PLBs?

I am considering the purchase of a full on PLB because sooner or later it will be my turn in the barrel. I am also more and more hiking solo. I am interested in drawing upon the experience and expertise of the members of this board, prompted by the on-going thread about the rescue of a distressed solo hiker in GSMNP.

Naturally, the desirable characteristics are light weight, ease and reliability of operation, and low, low cost. It is just barely possible that I may not be able to achieve all three objectives....

At the moment, I am considering the ACR ResQLink. I am not favorably inclined toward the SPOT products, due to their recall history and concerns about their notification process.

I bought a McMurdo Fastfind in July of last year, primarily at the insistence of my family. They don't think I should be doddering around in the hills without one at my age. Actually, I find myself comforted by having it along with me, so it is not just the family. I have carried it with me on several through hikes ranging from about 30- to nearly 100 miles since I bought it. It weighs five ounces.

I am leaving tomorrow for a late season two night trip in the local mountains and had planned on taking it with me again. I decided that before I left, I should do a system test, the first since late last year, and it failed the test. I have contacted the manufacturer but have not yet had a reply; it is, after all, a weekend. There is a five year warranty from date of purchase. At any rate, I have no idea whether it was working on my late August through-hike in the Sierra: I certainly hope so but am inclined to doubt it. I have no idea of when it died; clearly I need to be more diligent with my testing.

I have heard mostly good things about the McMurdo products so this was a bit of a surprise. I'll keep all on this forum advised. Meanwhile, I plan to take my cell phone with me and if that doesn't work, I'll yell really loud.

Beyond the above experiences, I don't know for sure how well they work in an emergency, and I hope I never have to find out. But, from what I hear anecdotally, they work just fine.

IMHO, Doug Ritter's "Equipped to Survive" website is a good place to learn about all these gadgets.

I also have the McMurdo Fastfind. I originally bought a PLB to get friends and family (friends were worse than family!) off my back for going out solo. Call it a psychological weight saving, if you want. I am well aware than an injury at my age could, at the very least, end my hiking career, so I'm pretty cautious. Plus at my slow pace I can't keep up with most people. I'm therefore actually less safe hiking with groups because then I push hard to keep up.

I would say that what you get depends on the purpose for which you want it.

If you're only interested in rescue: PLBs use the US Government satellite network which has, of course, far more satellites and better coverage. However, the only time you push the button is for a life-and-death emergency (otherwise you may have several years free board and room in a Federal facility). It is cheaper because there's only the one-time cost (no service contract) and registration (with the US Coast Guard) is free. Yes, you do have to buy a new battery every five years, but by that time there will be new technology (it may even sing and dance to entertain you while you wait for rescue). In other words, assume that you'll probably replace the PLB when the battery warranty is up. I replaced mine sooner because the FastFind was half the weight (and half the price) of the ACR unit I'd been using (I donated the ACR unit to a boy scout troop).

If you also want to keep in touch with family: With a SPOT you can send pre-set messages to the folks back home, which hopefully will keep them from worrying about you. In other words, it's reassurance for your family. You do need to set up the emergency coverage so that their call to confirm your existence (which they do before calling the rescue agency) doesn't go to a family member who's away from their phone. With the second generation SPOT, there appears to be better coverage and fewer lost signals than with the first generation.

While I use a PLB, I really enjoyed following our member BrianLe's hike of the Continental Divide Trail last year and finding his daily location that he sent from his SPOT. I saw his location at the Mexican border before he had a chance to post that he'd finished! I think if I were doing something like that, I might consider the SPOT.

Some of ACR's PLB units now have the ability to send prearranged messsages like the SPOT--for an extra charge, of course. I have not investigated these. The technology is changing really fast!

The best choice (but by far the most expensive) is a satellite phone which allows 2-way communication. The problem with either the PLB or SPOT is that you can't communicate so SAR that knows what to prepare for and so you can get advice/encouragement over the phone.

With any of these gadgets, you may have to wait 24-48 hours (maybe a lot more) for rescue, depending on the availability of rescue personnel, weather conditions, terrain, etc.

I obviously need to test my PLB, too. Thanks, Pika, for the reminder!

SPOT really is kind of fun for recording where you were along the trail, though IMO this isn't important on marked trails where it's pretty easy to determine that anyway.

Some SPOT models now also offer the option of sending a short text message.
Nice to have some value from the device even if no emergency ever occurs.

FWIW, in using mine daily for some months I don't think it ever missed --- i.e., reliability seemed good to me, despite some things I had read earlier questioning the reliability of the underlying satellite network that SPOT uses.

The thing I like least about SPOT is that, insofar as I can tell, you can only buy a year's worth of service, for about $100 (and then there are optional additional services). The catch with that is that for my use at least, I'd rather be able to activate it for a month, or a couple of months at a time for a lower rate. I'm certainly not going to pay $100 for a year of service if I only anticipate using it on one trip for a couple of weeks. So now my SPOT sits on my shelf, lonely and unused.

I have no experience with or knowledge of true PLBs.

