COMM (communication) while camping or boondocking

And for those of you looking for just strictly a very reliable emergency device with no annual fees this may be for you. PLB

DJ: that's a nice 406 MHz unit (I think it is a 5 watt'er, too). Also, the brand we are committed to eventually getting is the McMurdo Group (they make Kannad, SARBE, and SmartFind products; end to end solutions), here-->...

DeLorme InReach uses the Iridium system and allows two-way texting, 160 characters per message; there is also map tracking, sharing, pairing with a smartphone, apps, etc etc. There are several available subscription plans. I chose InReach rather than PLB or Spot or others because it allows two-way communication.

cewillis wrote:
SPOT personal locator. Normal communication is limited to a pre-set OK message, but it also has Help and Emergency notification.

X2 for these. Have used it for years. Another little benefit is that when you send the OK signal, send one to yourself, then if you are doing a blog, put that link in and it will show exactly where you are. Just did it on a 2 month trip this year.

And we also have our Ham Radio's with us all the time.

Derek, you have never been to one of TC gatherings at our place. I get a kick out of watching people run around searching for a signal. Dick

Hi Dick! I've heard from a few attendees, and your place sounds fantastic (like the hills, in the film "The Sound of Music") :B

Can you get a signal standing on the roof of the truck camper?

A happy holiday to you and family!

Cheers,
D-

I have always heard that the Iridium system is the better of the two. That is the main reason I have not taken up SPOT on their free satellite phone. But like I said before, 5 years of very frequent SPOT use, it has never failed (retired and camp/ride a lot).

If I were to purchase a satellite phone I'd pony up the bucks for Iridium.

I guess I should start packing my PLB again. It sends out signals like a downed aircraft.

And for those of you looking for just strictly a very reliable emergency device with no annual fees this may be for you.

PLB

cewillis wrote:
SPOT personal locator. Normal communication is limited to a pre-set OK message, but it also has Help and Emergency notification.

Yes but for a small fee, you can purchase a quantity of type and send messages limited to 45 chars. Also choice of recipients comes in very handy.

Someone else said SPOT doesn't work in canyons but uses an Iridium sat phone and waits for a sat to pass over. Approximately the same strategy works for SPOT but you should always go with what comforts you the most.

Rick

On edit: Note that my SPOT is controlled from my iPhone. Basic models have less flexibility.

silversand wrote:
We have not been "out West" in the boondocks since 2007, so we have never considered an EPIRB nor SPOT-like device here in the East.

We have never been to a locale here in the East where we had not been able to obtain a cell sig. And we've been to every state from Maine (even north Maine) to south Florida (including into numerous State and National parks). I suppose there exists a few extremely remote areas in the East without cell sigs (perhaps Mount Katahdin, or some remote mountaintop in the Smokies; or up in James Bay, Quebec), however, I can't see us ever camping "up there" with our rig, nor climbing them any time soon.

If (when) we eventually ramble back "out West", we would probably consider an EPIRB (rather than something like a SPOT). Just my preference to register and rely on the GEOS Emergency Response Center (government & international agencies, rather than a private corporate network; my EPIRB of choice would work with: the COSPAS-SARSAT program). Whatever you do, make sure that your chosen device can actually get a signal out from a slot canyon (or, geospatially-similar terrain) !

Good luck,
Silver-

*Note: there are members in this Forum who are trained SAR people. One of them will probably chime in on this one...

Derek, you have never been to one of TC gatherings at our place. I get a kick out of watching people run around searching for a signal.:)
Dick

SCVJeff wrote:

Photomike wrote:
I forgot to mention that dialing 911 when you are out of cell range can get you help. The call may get through and with tracing abilities emergency services can find you even if you cannot communicate by talking. BUT this is not to be relied on as it may or may not work. If I was in a predicament I would give it a shot if the other solutions were not working, or if I did not know if they were working.

On another note: You do need to keep your phone charged when out in the bush, does no good to have a phone with a dead battery.

Lets be clear about this..
Out of range is OUT OF RANGE, PERIOD..... No cellular coverage will get you no help because there are no active sites to hear you. 911 will work without the phone having a subscription, but ONLY within range of a cell site.

Depending on the fringe area yes this does work. We have had a couple rescues because our 911 operators were receiving hang up calls repeatedly from out of range cell phones. They were able to locate an area and send in SAR and successfully rescue the people. This DOES not work in all areas but does work in some areas even when the phone says that there is no service.

I have been trying to find the articles that were written about our rescues but came up with this one:

Still, the connection was long enough that two Edge Wireless engineers, Eric Fuqua and Noah Pugsley, were able to find this information in the CDR to determine that the family was in sector "Z" in the southwestern portion of the cell site's 26-mile radius. Wolf Peak's "Z" sector provides coverage to remote areas with little population and very little cell phone traffic. Using this information, authorities sent out rescue teams, which eventually located Kati Kim and her children.

Anderson said that the family was lucky that they were Cingular Wireless subscribers. Edge Wireless uses the same GSM network technology that provides roaming coverage to Cingular customers. If the Kims' phone had been with a different provider that didn't have roaming coverage with Edge Wireless, then the company might not have received any signal at all after they left the major highway, and the cell phone would have been of little use to authorities trying to rescue them.

"Where the Kims' car was found was on the fringe of our coverage area as it was," Anderson said. "So it was a miracle that the phone was able to lock onto the network at all."

Anderson said that if people ever find themselves in a similar situation--lost and having difficulty getting cell phone reception--they should search for the highest ground or area that may be in the line of sight to a tower. They should hold the phone away from their bodies or high so it has no obstructions to a possible tower. It may take up to two or three minutes for it to synchronize or connect with the cell tower and mobile switching center. Even if they can connect for a second or two, it could be long enough to register a voice mail or text message, which could ultimately help wireless engineers track their location.

http://www.cnet.com/news/turning-cell-phones-into-lifelines

Reddog1 wrote:
deserteagle56, could you post more info on your Iridium 9555 phone?

Wayne

Well, I just goggled it so I see that model is still available. So if it is technical details you're after the Iridium site will tell you a lot more than I can.

A few years ago when I was doing my research on which one to buy the unanimous consensus was that out of the three satellite phone networks available, Iridium had the best ability to grab and hold on to a satellite, even down in a canyon. Since I spend most of my time down in the canyons of Nevada and Utah, that was important to me. That may not be true today, I don't know. That was a new phone model back then and very expensive - $1,500. Air time is very expensive also; the best price I found at the time was through SatPhoneStore in Miami, Florida. Just having access to the satellites costs $300 a year - and actually using it costs an additional $7 a minute! But to me it's worth it - getting old and clumsy but I can't give up riding my dirt bike. The guys I used to ride with have all given it up so most of the time I'm alone. The satellite phone is just insurance. I've programmed in the phone numbers of all the sheriff's offices in Nevada and most of those in Utah and northern Arizona, plus the BLM and Forest Services also. This unit is pretty light and compact; it and the spare battery reside in a pocket in my riding/hiking backpack. Once a month I top off the batteries - and they will charge off 12v for when I'm in a remote camp. There is also a car kit available (unlike a cell phone a satellite phone will not pick up a signal inside a vehicle) that allows the phone to run off 12v and provides an antenna that can be placed on the vehicle roof.

Always have Ham radios in the RV and most vehicles. I have rented a sat phone when I was worried about some work stuff (pretty sad isn't it) when several of us were going to the same location. "Can't have the whole team out of pocket". I also had one of those emergency satellite beeper things. Subscribed for a year then canceled. Wife wanted to know I could summon help if I needed it.