Thread: Personal Locator Beacon?

So my dad leaves April 5th to begin his 6 month hike of the AT. He is 65 and I am confident he will be fine, but was thinking of buying him a GPS locator beacon just in case.

Anyone have any experience with these? Good Purchase or no? Easy to use? Helpful?


What say ye?

Buy him a SPOT, search around on here there were a bunch of testimonials a couple of months ago. I have a lot of experience with them and they're amazing. Hands down the best option.

I'll second that. SPOT sounds like a good fit in this situation.

A SPOT PLB is probably the way to go given your April date but this beacon looks interesting even though it’s awaiting FCC approval with an expected March-April release date.

http://www.fastfindplb.com/en/index.php

5.3 oz (150g) and $299

yep. unanimous decision. SPOT is the way to go. pretty much has a monopoly on the market. Not sure if its the only one, but its definitely the best.

My Mom hiked the AT alone at age 51, and as concerned family members, we concocted all kinds of wild safety schemes for her. Her ex-husband, my old man, went so far as to buy her a Glock.

I have a feeling your Dad's reaction will be the same as my Mom's: "I'm not carrying one unnecessary extra ounce."

The AT is super highly-traveled, obviously, reducing the need for that sort of thing. My Mom broke her leg on the trail once she'd hiked all the way from Georgia to fricken' Maine. She pitched her tent right there and by morning someone came walking up and helped her get out of there.

Nothing to add other then your dad is a bad ass.

Originally Posted by ePiech

A SPOT PLB is probably the way to go given your April date but this beacon looks interesting even though it’s awaiting FCC approval with an expected March-April release date.

http://www.fastfindplb.com/en/index.php

5.3 oz (150g) and $299

ACR copycat.
It may be small but I doubt they have the experience that ACR does.

I have an ACR. Seems small enough, simple to use, but have no idea how well it works because all I have ever done with it is carry it.

Originally Posted by IrieRon

The AT is super highly-traveled, obviously, reducing the need for that sort of thing.

Having hiked the AT, I concur with the above and with the suggestion that the useless ounces of a PLB will be sent home on from Walasi Yi (first mailstop). I'd bet he can get cell service over most of the trail these days. Plus, there are tons of folks on the AT and frequent road crossings.

Thanks for the info. I'll guess I'll get him something else, however this man is really accident prone and he is my only dad so I worry.

You might want to consider the ACR over the Spot. Google some reviews and you will see pros & cons of both. ACR doesnt require a subscription for Search & rescue service whereas the Spot does so it's low price isnt really so low when you factor that in. Also the satellite coverage isnt as good with Spot.

I was considering the Spot but the more I checked into it, the ACR is actually the better buy. If your life depended on it, reliability is the most important thing. The ACR is reliable, Spot isnt.

Originally Posted by likwid

ACR copycat.
It may be small but I doubt they have the experience that ACR does.

Those were my thoughts too but competition is good and I like the weight, price, plus no subscription fee (I hate paying rent on my gear) so even though I’m unwilling to be a guinea pig… I would like to see the Fast Find PLB succeed in the market.

talked to pop tonight, he said he wasn't going to take one. Thanks for all the info, I hope to get my knee better so I can join him for a weekend somewhere along the way.

One piece of advice: do NOT join him during his trip over the Mahoosuc Notch.

You might be like, "I'm young and buff/he's old and farts like thunder." Meanwhile, he'll have just hiked 2,000 miles straight. You...won't have.

My MOTHER offered to carry some of the weight from my backpack on day 3 of my visit. I've never recovered mentally.

I have the ACR. The government bought it for me and I carry it with me just about everyday. One time sign up is much better than the spot. Pretty much indestructible I bang it around a lot and when press the test button twice a month it always lights up and it is still fully waterproof. It is a little bulky but does not weigh much I don't even notice it in my light daypack but I agree that not necessary on the AT.

Get the SPOT with tracking service. Sell him on the idea by showing him that he can have his entire route tracked and mapped on Google maps and you and his friends can all follow his progress. Buy him some spare Lithium batteries so he can keep the thing on every day. He'll know his precise mileage and be covered if anything does go wrong.