In terms of deciding whether to get a device like this, for me it would be very much about where and when I was hiking. If mostly on well-frequented trails in normal "hiking season", then even hiking solo I would be disinclined. Unless a family member was unhappy without you having one --- in which case, having a "not an emergency" checkin capability would be nice I think.

I don't have one, but if I got something like that, I think I'd get a satphone instead. Not cheaper, not lighter, but more versatile. They are getting smaller and lighter than they used to be, but the price is the big barrier for most people. the main reason I don't have one. But, you can rent them and that is feasible even for trips of a few weeks.

TomD..where can you rent those? (Satellite Phones) The closest gear store to me is REI, in Cincinnati OH, about 20 miles. I'm planning to do the John Muir (KY/TN) version, next fall. Will probably do it solo. Get's pretty isolated in some places. I looked at the PLB, and at appox. 4 or 5 hundred dollars, for something I might carry once or twice is just too much.

Thanks,
J.

The smaller ACR PLBs are under $300, as is the McMurdo Fastfind. No point in paying (or carrying) more.

OM, where did you find one for under $300? I did a search using McMurdo FastFind, and I keep coming up with the 4 - 500 range. I just want something reliable in case I break a leg, get snake bitten or whatever.

Thanks,
J.

This link to REI:

http://www.rei.com/product/815753/acr-electronics-resqlink-406-gps-personal-locator-beacon

should take you to a PLB they currently sell for $280. If you aren't a member of REI, that will set you back another $20. Add shipping costs and Bob's your uncle (as they say in Britain). I bought my McMurdo FastFind from them, but their website no longer lists it.

Wow! Thanks for the Link.
J.

First, find out about cell phone coverage in the area you'll be in. Out here in the west, there are vast areas with no coverage--I often lose coverage quite a while before I reach the trailhead on the way in. However, I understand that back east there are very few areas that don't have coverage at least for texting even if not for talking. It might be that your cell phone is sufficient.

When I googled there was a McMurdo Fastfind listed in the upper $200's. I didn't check to see if the firm had it in stock. I strongly suspect that one of the newer small ACR units would be better. My Fastfind was the latest and greatest 2 1/2 years ago, but in terms of electronic devices, that's almost ancient history!

I had no coverage with AT&T there earlier this year. I don't know about other carriers, though. Verizon seems to be better in rural areas.

In where? O.P. lives in SoCal, but that's a pretty broad locale! On the PCT I had better overall cell reception in SoCal than in most "remote" places that I've hiked.

Of course this is going to vary a lot by the specific hiking trip. Also by what sort of situation you're trying to protect against, i.e., balancing incremental increase in communication against weight carried, cost, and perhaps "fiddle factor" of having to mess with such a thing.

Unless hiking in a virtually urban setting, I don't think that a person can rely on a cell phone for the situation where they're on relatively low ground, alone, and injured. If you just want the option of a hiking partner or a healthy you to hike to high ground and make a call, then a cell phone in some significant chunks of SoCal might not be a bad risk/reward trade-off?

My response about the cell phone was specifically to jbylake, who is in Kentucky. I responded to the OP earlier.

Perhaps ironically, I had better backcountry reception with my last analog phone than with my subsequence fancypants digiphones. I could frequently climb and ridge or peak and snag a signal. Today, in the central and northern Sierra Nevada, Verizon digital coverage is poor. ATT is much worse, but that's a little like comparing a sock with seventeen holes in it to no sock at all.

Places I do get coverage seem to be within line of sight of either the Tahoe basin or the I-80 corridor. Anywhere else requires some sort of act of god, and must be celebrated with hosannahs and a burnt offering--a sketchy proposition during fire restrictions.

i.e., smartphones are fine for the smarty features but as communication devices with civilization, are pretty much dead weight. And bigger smartphones are a surprising amount of weight.

Cheers,

You can rent satphones online from several places-here are a couple-
https://www.satellitephonestore.com/rent/
http://www.allroadsat.com/?gclid=CImnrLWBu7MCFYN_QgodFxAAnw
http://www.mobal.com/satellite-phone-rental/

Not necessarily cheap, but cheaper than buying and far better chance of coverage than with a cell phone.
On the other hand, a PLB is a one time purchase.
BTW, I made the mistake of making a pay phone call from the ski lodge at Badger Pass in Yosemite. A five minute call cost me $20. There is cel coverage in the Valley, but not once you leave the Valley, at least there was none a couple of years ago. It may be better now.

Hey, those pigeons cost real money, nomsyn?

Cheers,

Sorry, should have made it clear I was responding to jbylake.

The cell tower on Glacier Point gives ATT and Verizon phones good coverage in the valley and on the tops of high points along the Merced River, ie Half Dome, Clouds Rest, Moraine Dome...

The cell tower near the ranger station in Tuolumne Meadows is attached to a land line that's run all the way down to the valley floor, and it works, sort of. A few bars here and there. I was sleeping in a hammock in the campground when I got a SAR callout at 2 am, after not having any service most of the day.

I too got hit with outrageous pay phone costs- Tuolumne store and Devils Postpile. I would look into getting a pre-paid phone card.

Not even sure those would work. The only way I could make a call from Badger Pass was operator assisted because of the way the concession worked. Hopefully, it is different now.