The recent series of news reports of stranded motorists brings to my mind the utility of a PLB or SPOT in those situations.

I still read forum threads comparing SPOT with PLBs, and folks comment something along the line that the PLB's support system may not be reliable because it is government run/supported, while in general it seems that SPOT users tend to rely on family-based rescue - having a family member react to a call for help and arrange rescue.

I was wondering if anyone knows whether the government - or anyone else - keeps statistics on how often people have turned on a PLB but for whatever reason there was no response. Either the signal was not received, or there was an error in the response communication process.

It would be interesting if there were statistics comparing PLB rescue information (time, misses, ...) with SPOT (and related device) rescue info.

A TOPIC WORTHY OF A POLL
This question cries for an ETS investigative article.

One of the current ALASKA COAST GUARD shows covered the details of a PLB rescue. It was not without problems. The stranded did little to aid their rescue beyond the PLB. (The PLB did its job. The rescue was successful)

The latest snow storm rescues covered the problems of the family of three buried in a car. Many 911 calls, including those from the victims, reported their location at the beginning of the storm. None were accurate enough. Death was near. Lady luck provided some help.

The 10 day saga of the college gal took luck to the max. She provided no clues in her hide and seek story.

The onus of rescue still lies with those to be rescued. Learn what details are important to those coming to rescue you. Make sure you have the format correct.

Frankly, that sounds like anti-government paranoia to the max. As far as I know, the system functions quite well. Any contrary reports?

Communication among involved parties, which would include reporting families, may be an issue, but that is a long standing problem that has nothing to do with PLBs, per se.

Important Details:

• Location
• Number of people
• Names and ages of people
• Injuries/medical conditions
• Known hazards
• Clothing worn
• Vehicle information, if applicable
• Equipment
• Experience

What am I missing? What is the correct format?

I find it interesting that the thing SPOT users mention as a benefit is that they can use the SPOT in essentially the opposite way as a PLB.

With a PLB, nothing is heard from the user until rescue is needed, and then the device is turned on and heard and provides a fairly exact location.

With a SPOT, they can press the Help button when needed - kind of like a PLB - if the Help message is received along with a fairly exact location, gets to the right people, and rescue is hopefully arranged.

This is the first comparison I'd be interested in seeing ... what is the successful rescue rate for PLB vs. SPOT-like devices?

BUT - from comments given in forums - their view is that the SPOT can also be used in an opposite way. The user communicates an OK message on a regular basis, and it is pre-arranged that the ABSENCE of an OK communication signal indicates that rescue is needed. Supposedly the family/friend can use the previous location reports and the trip plan to estimate the user's location. This makes me wonder about how large that search area could be if backpacking, or canoeing (ala BWCA).

Of course the problem with this later method is that a lost or malfunctioning SPOT can result in a false rescue attempt.

This creates the second comparison I'd be interested in. I wonder how often what I'd call "no-signal rescues" happen for SPOT-like devices? AND I wonder how many of those rescues are not really needed?

Ken

this seems to be a good spot to insert this: I have a Delorme InReach, and I have done some testing on it, but not in a mountainous and heavily forested area. So far it works very well and can provide good tracking of your progress if you set that. Two way communications is good, not instantaneous, but timely (minutes as opposed to seconds). Researching the satellite constellations of the Iridium system and the Globalstar system, the primary difference is that the Globalstar satellites are generally in orbit near the equator, so you need to have a clear view to the South to hit them. the Iridium has much broader coverage of the globe. So two-way comms versus one way and better coverage for the InReach.

So the InReach is an option to prevent those unnecessary rescues. I have not had a message dropped yet. when I have an opportunity to get into some good, rugged wilderness, I will give it a more thorough test.

Do you use Android or the Delorme GPS with the InReach?

The Delorme Pn-60w GPS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cospas-Sarsat#Rescue_statistics

Rescue statistics
In 2010, the Cospas-Sarsat system provided emergency-beacon alert data used in rescuing 2,362 people in 641 SAR events. From September 1982 until December 2010, Cospas-Sarsat alert data has helped to rescue 30,713 people in 8,387 SAR events.[5]

Aviation 20%
Maritime 56%
Land 24%
Total 100%
No detailed data on failed rescues.

What is interesting is the very low number of land rescues related to the very large number of PLB's.

IMHO - It relates to the very small number of backcountry users that carry beacons. Almost zero % of our customers have even heard of PLB's. Once educated on their usage, they still only understand and carry cell phones.

