Emergency Locator and Tracking Device

[Grizzly Wulff]

Do you ever go off and fish by yourself, travel in areas where there's no cell phone coverage, or wonder what you would do in an emergency where you need to get help fast?

I like to fish alone, and am often in areas where if something happened, I'd be hard pressed to get some assistance. I know it bothers the wife when I go traipsing off alone, and even though she has a general idea of where I?m going, it could be hours before she starts to worry and notifies some one.

I?ve looked at satellite phones as an option, but the price for the phone and the service has always seemed a bit steep. Well know there's an alternative and it's called Spot. Check it out at http://www.findmespot.com/field.

This just went on my birthday wish list.

Incidentally, I have no personal connection with the manufacturer or any distributor.

[William Fitzgerald]

If you trained as a boy scout you wouldnt have to worried about being alone or lost in the woods. I have spent a couple nights in woods deer hunting as a youngster and my dad knew he didnt have to worry. Two shots from his gun,two return shots up the mountain and he went home for thr night. BILL

[Eric-WD]

in recent weeks i have seen three casses of people out riding quads or snow mobiles, the vehicles turned over on the person and it traped them in the snow. (one was cleaning her drive way) as no one knew where they were exactly or that they were in trouble, they were hard to find, this would have saved lives. its not always a case of dig a snow cave and hold up till the snow stops. a broken leg is only one rock turn away when we are out in the woods alone. I can think of a lot of places that this would come in handy.

Eric

[flybinder]

Grizzly;
All depending on the "age" of your cell phone......take it along with you, anyway, even if there's no reception where you end up.
Cells made in the last 6 years, have "built in GPS locators" added to their circuit boards.
Verizon, Samsung, Motorola, etc. all have them.
Of course, the phone needs to be turned ON, for the locater to work, if you're lost or injured. But turning it on for only at one hour intervals, COULD possibly get you found if you're lost, or, in trouble.
The item on your "wish list" for your B-Day is also a neat thing to have, but if you have room and your phone's one that is easily tucked away in remote pocket of your gear, I'd suggest taking it long also!! (never can be "too overly protected"!!?!)

[Bamboozle]

As the owner of a pretty good GPS; I can tell you that depending on where you are, reception varies. Heavy forest canopy, deep canyons and general terrain all play a part in getting a fix.

You get what you pay for when you buy and expect a GPS to do what you want it to in rugged terrain. For that reason if I am headed off alone where cell phones don't work; I write down the coordinates where I expect to be and leave that info with someone.

I often go to locations where I'd be in deep trouble if I got hurt. I don't want to put all my trust in something that runs on batteries!

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

It looks like a good deal at $169.00 plus $97 bux a year for the service. Here in BC there are plenty of dead spots where a phone won't work.

I bet that guy that had to cut his arm off to survive would have loved to have had one.
His cardinal mistake was not leaving a trip plan with someone or at least having a buddy with him.

There are places at the Idaho fish-in where if you were alone and fell, it would be hard as heck for the others to find you. I fished it alone most of the time and shouldn't have.

Of course $266.00 will buy a really nice fly rod that I suppose you could attach a distress flag to.

[nighthawk]

If you trained as a boy scout you wouldnt have to worried about being alone or lost in the woods. I have spent a couple nights in woods deer hunting as a youngster and my dad knew he didnt have to worry. Two shots from his gun,two return shots up the mountain and he went home for thr night. BILL

Bill,
I couldn't agree more. There is no substitute for good survival training. My 76 year old father is an outstanding woodsman. He started my training and the Army added to it with their world class aviation escape, evasion and survival training.

[The Famous Grouse]

I think it's a great idea for anyone that goes beyond the range of cell phones in the backcountry.

It's always best to leave a trip plan, obviously, but there's one problem with the low-tech approach. If you get hurt on day 1 of a 7 day hike, it's going to be 6 days before you're overdue at the exit point and someone knows you're in trouble.

I talked to a ranger in Montana's Beartooth National Forest a few years back and he told me a then-recent story of a solo hiker who fell and broke his leg on day 2 of a 5 day trip. Luckily, he had left a detailed trip plan and route so the S&R crews were out looking for for him on day 6 and found him alive. But I'll bet he'll be carrying one of these satallite things now.

Grouse

[ohiotuber]

GW,
In case you didn't know, Cabela's has it for 150 bucks.
Mike

[DShock]

I found this Link that has Stories of Rescues & discoveries of deceased persons;http://www.k9sardog.com/lostpeople.html
Read some of these Stories and it dawned on me that your prospective Rescuers may not be too good at locating you. I agree that people might not be wise when they hike into the wilderness, but what responsibility do those lost persons have for the cost of being rescued?
Maybe you could opt to have the amateur Rescuers look for you at a cut rate?
Doug