Personal Locator Beacon- Who has one and which one is it?

Grant Lamontagne · **on:** January 13, 2018, 02:28:51 PM

Given some of my "off the beaten track" type adventures, and the spotty cellular coverage in some of them I have often considered getting a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) but I really don't have a lot of experience with them so I was hoping maybe folks here would have some info to share.

Yes, I have seen the Top Gear episode where Hammond was left for a week in the mountains of British Columbia with an overpriced watch beacon....

Are there any that don't require a monthly subscription fee? Any that are more rugged and/or waterproof than others? Any battery or other concerns that I should be aware of? Any regional issues?

I know very little about them and I'd really rather know some more before taking the plunge. I don't want to cheap out, but I also don't want to spend stupid money on one.

Def

styx · **Reply #1 on:** January 13, 2018, 03:14:15 PM

All I know is that one instructor by the name of Kevin Estela swears by the Micro PLB (and his much beloved SAK). I think that also has a yearly registration or something like that

BCNZ · **Reply #2 on:** January 14, 2018, 01:37:25 AM

We use an InReach at work (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5033-920/inReach-SE), and my friend brings a Garmin InReach when we're ski touring (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5053-916/inReach-Explorer%2B). They both work really good. I'm not sure of the costs involved though as I just use them and don't pay for them

.

ironraven · **Reply #3 on:** January 14, 2018, 06:53:31 AM

I haven't looked at PLBs in a loooong time. I will however point to equipped.org, both their main page and their forum. They used to be pretty up to date, and their founder, Doug Ritter is a big proponent of the technology.

Do not mention my name, might have dropped some thermite as I was going across that bridge for the last time and some of the mods might still remember me.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #4 on:** January 14, 2018, 10:41:49 PM

The InReach one seemed to be a bit pricey up front, but the service seems to be on par with the SPOT, which is a cheaper unit but doesn't have as many features. I think if that's the case, and the service is similar then I might as well go for the more featured InReach.

If the Spot's service was cheaper I'd probably do that.

Def

italophil · **Reply #5 on:** January 15, 2018, 12:02:25 AM

I own a mcmurdo fastfind 210. It cost about $150, no subscription required. It doesn’t have messaging or tracking. I never needed to use it, thank god.

MadPlumbarian · **Reply #6 on:** January 15, 2018, 12:20:34 AM

Oh gee, the wife would love something like this, she’s got something on each of the kids cell phones so if and when they step foot out that door she’ll know where they are! Bad thing is if their somewhere specific she’ll call and ask to pick something up if needed, like “hey your at the store right”? “Can you pick up a gal of milk?”
JR

David Bowen · **Reply #7 on:** January 15, 2018, 12:37:17 AM

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on January 13, 2018, 02:28:51 PM

Given some of my "off the beaten track" type adventures, and the spotty cellular coverage in some of them I have often considered getting a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) but I really don't have a lot of experience with them so I was hoping maybe folks here would have some info to share.

Yes, I have seen the Top Gear episode where Hammond was left for a week in the mountains of British Columbia with an overpriced watch beacon....

Are there any that don't require a monthly subscription fee? Any that are more rugged and/or waterproof than others? Any battery or other concerns that I should be aware of? Any regional issues?

I know very little about them and I'd really rather know some more before taking the plunge. I don't want to cheap out, but I also don't want to spend stupid money on one.

Def

I was Expedition Unknown on the travel channel and Josh Gates wears a really expensive watch PLB too. Looked it up one time and it's only 15k..

https://www.worldsbest.com/watches/1441955314/breitling-emergency-e7632522bc02159e-titanium-watch?outside=true&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnOzSBRDGARIsAL-mUB32QgFt91RXudN1u7n6dFKCArqQ_t9y48t3O0QQKR-X5leZ8FQANXkaAgBxEALw_wcB

If I spent a lot of time deep in the woods with poor cellular coverage I would look into one too. So many times you hear stories of people being lost for long periods of time because they cannot locate someone.

Sent from my SM-T377V using Tapatalk

Alan K. · **Reply #8 on:** January 18, 2018, 05:07:10 AM

Quote from: ironraven on January 14, 2018, 06:53:31 AM

I haven't looked at PLBs in a loooong time. I will however point to equipped.org, both their main page and their forum. They used to be pretty up to date, and their founder, Doug Ritter is a big proponent of the technology.

Do not mention my name, might have dropped some thermite as I was going across that bridge for the last time and some of the mods might still remember me.

I'll second that http://www.equipped.org/ is the place to read equipment reviews about off shore and off grid survival products. I never did look at the member discussion board there but I have enjoyed many of the reviews and blog posts over the years. P.S., you're going to need something that is made for boaters (waterproof and floating) if you want it to work while you're kayaking. Most of the land hiker versions will be completely dead 2 minutes after being submerged.