could be up to two.
 Ridge 26 Apr 2016
In reply to toad:

You had to bring that up, didn't you...

 richprideaux 26 Apr 2016
In reply to toad:

I met her (jenniwren) a few years ago. Her online persona and ideas were very well represented by her UKC one.

As a box of frogs...
 James_Kendal 26 Apr 2016
In reply to Pietrach:
I have a SPOT GEN3 tracker / messenger, and it's perfect for what you want to do. You get online tracking for your friends and family to see where you are, the ability to send several pre-set messages, and of course the SOS function for a life-threatening emergency which alerts the emergency services. You go on the website to configure what your messages say and who they are emailed or texted to.

It seems to work very well although it is fairly pricey. Around £100 for the device, and various amounts depending which level of satellite service you choose. I'm paying about £125 per year. Whether it is worth it depends how much you want to be able to get help in a remote place, and how much you dislike going missing.

I haven't used the SOS function, but it is reassuring to know that you can summon help even without a mobile signal, and that someone knows where you are.
Post edited at 18:19
Removed User 26 Apr 2016
In reply to Pietrach:

I carry a McMurdo FastFind PLB, when on my own, mainly to give my wife reassurance. It is for emergency (life in danger) use only, sending an emergency signal, followed up by a GPS position. Design is such that it is well near impossible to set it off accidentally. It needs to be registered. Cost is less than £200, battery needs changing after 5 years. After 10 years, I will probably buy a new one, rather than a second battery replacement. For the peace of mind that it gives, I consider it to be very good value, even though I hope to never use it.
In reply to toad:

Ah yes. Fond memories...

...well, memories.

T.
OP Pietrach 26 Apr 2016
In reply to James_Kendal:

James, can you purchase the subscription on a monthly basis? Say for a month or two only?
 James_Kendal 26 Apr 2016
In reply to Pietrach:

These are the packages, there appears to be a 12 month minimum period.

http://www.findmespot.eu/en/index.php?cid=103
MarkJH 27 Apr 2016
In reply to Pietrach:

If you want something that will do messaging, tracking, and other fancy stuff, then the SPOT trackers are great.

If all you want is the option of sending a distress signal in an emergency, then a 406MHz beacon is better in almost every way.
 BruceM 27 Apr 2016
Depends on your expected usage and location. We use a McMurdo FastFind PLB as simon above. They are tiny, weigh nothing, will work all over the world. And you don't need to do anything or pay anything more until you really need it (which hopefully isn't likely), or the batt needs replacing (6 years on they say now). Not very expensive to buy if you do some searching.

I got one as a get out of jail card for my girl. We are almost always alone in remote mountains out of phone shot. Since I'm the techy one with all the escape moves , it gives me some comfort knowing that if the worst ever happens to me, at least she has some final hope of getting out of there alive. Apart from that, bury it in the bottom of her pack and forget it. (I do have an instructional remember-how-to-activate lesson with her every now and then.)
 Rob Exile Ward 27 Apr 2016
In reply to Pietrach:

1) Find a friend to go walking with or alternatively 2) (gently) point out to your wife you are going hill WALKING, as in, you will be putting one foot in front of the other. Not a particularly dangerous activity. If she is REALLY nervous then a) tell her where you are going and b) pack a bivvi bag. Then the possibility of you dying is just about zero.
2
 GrahamD 27 Apr 2016
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

Plus phone coverage ain't that bad in the uk
In reply to GrahamD:

You're possibly not with Vodafone
 mlt 27 Apr 2016
In reply to Pietrach:

I've never used any communications in the UK aside from a mobile phone. But recently on a trip to Siberia for a couple months I used a DeLorme InReach satellite tracker, which operates on the Iridium network. I thought it was an exceptionally good piece of equipment, it proved more reliable as well than my satellite phone running on the Inmarsat network (which I think got blocked/jammed). What I particularly liked about the InReach was the pay-as-you-go package option they had. It ended up being cheaper and more effective in the long run to SMS out from the InReach instead of the satellite phone and also paired with a DeLorme specific app which could be used for tracking and navigation alongside my paper maps. Basically... it did not disappoint...
1
 GrahamD 28 Apr 2016
In reply to Colin Henderson:

In an emergency network isn't relevant. You can use any network
 mattsccm 30 Apr 2016
In reply to GrahamD:

Just get some little black box from Maplins or as she sounds a bit daft paint a match box. She'll never know.
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