I suppose that the Randy Kraxberger incident has got me thinking about personal locator beacons and such. Especially troubling are the guys lost on Mt. Hood a while back. Were they ever found? I seem to remember that Mt. Hood climbers can rent PLB's. Randy is fortunate that he had the wisdom to dig in, that his cell phone worked, and after seeing him on TV.... well he just looks tougher than nails. But the cell phone thing is bothersome - nice if it works. But if it doesn't, well, cell phones almost aren't appropriate safety gear for the outback.
So being the gear junky that I am (whereas many TAYers seem to be minimalist), I started looking at PLB's at over $600. Besides being initially expensive, this thing is only useful if you are close to dying alone in the wilderness. However, I happen to be one of those loner types. Still, the idea investing in something that is only to be used as a doomsday device is troubling.
Anyway, I stumbled across this alternative:
SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger which cost about $150 and a $100 per year service fee. This looks real interesting. I would appreciate some of your opinions.
This device is offered by REI. A better description at:
www.globalcomsatphone.com/spot/
- ''Alert 911'' function dispatches emergency responders to your exact location
- Use ''Help'' feature to request assistance from friends or family
- ''Check In'' allows you to transmit your location and that you are okay
- Track your progress by sending and saving points along your route to Google Maps™
- GPS satellites determine location; reliable SPOT satellites transmit information
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