Do any of you carry a PLB?

[4shot]

I am a solo backpacker typically. Much of my time is spent in the southern mountains. Places with little to no foot traffic and/or cell service. I have debated the pros/cons of carrying one over the years but am getting ready for an upcoming trip. I am leaning towards carrying one going forward but my biggest concern is this -do these things work under the forest canopy? Or do you have to have open access to the sky? I am not near any type of retailer to go see and discuss so I am seeking info here. The stuff I have read elsewhere has mixed opinions on this. (Hard to believe that on the internet, right? ) Thanks in advance.

[ADK Walker]

Might not be the conclusive answer you are looking for but I sent a text message out yesterday with my inReach while under moderate canopy on the side of a mountain and it went thru no problem. Received a response back very quickly as well.

[Venchka]

Me! Me!
A real PLB. Single function. SOS.
ACR ResQ Link+. It rides on my pack’ shoulder strap. Always at hand.
https://www.acrartex.com/products/ca....Oxq6xxfl.dpbs
Don’t leave home without it.
Wayne

[4shot]

Venchka - that is the one I have my eye on. Do you have any thoughts on the reliability of these devices when under trees and the typical southern forest canopy?

[reppans]

I use an Inreach in the Northeast, mostly Catskills and Green Mountains - half the year there's thick canopy and it's not really a problem. If anything, it takes time when deep in a valley. Two way comms is must for me, but it costs more.

[Venchka]

Venchka - that is the one I have my eye on. Do you have any thoughts on the reliability of these devices when under trees and the typical southern forest canopy?

I’ve never used mine. I hope I never have to use it.
That said, these devices are part of a very mature and proven GLOBAL system. Marine, aviation and individuals have been using this technology for decades.
I trust the 5 watt transmission power and 24 hour battery life to get the signal out. Come to think of it, I test mine every year in a mature forest in my backyard. So yes, it works in the woods.
That’s good enough for me.
Wayne

[peakbagger]

I carry a McMurdo Fast Find PLB as I bushwhack on occasion and cell coverage in Northern NH and western Maine is non existent or marginal at best in the valleys. I also maintain a section of the AT boundary in Maine with poor cell coverage so it my backup plan as it sends out my GPS coordinates. There was a high profile rescue on Mt Madison in the whites a few years ago where the GPS signal from the PLB had errors. The speculation was the user activated it way too late and didn't orient the antenna correctly. The Spot type units that use the Iridium network had a marginal reputation but Iridium is launching a new constellation of higher power satellites so the Iridium options are getting better.

I usually take it out of my pack if I am hiking on established trails.

[Another Kevin]

Rather than repeating myself: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...47#post1318047

[nsherry61]

. . . The Spot type units that use the Iridium network had a marginal reputation but Iridium is launching a new constellation of higher power satellites so the Iridium options are getting better. . .

Spot has had some marginal reputation, but they use the Globalstar satellites, not Iridium. Garmin InReach uses the Iridium constellation which has a better reputation for connecting with these low-power locator signals than Globalstar.

It would be interesting to compare the effectiveness of using a PLB with their more powerful one-way transmitters vs using something like the InReach that provides two-way communication and bread-crumb type tracking, albeit with a lower power transmitter. Personally, even with lower power and thus apparently lower connection reliability, I'd feel safer with two-way communication that works 99.9% of the time with several days of battery life (and rechargeability) vs the one-way communication and transmission life limitations of the more powerful PLBs.

[4shot]

I use an Inreach in the Northeast, mostly Catskills and Green Mountains - half the year there's thick canopy and it's not really a problem. If anything, it takes time when deep in a valley. Two way comms is must for me, but it costs more.

I am curious...what do you prefer and are willing to pay for the 2 way comms?

[MuddyWaters]

One of these.
Take sometimes, just depends.
download.jpeg

4oz
Always ready to go.
No worries.

[T.S.Kobzol]

I have a real plb but I don't carry it most of the time. Only on some types of trips like sea kayaking trips into sketchy locations and conditions or on trips like winter traverse of Baxter State Park. I did the traverse twice this past winter. There are long sections without reliable cell signal or where I wouldn't want to get caught in deep cold with cell phone battery depleted.


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[Sarcasm the elf]

I have a real plb but I don't carry it most of the time. Only on some types of trips like sea kayaking trips into sketchy locations and conditions or on trips like my winter traverse of Baxter State Park. I did the traverse twice this past winter.


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Now you’re just bragging.

[T.S.Kobzol]

Caught red handed


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[Tundracamper]

Me! Me!
A real PLB. Single function. SOS.
ACR ResQ Link+. It rides on my pack’ shoulder strap. Always at hand.
https://www.acrartex.com/products/ca....Oxq6xxfl.dpbs
Don’t leave home without it.
Wayne

+1. I did some research and decided my family would be more comfortable if I had a device that was designed for emergency use (PLB) and had a higher broadcast power. I think having a communication device that may or may not work would actually make them worry more when they didn't hear anything and were expecting to.

