PLBs

[vdhant]

Hey guys
I'm looking at possibly getting a PLB and am having a little trouble sorting through the facts and the figures...

What do people recommend these days as a good PLB?

I have seen the SPOT ones and like the fact that I can just check in with family/friends without raising alarm. But you do need to a yearly subscription fee for the service... And I'm not sure of its coverage as appose to other PLBs

So what are people using (or should I say carrying) and how do you find them.

Cheers
Anthony

[photohiker]

This has been discussed in quite some detail. Have a look here.

[vdhant]

Hey Michael
I saw this, but it is quite a long post and is about a year old now... Hence I was trying to get an overall feeling/summary of what the current thoughts are on this topic.
Cheers
Anthony

[photohiker]

Hi Anthony.

The linked topic runs for 4 pages and the most recent post was Sun 10 Jan, 2010 4:59 pm, so it's pretty current. There are several other PLB/EPIRB/Spot threads in the first page of Technobabble that are also relevant and current.

Personally, I think there is a general acceptance that a GPS equipped PLB is a superior device for emergency notification due to it's chosen satellite technology, and it's local RF transmission which helps rescuers find the party from the air. The Spot gains traction however by it's ability to transmit non-emergency tracking information for family and friends that would also be of benefit for missing or overdue parties that have not activated their emergency beacon for whatever reason.

To own, both units cost. The PLB is upfront with longer term battery renewal costs while the Spot is cheaper to buy but comes with a yearly subscription expense.

HTH

[Taurë-rana]

Hi Anthony,
I really like the idea of the SPOT - being able to contact people without setting off an emergency beacon really appeals to me, but at the moment the second version of SPOT is out, but has been recalled because of some problems and is unavailable. So if you want something soon, a PLB is your only option. If you get a PLB, IMO you should only bother getting the one with an inbuilt GPS which will guide your rescuers nearly straight to you instead of having to search over several kilometres.

[tasadam]

I agree that it would be better to keep the discussion to the other topic, in the interests of keeping all the info in one area for all to find. If something new or useful comes up, it would be best shared in that topic - as a number of people have replied to that other topic, they would also be subscribed to it so would normally receive an email of update to it, which could also help them.
Therefore, I will lock this topic and would ask that you go to the other topic to raise your question.

If you have anything specific to discuss that you feel does not belong in the other topic, feel free to PM Nik or me to discuss.

The other topic is HERE.