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

Not saying I don't need it but I like to hear when others need it and the situation they were in to use it. Just hard to justify since I haven't had a need for one. But them again I didn't need two spares until I did. Haha. Haven't needed a winch or max tracs yet either.

 

Ive used Spot and Inreach. I much prefer the Inreach due to coverage, features and subscription options.

I use it in the truck and on my body when doing back country rides on the bike. One ride was 7 days in the Canadian Rockies with zero cell coverage and never had an issue checking in to civilization. With the tracking feature if I crashed my brains out and turned into bear food anyone could see exactly where the bear crapped me out without anyone having to hit a button.

 

how about iridium sat phone with a card for when you need it ?

https://www.iridium.com/products/iridium-connected-not-stranded-campaign-bundle/

 

Had a SPOT which I bought on a whim. Never had to use it but sold it after coming across many issues with them in my research. (coverage, subscription and non-response). A 15min internet search will reveal why InReach, despite it's higher cost, is vastly superior. When I get another emergency message unit, it'll be an InReach. The 2 way messaging is invaluable even for non-emergencies.

I also carry a Baofeng UV5-R radio. More as a road radio for the haul roads so I don't get run over by a logging or mine truck. It could also be used for emergency comms if required.

 

Haven't really looked into them due to price

 

One of these is bound to get through....



There's a VHF/UHF dual band with crossband Repeater & APRS.
And a HF/VHF/UHF all band all mode, with a multiband HF antenna on the back. I've talked to Moscow Russia from Austin Texas with this setup. In addition to all over the United States... Most of the people I've talked to are within inches of a working telephone.

 

A quote from a book I read earlier this year while writing curriculum for an Emergency Communications Class that relates to exactly what you're saying...

"These aren't tools you can pick up and use intelligently without some serious practice first. Not only do you need to know how and when to use them, you need to learn their limitations. Doing otherwise is sort of like planning to hunt deer with a 9mm pistol. Sure if you're really really lucky you might be able to pull it off, but the odds are against you."

 

mobile ham is useless if you get out of your truck and go for a hike or take a dump in the woods. You can carry a handheld, but now your range is limited.

Also, the last thing I want to do after I crash my truck and I have a couple ribs poking out, maybe my arms are twisted into pretzel knots, is to start fckng around with dialing in a freq and reaching out to someone then confirming help is on the way etc etc

I just want to push a button and know that help is scrambling and on the way. The new ACR can be activated with one hand. You know, in case you only have one hand left after whatever terrible accident just occurred. I'm not trying to be all doom and gloom, but I have first hand experience with a major injury on the trail. I broke my C7 in my neck, and my collar bone into 3 pieces and I had to walk 1.5 miles to find help.

Ham is not the best tool for a real backcountry emergency.

 

This isn't entirely true at all. Depending on your equipment choices, and prior proper planning Ham Radio could be as effective as a cell phone even while out of the truck on a hike.

I'm not saying a Spot or similar device isn't a great, The $#!! just hit the fan tool for a back country emergency. But not all emergencies are created equal either are they. A broken drive shaft doesn't necessitate sending a search and rescue team to your location, but it sure would be nice to be able to call for help, possibly find someone in a town somewhere that could perhaps secure and bring the things you need.

I agree Ham Radio is not the ONLY tool needed for a backcountry emergency. But I also won't advocate for a satellite based, push a button and it calls SAR as the "BEST tool for a real backcountry emergency" either. Not all emergencies are created equal, and no one tool will solve for all of them.

 

HAHA like I said, that why I carry BOTH an in-reach and a PLB

As far as I'm concerned, ham is seriously outdated tech and only good for replacing CB. But you do you homie

 

Ham is more helpful than you realize - with APRS you can share your position to the web via repeaters. If you look at the repeater map there are hundreds around. We did a trip to the North Rim once and were talking to people in Vegas and able to share or camp location. Each area has emergency search and rescue freq you can also hit. I listen to my local fire, police and Swat channels sometimes to get info on whats going on. I could technically talk to them if it were an emergency. We just don't use it to its full potential but it can be useful since SAR and Local law enforcement use these freq to communicate on a daily basis. I wouldn't call it outdated just that we don't use the full potential. However your range is limited inside canyons and other areas so it can be difficult to reach out and shouldn't be the only means of communication if you feel the need to have a way to communicate in every situation. Even inReach and PLB can have troubles getting out if you were inside a slot canyon or something and no good view of the sky.

