Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)

[Odd Man Out]

...I wish someone would design a GPS unit with a built in PLB, SPOT or InReach capabilities!

I have looked into these. Don't yet have one. From what I can tell the PLB, SPOT, and InReach will transmit your GPS coordinates to rescuers and/or folks at home, but won't give them to you. Is that correct? To me that seems very odd as it would be trivial to build into such units. Mostly what I would want from a GPS device is my location. Navigation I would rather do with map and compass. I guess I too am waiting for one device that could do everything I need.

BTW, not sure it was made clear, but another difference between the PLB and the SPOT/InReach option is that with the PLB there is not fee for service plans. Once you buy the unit, it is always ready to use with no additional costs. Also, the manufacturer says that if you ever have to use your PLB for a rescue, it will be replaced free of charge.

[bfayer]

I've thought of sat phones but the cost and weight have kept me away so far. My guess is that in ten years there will be sat equipped devices that resemble today's smart phones and service costs will be way, way down. One reason I haven't purchased a Spot or InReach is how archaic those devices are compared to even low end smart phones. The technology is there but the niche market probably makes the idea less than attractive for larger players, but that will change in time.

The next gen is space based WIFI. They are working on launching the satellites now. If it actually works there will be low cost WIFI internet access worldwide. That should do to Sat Phone costs what VOIP did to land line long distance. But not today, today we are stuck with what we have. I do see more movement in the sat based text messaging world however, and that should drive down the costs a little.

[Capt Nat]

I turn my SPOT on twice a day just long enough to send the "I'm OK" message. My batteries last for months. I quit using the tracking function because it ate batteries quickly.
My wife wouldn't let me do the things I do if I didn't have the SPOT...

[brencass]

Saw an excellent side-by-side comparison here: http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Person...Beacon-Reviews

[Shutterbug]

PLBs are not "Vietnam war era" in any way shape or form. You need to do a little more research before posting stuff like that.

The only thing they had in Vietnam is 121.5/243 short range beacons with pitiful batteries that weighed a ton. Have you ever tried to DF a 121.5 beacon or EPIRB? If you have you would not compare it to a modern PLB.

PLBs today are 406 MHz SARSAT with built in GPS (GPS did not exist in Vietnam) and about as small a deck of cards. You might as well say cell phones are Vietnam era because they had walkie-talkies and repeaters back then.

A PLB is received by government agencies on government owned equipment. The InReach goes through commercial equipment and is monitored by minimum wage folks that worked at a collection agency the week before.

The InReach and the Spot are not PLBs and even with the InReachs Two way texting, I would never trust my life to one...EVER. Using an InReach over a PLB is like calling your home alarm company instead of 911. Who would you trust to save your life?

They are cool for keeping your friends and family from worrying, and the SOS is good to have ( better than nothing) but they are not something to trust your safety with.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Ok, perhaps I should have said "concept" rather than "technology." The modern PLB is has better technology than the one I wore when I flew more than 200 combat missions in Vietnam, but the concept is still the same. A PLB allows only one type of communication, a signal asking for rescue. Based on my own experience, it would take a dire situation for me to ever use it.

The concept of the Delorme InReach is much more modern. Being able to communicate a different message in different circumstances is a good thing. Flexibility is good.

If I were sill a combat pilot, I would probably carry both.

Let me provide a real life example of the difference between the devices. I was hiking the Wonderland Trail when one of my boots blew out. I could not continue the hike without replacing the boot. My life was not in danger, but my hike was. If I had a PLB, it would have been useless because my life was not at risk. With my InReach I was able to arrange for someone to bring me some boots.

[bamboo bob]

I hiked with people on the PCT who carried a SPOT, but I thought it was just extra weight. Certainly not for the AT. You'll be in towns or get cell signal enough to make it overkill. Even the CDT it's just weight if you have a cell phone. Unless you insist on calling home every single day. Maybe on bushwacking jaunts but on trails that get used at all in summer. Save the weight for more food.