Originally Posted by TacocaT

I have the ACR. The government bought it for me and I carry it with me just about everyday. One time sign up is much better than the spot. Pretty much indestructible I bang it around a lot and when press the test button twice a month it always lights up and it is still fully waterproof. It is a little bulky but does not weigh much I don't even notice it in my light daypack but I agree that not necessary on the AT.

I've been downright abusive to my ACR.
Haven't rinsed it off at all. Ever.
Just gets thrown in my gear bag, which just gets tossed around with 2 leathermans, sheath knife, mast harness, safety harness, foul weather gear, and tons of wet gear constantly.

When worn its susceptible to being bashed, drowned, bashed more, hung up on stuff, drowned more.

Oh and it somehow went from my gear bag and got sucked up into a packed spinnaker. It fell from the sky on a kite set and managed to dive on it before it went over the side. Still works.

Originally Posted by wizard604

You might want to consider the ACR over the Spot. Google some reviews and you will see pros & cons of both. ACR doesnt require a subscription for Search & rescue service whereas the Spot does so it's low price isnt really so low when you factor that in. Also the satellite coverage isnt as good with Spot.

I was considering the Spot but the more I checked into it, the ACR is actually the better buy. If your life depended on it, reliability is the most important thing. The ACR is reliable, Spot isnt.

while there is no annual fee for the ACR there is a 100$ reset fee if you use it, plus no tracking or ok/help message features.

Originally Posted by cdlv

while there is no annual fee for the ACR there is a 100$ reset fee if you use it, plus no tracking or ok/help message features.

$100 to have your life saved?
I'd say thats pretty cheap.

Originally Posted by likwid

$100 to have your life saved?
I'd say thats pretty cheap.

no denying that.
Another thing to note: the ACR is about 2 times the price ( 3 if you want the smaller unit) of the Spot.
Both are great units and would recommended either.

http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=82

http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=83

Doug Ritter has a nice discussion about the ACR and SPOT and their merits and drawbacks.

.357 mag

Originally Posted by johngenx

http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=82

http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=83

Doug Ritter has a nice discussion about the ACR and SPOT and their merits and drawbacks.

The issue is that he misses on the fact that CG knows ALMOST INSTANTLY the moment an EPIRB goes off. The signal is coded to the boat or in the case of the aquafix the person.

406 is monitored by CG/Air Force.
SPOT is monitored by a paid company, the only reason they have the track record they do is they don't remotely have the widespread useage EPIRBs do.

If I was asked "which would you depend on given the choice?" I'd say the EPIRB/PLB before SPOT.

Originally Posted by likwid

The issue is that he misses on the fact that CG knows ALMOST INSTANTLY the moment an EPIRB goes off. The signal is coded to the boat or in the case of the aquafix the person.

406 is monitored by CG/Air Force.
SPOT is monitored by a paid company, the only reason they have the track record they do is they don't remotely have the widespread useage EPIRBs do.

If I was asked "which would you depend on given the choice?" I'd say the EPIRB/PLB before SPOT.

I'll agree that if seconds count and all you want is a device to call the cavalry, EPIRB/PLB (assuming it is equipped with GPS) is going to shave a few seconds off the launch of the rescue effort.

But his only real issue with the SPOT is that it is run by a commercial service and he questions things like what happens if the user's subscription has run out, or cc has expired and he presses the 911 button. I'd say you are unlikely to take the thing along if you haven't paid for the service, but it is a valid question. The other question of whether pressing the SPOT's 911 button, which goes to a commercial service who in turn call the appropriate SAR services to me seems sort of moot. Yes, it may take an extra 30 seconds to a minute to launch the rescue effort, but there's not going to be any lower priority given to the SAR just because its from a SPOT/commercial service. In fact, you could argue that if the SPOT can show a breadcrumb route history for the recent past, you could extrapolate direction of travel and help make the SAR effort more effective by finding the trail.