Here is what is in Death Valley:
Public Safety
1) Death Valley NPS 170.100
2) Inyo Sheriff 154.725
3) Inyo Fire 153.875
4) Mono Sheriff 154.800
5) Mono Fire 153.860
6) CHP Gold 42.120

Amateur Death Valley
Mount Potosi 146.880 - 100.0
Table Mtn 145.280 - 131.8
Table Mtn 447.200 - 94.8

Misc.
Furance Creek Lodge 151.835
Xanterra Resorts 461.025
Airport 122.900

Here is a map of Cal repeaters:

 

LOL says the guy I have to transmit to twice just so he can hear me

 

https://www.breitling.com/us-en/emergency/

 

Funny you say that because I have been out with others and never have that problem. They even replaced my radio and it only seems to happen with you. I don't know why it does that but I think I finally found another radio that might work for my mounting requirements and will give that one a try.

 

Thats pretty badazz!!!

 

I thought we duplicated the problem with other radios while we were on our runs?

 

No we tested with your handheld and something wasn't right either. Sometimes mine would receive when it wouldn't and then just the opposite. I am just gonna replace everything and do a hard mount antenna if I can find a spot to mount one. Like the mag mount cause then I can still get in the garage.

 

I'm pretty sure there were other guys complaining that you weren't picking them up

 

True but it seems to only happen after you transmit then I can't hear them either- like your radio is taking over. lol If you didn't transmit I could hear them fine all day long. I tested it with my handheld so I could figure out when it wasn't receiving.

 

$4505 - $18695 I'm going to have a hard time choosing which one I'm not going to buy. Very cool.

 

I think only the $16k+ Emergency versions have that 'come get my broken ass' functionality.

 

Oh, I misunderstood the site. That makes my decision easier.

 

It confused me at first too. Sneaky sneaky.

 

Well... $200 of that is the watch, so you're actually only paying $18,495

 

If Garmin could shrink the inReach Mini down to a watch it would be interesting. Cost might still be prohibitive, for me, but I would put it on my wish list.

 

I used APRS in the RimRocker trail. My wife followed our progress and sent me a digital message over APRS when we stopped to camp.

https://w9zeb.org/overland-mapping-ham-radio/

 

I had to look that up, I didn't know they had a "mini" unit, pretty cool. My only fear with the small units like that is when other people find you and don't see it and/or know what it is. I know a couple of folks that got their bell rung hard enough that they had no clue where they were or even realize they needed to hit the button, so others saw the unit and did it for them.

I like the idea of HAM etc, but what if you're not in your truck, lose power or say you do a short hike, fall down etc etc.

To the OP, the definition of "Emergency" is really key here, one persons emergency is an others inconvenience.

One thing people don't think about either, is the need to help others. I have first hand experience of having to hit my own button for someone else, came across a really bad accident in the middle of BFE, nobody around, no cell service etc. That's a really good thing about the InReach, you hit the SOS and you're able to communicate with GEOS about the situation so they can send the right resources out of the gate. It works, full stop.

 

The MicroTrak AIO is a cool idea. Slightly above an impulse buy price, but before the next BASTRDS expedition I might go for it. I previously messed around with using a TinyTrack with a Baofeng and aprsdroid.
BTW, I like your website. Bookmarked for future reference.

 

After I move, I'll work on a lot more content. We're moving at the end of October into a new house which will make setting up some of my radio related projects a little easier.
I'm working on making this more portable: ,

Setting a station up like this at "camp" and then handing an APRS Droid + Baofeng out to each driver would make tracking each truck in a group a lot easier. Only only licensed ham required since APRS stations are considered "Automatic Control."

 

I just got my 2018 Tundra and I am trying to figure out the best way to mount my IC-706MKIIg and my TYT TH-9800. I think I have the heads and bodies figured out, but the antennas are driving me nuts. Where/how did you mount yours? What antennas are you running? I've got the Comet UHV-4 for the TYT and the Comet UHV-6 for the 706.

Thanks, 73

N4VDR