The range of possibilities that the people receiving the “Help” request could respond to is far too vast to create a list of equipment that they should be responding with. In my opinion, the issue of a “Help” request should be interpreted as a “request to initiate communications”.

Normally, if you run into a non-life threatening bind, the first thing you would do is to pull out your mobile phone and try to call someone who could offer assistance. Of course, there is a good chance that your mobile phone will not work, so you fail over to another communication method (satellite phone, GMRS/FRS, HAM, etc.). The SPOT “Help” request should be used when these previous attempts at communication fail. It should indicate that you have no way of initiating communications with someone who can help and the outside party receiving the request should contact someone in charge who could then initiate communication with the scout group themselves.

For example, say you take along both your mobile phone and a GMRS/FRS radio for communications purposes. You run into a situation like being low on water, or no one can find their car keys, or whatever. You try your phone… no signal. You try your radio… no one responds. You then pop the SPOT “Help” request out and the receiving party receives it. The receiving party then activates the plan you left with them that says, “Contact the park ranger and have him try to reach us over our GMRS/FRS radio or meet us at our position. We will be monitoring GMRS/FRS channel ## (or frequency ###.##) for the first 10 minutes of every hour.”

This way, the communications you establish will dictate how to respond to your situation, whether you just need a couple bottles of water, or just need the Auto Club called to jimmy your door.