Two words: High Explosives!
1/4 lb of C4 in each of the pockets of the leader, then name the crater after him/her.
A friend once said: "All problems can be solved with enough C4, If the problem isn't solved, you didn't use enough C4!"
Yea, I got weird friends,,,, yet almost no "Normal" friends. I wonder why that is.
Curse you Perry the Platypus!
I get angry when I read about people being charged for rescues who never asked to be rescued, but these idiots called out for help. Charge them the cost plus a 500% fine and make them watch C-SPAN for a week.
These guys should be pummeled. If someone needs help, I'll help them any time I can, but when somebody goes out and causes themselves trouble like this...egads!
I don't carry anything but a little cell phone for checking in with the wife once every other day or so, and then it's a 2 minute call to tell her I'm alive and I cut it off. I would be so humiliated to call for help. I'd pretty much have to have a compound fracture or a rattlesnake bite. What a bunch of babies we've become.
Lemni Skate away
The trail will save my life
They must have hit the 911 button 3 times. HItting the help button doesn't connect to the GEOS center. Of course that doesn't excuse stupid people. Just a little observation.
How easy is it too accidently push that button. If my cell phone were an emergency device I'd have incurred a few false alarms myself.
What about say an "alert tracking" button. Say your having trouble but not an an actual "emergency" ie you may be lost, cant find water, sprained ankle ect. That the "powers that be" can be alert that you are still moving, but matters may become worse for you. I do agree with everyone here that this is silly and when entering the back country you should know your limitations, and be well prepared.
Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.-John Muir
After the first "rescue" was refused SAR should have confiscated the SPOT. $25,000 x 4 (for four people) would buy it back.
If not NOW, then WHEN?
ME>GA 2006
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=3277
Instagram hiking photos: five.leafed.clover
The designers of the SPOT device forgot to account for one important element, human stupidly.
Accidentally hitting the "Help" or "911" button is one thing. As a rescuer, my response to "Oh, we are so sorry, totally accidental!" would be, "OK, but Don't let it happen again!" But these clowns did it ON PURPOSE, Three times! Without due cause! Future Darwin award winners I'm sure, sadly, they will likely take some rescuers with them. Bill Engval was wrong, it shouldn't be a sign, but a tattoo on the forehead: "STUPID"
The SPOT I saw (a VERY early model) had raised areas around the buttons, but a firm push with part of a sleeping bag would have activated it. My friend had taped coins over the buttons to prevent this from happening. The coins were easily pulled off IF he needed it.
Funny thing: his family was tracking his progress, but didn't have an AT map to compare with, he got to that stretch around Standing Indian Mt, where the AT goes South for quite a few miles, The family "Went Ballistic!" When he got to Franklin & checked in there were "Tons" of messages telling him he was going the wrong way.
Curse you Perry the Platypus!
I have last years model of the Spot. The buttons do take a firm push, and the 911 and Help buttons must be held in for a period of time (15-30 secs if I remember the manual correctly) My wife and I only use ours to keep the mother-in-law's happy, and my father likes tracking us on Google Maps. As far as the 'help' button going directly to a SAR office, since it was a rented unit they probably did not have any emergency contacts programmed into the unit so possibly as a default it may go to the GEOS office
Conquering the AT one weekend at a time!
You are correct. The media story is wrong. But the people are still stupid.
On my SPOT info page you can take a link to the False alarms with EPIRBs via the US Coast Guard. Stupid people are part of the cost of providing a signaling service such as SPOT. And SAR gets used to dealing with stupid people.
I have one and it resided in the small waistpack that had my camera, swiss army knife, current maps, snacks, sun block and lip gloss. I packed it in such a way that none of those items could poke any of its buttons. It was always turned OFF unless I was sending an OK message. In addition to having to be turned on (press and hold the ON button briefly), the 911 button has to be pressed and held and it is slightly recessed. I don't see how it could happen accidentally. The newer version, besides being a little lighter, has a different design for the 911 button that prevents an accidental activation.
These people in the Grand Canyon were self-centered idiots with no regard for the risk the rescuers took. Those helicopters could have crashed responding to their "calling wolf". Perhaps, the SPOT folks should have a little quiz to see if prospective clients can tell the difference between an inconvenience and an emergency.
I carried the original version of the SPOT on my PCT hike in '08. Due to family commitments, I started way early, April 3, sobo from Walker Pass and knew I'd see almost no one on the trail for 3 weeks into Cajon Pass. I mainly got it for peace of mind and to avoid having to cut off my arm if a boulder fell on me like happened to that guy in Utah. I also bought the rescue insurance that the SPOT folks offer at a discount with the unit. I'm glad to say I've never had to use it in an emergency, but my wife and kids did enjoy keeping track of my progress when I sent my daily "I'm OK and here's where I am" message. Now I'm debating whether I'll be carrying it on the CDT next year. It's heavy (8oz.) and the darn thing will tell everyone else where you are, but it doesn't have an LED display to tell you where you are. It certainly misses the boat on the ultralight philosophy (no dual purpose here).
I had a market research questionnaire from SPOT that showed a version with an LED display, but the 2nd generation which came out a few months ago didn't include it.
Handlebar
GA-ME 06; PCT 08; CDT 10,11,12; ALT 11; MSPA 12; CT 13; Sheltowee 14; AZT 14, 15; LT 15;FT 16;NCT-NY&PA 16; GET 17-18
"Imagine" not "imagin"
I've often wondered why it doesn't offer that as well. It doesn't need to store way-points, or have an arrow telling me where to go. Or support geocaching, just tell me where I am now using UTM coords would be great. Though, I guess, you'd have to specify datum? Or is UTM datum independent?
Yellow Jacket -- Words of Wisdom (tm) go here.
I agree with Marta.
I think they ought to have been fined, arrested or taken to the nearest ER as "protocol".
Uh, sorry if that was "inconvenient".
I know APRS (amateur radio) will track you, for anyone on APRS to see.
I think I recall that an iPhone GPS software app using Google maps will track you, for family.
The GPS Tracker app http://www.instamapper.com is one.
If someone activates the emergency beacon without having a bona fide emergency, they should be rendered in such a shape as to qualify for an emergency.
They should fine the hell out of them...I mean thousands of dollars. Someone who really needed help could have died because these people are idiots! Morons!
Agreed! Some people need constant supervision and should never be left alone with themselves. Now, thanks to technology, the bathroom light will always be on. Education and or fines should be the deterrent.
Birdog
Underestimation is the mother of all failure