Personal Locator Beacons

[Daniel Doan]

What are peoples’ thoughts on personal locator beacons (PLB) such as this one from REI?

https://www.rei.com/product/843146/acr-electronics-resqlink-gps-personal-locator-beacon

You can register it (for free) with NOAA, it tracks your coordinates, and has an emergency “SOS” feature that can be activated in case of emergency. Plus, it floats! (+1 for fisherpeople)

PLBs are no substitute for experience, good judgement, and preparation – but sometimes $%@# happens. I’m fairly experienced in the mountains but lately have been doing a lot of solo hiking off-trail for my fishing ventures, so have been thinking about getting one. Does anyone also use one? Thoughts?

[Kathy]

For pure critical emergency use without any messaging capability that would be the choice I think. Anything else (Spot, InReach, Sat Phone) involves subscription fees as far as I know.

I personally carry a Sat phone, but if I was starting fresh I would probably go with the InReach as it is much cheaper for 2 way messaging (granted no talk.)

[Brian Curtis]

I mostly want to second Kathy’s thoughts. I use the Dolorme InReach. I really like the two way communication. It is much more useful then a simple SOS. But you do have to pay for the monthly subscription so you definitely pay for that improved communication. But I think it is worth it.

[Jim Smith]

Brian, do you have to pay by the year, or can you pay for the summer, dump it, then pick it up again the next year?

[Brian Curtis]

You can dump it during the winter months. You pay a bit more per month if you do that, but they have flexible plans.

[Rich OConnell]

I second the vote for the DeLorme Inreach. I used it successfully last season on a trip to the Frank Church in Idaho. Good battery life too. You can turn off your subscription plan in the winter months.

-R

[Brian]

This may border on off-topic but my wife and I are Ham radio operators. I am getting on in years but trying to get up into backcounry remote lakes and streams as long as my heart, lungs, and legs will bear me thither. I fish solo a lot, out of cell coverage. I use the digital Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) to let my wife know where I am. Using the numerous APRS “reflectors” in the region I am able to send a text to my wife’s cell phone from my vehicle before I set out for the day. The text contains a link to a mapping system that shows the exact location where I am parked. I also carry a handheld with me; there are repeaters on a lot of prominent hills in the state and Hams will relay messages. I text her again when I get back to the vehicle with an ETA @ home. I can also tell her what frequency to monitor at home and can call her by connecting to repeaters up to 50 miles away that are within another 50 miles of home a good while before I have cell coverage. Not a Sat phone but we’re using what we have and find it’s pretty handy.

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