[bfayer]

Ok, perhaps I should have said "concept" rather than "technology." The modern PLB is has better technology than the one I wore when I flew more than 200 combat missions in Vietnam, but the concept is still the same. A PLB allows only one type of communication, a signal asking for rescue. Based on my own experience, it would take a dire situation for me to ever use it.

The concept of the Delorme InReach is much more modern. Being able to communicate a different message in different circumstances is a good thing. Flexibility is a good.

If I were sill a combat pilot, I would probably carry both.

Shutterbug, I was rude in my post and I apologize. Yes PLBs are one-way, but in an emergency, that is all you need.

Personal messengers have their place and I love my Spot. But as I said earlier a personal messenger does not have the reliability or durability of a PLB. Being a pilot you understand what goes into certified lifesaving equipment. There is a world of difference between consumer electronics and certified lifesaving gear.

When people decide which one to buy, they need to understand the differences between them. The fact is a 406 PLB with embedded GPS is as state of the art as money can buy.

[Shutterbug]

I hiked with people on the PCT who carried a SPOT, but I thought it was just extra weight. Certainly not for the AT. You'll be in towns or get cell signal enough to make it overkill. Even the CDT it's just weight if you have a cell phone. Unless you insist on calling home every single day. Maybe on bushwacking jaunts but on trails that get used at all in summer. Save the weight for more food.

All of us are shaped by our own experiences. The reason I carry an InReach is a personal experience. I was hiking on the Wonderland Trail. I put too much weight on my hiking pole. The edge of the trail gave way and I fell over the edge and tumbled head over heels down a steep slope. My head came within inches of hitting a tree. Where I landed was out of sight from the trail. If my head had hit the tree, my body would probably still be there. At the time, I was carrying a sat phone. In that situation, it would have done me no good because one has to be conscious to use it.

I bought a Spot (InReach wasn't out yet) because of the tracking feature. If the family has to send out a search party, they will know where to search. I hike alone and don't always stay on the trails. In my opinion, one who hikes alone, does not stick to preplanned hiking routes and sometimes bushwhacks owes it to the Search & Rescue folks to have a device with a tracking feature.

Think how different the circumstances would have been if Inchworm had been carrying an InReach with the tracking feature turned on.

[Coffee]

The problem with keeping devices like the Spot or Inreach on all the time is battery life. I used the spot last year to send a couple messages a day and battery life was quite good. The inreach is supposed to be good as well used in that pattern and it kind of has to be given that it has an internal battery. So with my usage pattern, if I am unconscious, the device would do me no good anyway. With the spot I could choose to use tracking by carrying lots of spare batteries. With inreach SE, that isn't even an option. Yes, there are external battery packs but that more money and weight.

[Shutterbug]

The problem with keeping devices like the Spot or Inreach on all the time is battery life. I used the spot last year to send a couple messages a day and battery life was quite good. The inreach is supposed to be good as well used in that pattern and it kind of has to be given that it has an internal battery. So with my usage pattern, if I am unconscious, the device would do me no good anyway. With the spot I could choose to use tracking by carrying lots of spare batteries. With inreach SE, that isn't even an option. Yes, there are external battery packs but that more money and weight.

My InReach does not have "internal battery." Two AA Lithium Ion Batteries last about four days with the tracking feature turned on for 10 hours a day. I did a three day hike last week (35 miles). I put in a fresh set of batteries before the hike and didn't need to change them.

I am not an advocate for thru hikers using a tracking communicator for the length of the AT. The OP said he was more than 50 years old (still a youngster to me) and often hikes alone.

[Odd Man Out]

Was reading some more on-line. Not sure these options were mentioned yet. There is a PLB that has a GPS output on the device that will display your location to you during a self test. This would be useful if you are lost. It is not for routine tracking as you can only do it about 60 times before the feature is disabled automatically to preserve the battery for emergency use.

http://www.acrartex.com/products/cat.../#tab-moreinfo

Also, there is a subscription service (60$/year) that allows your PLB to be used to send non-emergency messages to 5 e-mail/phones. The generic "I'm OK" message and be sent a few hundred times. If you also capture and send a GPS location with your message, you can't do it as often (30 to 60 times). Although the emergency beacon works world wide, the subscription messaging feature only works in the Americas, the Atlantic (west of Africa), and the Pacific (east of Australia).

http://www.406link.com/how-it-works.aspx

[Coffee]

My InReach does not have "internal battery." Two AA Lithium Ion Batteries last about four days with the tracking feature turned on for 10 hours a day. I did a three day hike last week (35 miles). I put in a fresh set of batteries before the hike and didn't need to change them.