[TexasBob]

+1. I did some research and decided my family would be more comfortable if I had a device that was designed for emergency use (PLB) and had a higher broadcast power. I think having a communication device that may or may not work would actually make them worry more when they didn't hear anything and were expecting to.

Same here. Don't care about two way communication as I only intend to use it in an emergency and then a PLB is probably more reliable than a SPOT or Inreach.

[nsherry61]

. . . in an emergency and then a PLB is probably more reliable than a SPOT or Inreach.

But are they?

I heard of a PLB rescue response where once it was activated, the battery ran out before the rescuers arrived and they had a hard time further pinpointing the injured person because of the lost signal in confusing topography where the initial location information wasn't accurate enough on its own.

Yes, there is a scattering of documented cases (a few, not many) of the Spot not making a connection. Almost all with earlier versions of the Spot and possibly in earlier times with fewer and/or older satellites in the Globalstar constellation.

Even more to the point (since the Iridium constellation is more reliable that Globalstar), can anyone say the same with any well documented examples of the current model of an InReach failing to communicate?

Failure of a current model Spot, and especially failure of a current model InReach are extremely rare. To suggest that they "may or may not work" is a significant exageration made by TundraCamper. A PLB may or may not work also. Heck, ever time you put the brakes on in your car, they may or may not work . . . but really, all these are pretty darn reliable and all of them are very specifically designed for emergencies. So again TundraCamper, to suggest that the PLBs are designed for emergencies as if the Spot and InReach are not is patently false.

I suspect a PLB is more reliable than a Sport or InReach. But, how nice would it be for your family to get a text message saying your got lost and will be home a day late, don't worry. Or, how nice would it be if you could communicate with rescuers in an emergency and speed up a rescue operation, with more information, or know whether help will arrive in 6 hours or two days?

[cmoulder]

I suspect a PLB is more reliable than a Sport or InReach. But, how nice would it be for your family to get a text message saying your got lost and will be home a day late, don't worry. Or, how nice would it be if you could communicate with rescuers in an emergency and speed up a rescue operation, with more information, or know whether help will arrive in 6 hours or two days?

I agree. I hate to have to carry the darn thing, but my wife needs those couple of daily check-ins and if she misses one she starts immediately thinking about calling the Cavalry, and if she misses 2 she goes straight to DEFCON ONE. Thankfully she's happy with the pre-set messages and 2-way is possible if the SHTF for real.

And yes I remember ye olde dayes with much wandering around the winter Whites with no cellphone and no GPS and it was great being truly off the grid for a few days or more. However the genie is out of the bottle and things are different these days.

[Time Zone]

I am a solo backpacker typically. Much of my time is spent in the southern mountains. Places with little to no foot traffic and/or cell service. I have debated the pros/cons of carrying one over the years but am getting ready for an upcoming trip. I am leaning towards carrying one going forward but my biggest concern is this -do these things work under the forest canopy? Or do you have to have open access to the sky? I am not near any type of retailer to go see and discuss so I am seeking info here. The stuff I have read elsewhere has mixed opinions on this. (Hard to believe that on the internet, right? ) Thanks in advance.

4shot: I am also in TN, and most of my hiking is in TN or WNC. I do carry a PLB, the ACR ResQLink Plus, when hiking in remote areas (solo, sometimes even with a partner, if the area is unfamiliar). I sometimes carry it solo in less remote areas where there may be few if any hikers for the day ... depends on whether I could get a cell phone signal or not. If there will be other people on the trail or within earshot (of a whistle, say), I won't carry it.

To answer your question w/r/t the model I carry, it does require a clear view to the sky. I can't speak for SPOT or the other types of trackers/PLBs.

Another Kevin's linked post is excellent, addressing the key considerations when choosing whether to carry one, and if so, which kind. I'll just say that I chose mine for a couple reasons: 1) maximum chance that signal will get out when needed, and 2) lower total cost of ownership over time versus subscription-based services.

Not sure where you are in TN, but there are REI locations in Brentwood (Nashville), Knoxville, and now Chattanooga, if not Memphis too. I bought mine online (from REI), however, so I had not seen it in person. The model I have has a form factor like an oversized flip phone, though it does not open up. It weighs 5.4 oz. You can test it on a regular basis without activating it.

[Another Kevin]

Rather than repeating myself: https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthr...47#post1318047

And now that I'm posting from a real keyboard rather than my phone:

There's been once since that 2012 post that I've seriously thought about lighting my PLB. I fell and sprained a knee about 25 miles into a 40-mile roadless section of the Northville-Placid Trail. Before I hit the button, I said to myself, "what are the rangers going to do if they come for me? Probably they'll wrap an Ace bandage on it, fill me with painkillers, and walk me out. I can do that." The next day-and-a-half was No Fun, but I managed to hobble the remaining 15 miles. It was a couple of months before I could hike again.

I think that demonstrates responsible (non-)use of a PLB. I still carry the thing when solo, or in deep winter, or on bushwhacks.