Bandido243 Report post Posted June 13, 2013 A while back I saw something about emergency radio/locator/beacons type stuff. Anyone have any info/experience? Thank you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huntjunkie Report post Posted June 13, 2013 Personal Locator Beacons(PLB) there are a variety of devices. If I go alone for long periods of time in the back country alone I rent a SAT phone. Can be pricey but my wife likes knowing I'm ok. Here's a good link to get started. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Personal-Locator-Beacon-Buyers-Guide/533046.uts 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThomC Report post Posted June 13, 2013 I met a guy at the turkey camp that had one that you had to pay so much a month for. The little gadget could send a message to his wifes computor . ??????? Just Bing it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowhuntaz1 Report post Posted June 13, 2013 I met a guy at the turkey camp that had one that you had to pay so much a month for. The little gadget could send a message to his wifes computor . ??????? Just Bing it. I thing you are thinking of the SPOT Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Weston Report post Posted June 13, 2013 I recently got a SPOT connect, it basically pairs with your smartphone via blue tooth and turns your phone into a one way satellite communicator, the pairing is decent at best and sometimes it takes awhile, however when paired you can send pre canned texts (customizable at home) for free or type personalized messages for 50 cents each, it is very slow to send but is a nice thing to have if youre running late or even coming home early and out of cell range. The service is 100$ per year which to me is totally worth the extra piece of mind knowing that if needed I can hit the help button (which a phone does not need to be paired with to work) and Search and Rescue will be dispatched to my location. I have not had too much time to play with all of the features of the SPOT connect yet but so far I'm fairly pleased with it with the exception of the difficulty to pair with my iphone on occasion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted June 15, 2013 I recommend the SPOT units....there are two main types, the stand alone version and the spot connect that pairs with smartphone. I have used both and I got my units from sponsor Santana Outdoors. I recommend you call Santana Outdoors and ask them about the units as they use them as well. The spot units are great because you can send "I'm OK" messages to your loved ones by text or email. And if you need emergency medical help, you just hit the SOS button and they will send medical professionals to your location. You can buy some insurance to pay for the helicopter rescue costs. It's very inexpensive and I think it gives you 50,000 in coverage. http://www.santanaoutdoors.com/servlet/StoreFront Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bandido243 Report post Posted June 19, 2013 Thank you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Curtis Reed Report post Posted September 21, 2013 I was also in the market for a PLB, but I couldnt ignore the fact that the Spot got so many terrible reviews (read them on Amazon). The signal that the Spot puts out is very low and frankly, I would not trust it in a life or death situation. I ended up buying the ACR ResQLink which is a 406 MHz beacon that you have to register with the NOAA. They are more expensve (Around $269 on Amazon) but there is NO monthly subscription fees. However, there is an OPTION for subscription. If you want to send generic text messages to family that you are ok, then the ResQLink is not the best option. However, if you are in a emergency situation and all you care about is getting out alive, there is no better option than the ResQLink. It was backpacker magazines top choice and won the editors award. If you use the ResQLink to get rescued, ACR will give you a new one free. ResQLink uses 5 watts to transmit compared to the Spot that uses only 0.4 Watts (12X stronger signal). It uses both GPS Government/Military Satellites and a distress signal. In their testing the Spot only successfully transmitted 70% of the time. Sorry, that is not good enough for me. Best peace of mind that you can buy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C7UiFe_hRk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KNMj53YgDs http://www.acrartex.com/landing/resqlink-resqlinkplus-personal-locator-beacons/ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