I am not an advocate for thru hikers using a tracking communicator for the length of the AT. The OP said he was more than 50 years old (still a youngster to me) and often hikes alone.

The new Inreach SE uses an internal lithium battery. That's the model I'm considering.

[CoffeeBager]

I have looked into these. Don't yet have one. From what I can tell the PLB, SPOT, and InReach will transmit your GPS coordinates to rescuers and/or folks at home, but won't give them to you. Is that correct? To me that seems very odd as it would be trivial to build into such units. Mostly what I would want from a GPS device is my location. Navigation I would rather do with map and compass. I guess I too am waiting for one device that could do everything I need.

The inReach will give you your location. There's a "Location" function that shows your elevation and GPS coordinates as a function separate from the tracking function. You can send that info to others or just look at it on the screen for yourself. The Spot doesn't have this.

[CoffeeBager]

The problem with keeping devices like the Spot or Inreach on all the time is battery life. I used the spot last year to send a couple messages a day and battery life was quite good. The inreach is supposed to be good as well used in that pattern and it kind of has to be given that it has an internal battery. So with my usage pattern, if I am unconscious, the device would do me no good anyway.

I've only been using my inReach for a week, but I've done close to 50 miles (averaging 2 mph, so not fast miles) with tracking set to every 10 minutes, have been messing around with the messaging functions, and have kept the screen on at 100% brightness far longer than I would during a trip while testing out the functions, and it still has 75% of the initial charge. I have not paired it with my phone to use their app, and I'm sure that would use more battery, but so far, I'm impressed with the battery life. On the trail, I can cut the brightness down, limit the interval tracking to once per hour, or so, and save more battery time. So, you could change your usage pattern to have it track in such a way that would still help if you were unconscious as long as someone else was paying some attention to your track on the other end.

That tracking once per hour paired with a pre-set message to my husband that I've stopped for the evening will mean that he'll notice that something is wrong by sometime that night. I mostly got the device for his peace of mind, but now that I've used it some, I do think it can be one small tool to add to our other tools (knowledge, skills, good gear, etc.) for safely backpacking alone.

[rafe]

The AT gets enough traffic that you will have someone coming along pretty quickly in many seasons of the year, but I do carry a PLB when hiking solo on trails that are not as well trafficked as the AT. I have an ACR PLB; there are some lighter ones out there you could look at. I like the ACR because there are no ongoing expenses after the purchase.

I've often gone 2, even 3 days on the trail without seeing another soul. I'm not saying that as an argument for or against using a locator device -- I personally don't.

[Shutterbug]

The inReach will give you your location. There's a "Location" function that shows your elevation and GPS coordinates as a function separate from the tracking function. You can send that info to others or just look at it on the screen for yourself. The Spot doesn't have this.

The inReach that I use pairs with my IPhone. It provides complete location information -- everything a gps unit provides.

[Odd Man Out]

The inReach will give you your location. There's a "Location" function that shows your elevation and GPS coordinates as a function separate from the tracking function. You can send that info to others or just look at it on the screen for yourself. The Spot doesn't have this.

Thanks - that's good to know.

[Wise Old Owl]

I looked into the InReach service fees - can someone help me understand how much annually?

[colorado_rob]

Thanks - that's good to know.

It might be good to know, but it is also incorrect. Both yourself and your loved ones can get your GPS coordinates from a spot as well.

[Shutterbug]

I looked into the InReach service fees - can someone help me understand how much annually?

Delorme has several different options. The plan I use is $30.23 a month -- $362.76 a year.