Emergency Communications - What do you use? (SPOT, inReach, Etc.)

Had an incident come up over the weekend that could have been very bad. Mother Nature took it easy this time. It was a great reminder to A) do less solo trips and B) carry emergency communications if I'm in the mountains (especially alone).

What is everyone using for emergency communications?

Update: Have a used SPOT coming from a friend. Studying up on the radio too

 

HAM with license, repeater book, etc. and know how to use it. Secondly an inReach explorer + for GPS location and SOS. All of the fancy gadgets in the world won’t help though, unless you know how to use them.

 

I definitely need to get familiar with my commercial VHF/UHF radio

 

@smslavin - what do you take with you in the backcountry?

 

@GodlessPro rented out a spot on our Death Valley trip.

Have you seen this?
https://www.weboost.com/products/drive4g-x-otr

Kris runs it @Spvrtan i believe.

 

Yep. My wife appreciated the tracking feature. Luckily we didn't have to test the actual emergency response part. And you can turn it off while you are contemplating taking the detour to Las Vegas.

 

I use a Garmin inReach Explorer+ for backcountry communication and mild emergencies like a disabled vehicle.

I also have a ACR PLB-375 ResQLink+ 406 for life and death emergencies.

I have a ham also, but thats just for trail comms. Ham is not a good tool for true emergencies.

 

How does the Garmin work? Let's say your 100% stuck (flip a truck or something) out in the wild

 

They both have their pros and cons, thats why I have two:

Garmin: Useful for texting friends and family. Mild emergencies like disabled vehicle are good too because you can have a friend try to figure out how to help you. In an emergency situation, you can also inform the first responder of the nature of your emergency. For example, if you are trapped by a wildfire, that might require a different response team versus someone broken up from a truck rolling downhill. The problem with the garmin is that it uses a private network and from what I have read its not as reliable as the NOAA network. I have had many messages that couldn't get out because of a couple trees or mild clouds.

ACR: This is a rip cord. Use it only in extreme life or death emergencies. It will send a signal to the NOAA network and Langley will be notified of your identity and location. It will also emit a radio signal at 121.5 MHz for 24 hours so they can zero in on your location when they are close. You will not be able to tell them the nature of your emergency so they will send in the whole cattle cart. Be prepared for a large rescue bill if you are in an inaccessible location.

 

My wife bought me a Garmin InReach for Christmas but I returned it.

 

wth kind of post is that???

You gonna tell us why you returned it??

 

Haha Just not something I see myself ever using or needing out in the backcountry. It was a peace of mind thing for her when I am out by myself.

 

LOL you don't care about her piece of mind

 

Very good info! Thank you for posting up

 

@Bailey So what was the situation that came up if you don't mind sharing. Always curious to see situations where Emergency comms would be needed and how it was or could have been handled. I have been wheeling and hiking in the deserts/mountains for the last 20yrs and have not had and incident where I ever needed assistance. Probably why I see no need for the special gadgets they have out.

 

Minor rock fall come down onto the truck. Got the bed side, shell, roof, hood, and fender. It sounded like bombs going off. Boulders would have pushed me off the shelf road and down a cliff.

 

So how did the rocks fall? Was it just natural fall or caused by someone/something? Were you stopped and in the truck or driving along?

 

I've had to have spot's and InReach's on me for work before - definitely prefer the InReach. The ability to control the unit either from a phone or the unit itself is a big plus and the texting works nice.

 

Mother Nature. The ground was a little saturated from the rains the night before. I was going maybe 1-2mph along a narrow shelf road at 11,000'

 

Good to know - right now I'm trying to decide which one would be best. The inReach is where I'm leaning

 

dude you're crazy. I've never had to put out a fire but I still have fire extinguishers on both levels of my home and two on my truck; inside cab and on the bed

 

A booster is something I've considered, but not for emergencies. Mostly for working remotely in the mountains

 

Problem with boosters is that it needs to be able to pick up a signal to boost. So while they are awesome to have, they're not on the reliability level that the satellite communications are. I do however 1000% recommend them for those who work in areas of spotty signal.

 

spot + a yaesu ft-270 with a diamond srhf 40 antenna. gives the radio a little extra range. i picked up this harness for the spot and it fits perfectly on my backpack strap.

 

I got the inReach on the group buy on here. Thought it was kind of neat, but it doubles as a GPS device for my ipad. The earthmate app it links to is actually really nice. It has mapping abilities, Topo, street, etc, but it also pings a GPS and does tracking of a route. My understanding is that you can also do route planning, but I haven't tried that yet. Since it supplies a GPS signal to my ipad, I also use the Gaia app for route/trip planning.

In regards to emergency, its just another measure. I agree with @osidepunker that if it's life or death, it's not the best option. Being able to communicate with the first responders is nice though, it gives them an idea of what is going on at the scene. Also, being able to text back to your family/friends is a great option. Both my wife and I's parents are worriers, so the fact that we can ping them an auto message to say we are OK and provide location for them is ideal. I definitely don't regret purchasing it.

In regards to my comment for HAM, its to be used as an additional measure. If you have the repeaterbook app, jump on a repeater and have a 50-100watt radio, you can reach hundreds of miles. Again, not for life or death situations, but its better than a cell phone without service or a race radio.

If you want life or death, there are other no questions asked, seal team 6 parachuting out of an airplane type of options. I generally don't go out exploring alone and always have 2 cell phones with different service providers, along with a HAM, repeater book app, and the inReach Explorer +.

That's just me though.

 

@Bailey, i would also suggest getting a CORSAR card.

 

I carry a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) which is basically a small EPIRB, think offshore boats. The reason I own one and have for years is for both boating offshore and duck hunting. I have been thinking about a satellite communication device for "check-in" but have not pulled the trigger yet. However, it will never replace my PLB. In a true life or death emergency I like the idea of a single purpose item with a sealed single use battery. That said, I carry enough supplies and equipment that a stranding is nothing more than an unplanned camping trip.

 

Just picked up a 5year card

 

This what I carry. I keep it in a tiny Pelican Case to keep it protected.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/acr-...93_S5moCpksuYJiVTkcV4q4FS9Z0-1ORoCqoAQAvD_BwE