Considering a limited budget... which is the better to buy - since you can only get one.. A PLB or a Tri-band HT? and which model of either?

For emergency's while hunting, camping, fishing, and just exploring the coastal mountains - which would prove to be a more useful asset? and more used?

I was looking at the Yaesu VX-7RS or maybe the Spot Satellite Personal Messenger

I see both having different advantages but which, provided you could only get one, would be the one to get (or are there other models that would be better for under $200)???

Which is better? Only you can decide.

Do you want to talk to some one or do you want to get rescued?

IF you KNOW that you can reach repeaters in ALL of the areas you go to, the YAESU VX-7RS is as perfect as needed. Name five people that you know of that have their radios on 24/7. You will have to get a ham license to get access to the repeaters. Ham radios are of little value in remote areas. Ham radios were tested where James Kim died. CB radios made more contacts at that location.

If your family, friends, associates and coworkers are into hame radios, go that way. If you want to talk to strangers, I prefer the telephone. I dial a good local three digit code and then a random four digit number. When they answer I say - "This is Ponder Ponder Base from Boise County, Idaho. How are you reading me tonight?"


If you want to get rescued, my recommendation is the ACR MicroFix PLB. That is the only thing it does. IT GETS YOU RESCUED - PERIOD. If the US Military was using SPOT, it would be great. They are not. It is not.

If your primary concern is emergency communications I would suggest the SPOT device over the HT. Two primary reasons:

The SPOT is relies on satellite communications, and in most cases you will be in the line of sight of a satellite. The HT relies on line of site communications and depending on topography and propogation your range is limited, especially with the limited power output of the HT.

The second reason is coverage. Someone is always watching for comms on the SPOT network. With Ham transmissions it's hit or miss that anyone is listening to the particular frequency on which you might be broadcasting.

If you want the two-way comms that Ham radio provides, and depending on your license type I'd suggest an HF or all mode portable like the 706MKII. That type of radio uses high frequency comms which can carry much greater distances and there are agreed upon freqs that are monitored 24/7.

Prices seem to be coming down on the PLB's so there's hope that they can compete with the SPOT type of product. Doug has some really good info on both on the ETS home page.

Andy

First, SPOT is NOT a PLB. Wish people would stop calling it one. SPOT is many things, but it isn't a PLB, they purposely names it to avoid using that terminology (unlike Tracme).

Having said that, either a PLB or SPOT will stand you in better stead in a real life-threatening emergency compared to the transceiver.

I'm a member of the local S&R and I own a Yaesu VX-7R which is an awesome radio. I don't own a PLB, though it is on my wish list. If rescue is your main concern, then PLB wins out.

Regarding the Yaesu HT in case you decide you want to get a HAM radio in the future: I carry it when I hike and, although there are some dead spots, I generally don't have a problem pinging the main HAM repeater (and several others depending on my location).

I think you'd find that HAMs are very active; I've never had a problem trying to reach someone on a repeater. For $10.00 you can buy a small book that contains repeater frequencies for locations across the US. So when travelling, it is no problem to program your radio with local repeater frequencies.

A side-note: I'm trying to encourage more S&R people on our team to get HAM licensed since the 'standard communications' (simplex) is pathetic in the mountainous terrain we live in. We did a short field exercise in November and tested 3 configuration. The results are on my webpage if anyone is interested:

http://home.beyondbb.com/jmedlock/WMSAR_Radio_Field_Test_Results.pdf

Justin