We monitor the airwaves in Idaho 18 hrs a day. Since the release of PLB's to civilians, we have not monitored one rescue yet. We carry PLB's because there are no idiots in the information exchange between the rescuer and us.

We have monitored many rescues initiated by cell phones and worried family members. If the victims were not dead, the stories are almost slapstick humor.

My favorite was a 911 call on a Sunday at 2:00PM. (155.520 MHz)
The dispatcher broadcast that a woman had called 911 to report that she was lost but that she knew where she was. The Sheriff requested an explanation. The woman stated she had a GPS but didn't know how to use it. She had gotten lost in her car and had placed the GPS on the hood. The woman gave her location verbally as " N43 Degrees, xx Feet and xx Inches and W115 Degrees, xx Feet and xx Inches. The dispatcher didn't know much more. The conversation between the dispatcher and the lost woman went down hill quickly.

After 15 minutes of eavesdropping, I asked the dispatcher to have the woman drive her car south and downhill until she hit the next intersection. At that time I had the woman read off what she saw on her GPS. She was only three miles from Idaho City, ID. I gave the dispatcher the location in deg.decimal degrees.

N43.88156 W115.83941

Her GPS preferences were set to Deg Min Sec which neither she nor the dispatcher understood. The only format that is VERBALLY understood is Deg.decimal degrees. Do not try to communicate with any type of chopper with anything except degrees and decimal degrees.
Now back to the original question – SPOT or the like or a PLB? You get to choose where to place your trust.

Those Cospas-Sarsat numbers are for EPIRBs (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons), which signal maritime distress and ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitters), which signal aircraft distress, in addition to PLBs. While we mere people are allowed to carry PLB's, aircraft and larger boats/ships are required to carry ELT's and EPIRB's.

I wonder what the stat's would look like if aircraft and larger boats/ships were merely "allowed" to carry emergency beacons -- fewer saves would be my guess.

Side point: That's kind of ironic. Just a three weeks ago, while writing down coordinates in Germany - trying to figure out where the rental car place was at the Frankfurt airport, I decided to switch to using decimal degrees for my coordinates since they were sooo much easier. A bit of research suggested that good form is to use at least 5 decimal places, or:

DD.ddddd, -DD.ddddd

I have the GPS in my ditch survival vest preloaded with aviation navigation aids as waypoints. The idea is to be able to talk to the CG helo on marine VHF channel 16 and give the pilot a TACAN fix. Although the PLB fix thru COSPAS-SARSAT should be even closer.

Doesn't seem as if people understand the deatails of how these devices work and how they are supported.

As much as I complain about government, there are some things it manages to get right. When you trigger a PLB and the signal is received, it will not, daresay cannot, be ignored.

A SPOT has two ways to call for help. The "help" button notifies your designated contact, who you have hopefully told what to do. The "SOS" button notifies SPOT who informs the authorities. A third mechanism is possible with SPOT, if your contact fails to revceive an expected "OK" message he could notify authorities. You wouldn't use "help" to mean "HELP!!!!", that' s like calling your mother to ask her to call the fire department because your house is burning. The help message is more of a user-defined message that you would pre-arrange to mean something like "OK, but will be late" or "Pick me up at the trailhead"

I would guess that ranked in order being taken seriously, a PLB activation would be first, closely followed by an official "SOS" SPOT message. A notification by a family member of failure to receive an OK might be treated more like an overdue report.

Either way, once Uncle Sam has your GPS position, its hard to see how you can me "missed".

BTW, was just looking at the SPOT CONNECT device.

Glad to see that they included a stand-alone SOS button on the device, so if the smart phone is nonfunctional (Typically my Droid 2 would not even last 24 hours if left on continuously in a remote area where the cell signal is very weak).

Smart move!! I suspect a lot of folks will buy the SPOT CONNECT device instead of the regular SPOT in hopes of sending specific messages out.

Thank you, I didn't know that.



Understanding that I have no background in SAR and have never owned a PLB or SEND, I still have an opinion :-).

For best reliability, I would carry a PLB. I think that the communications systems it uses and the back-end processes are time-tested and resilient. It also seems that the devices are more rugged and likely to work when you need them. A PLB is by far the least expensive option over a five year span.

For best flexibility, I would carry a Delorme InReach. It's got great coverage and with two-way messaging could be very helpful in launching a rescue that's appropriate to the emergency, or launching no rescue at all if a group is overdue but not otherwise in distress.

The SPOT and SPOT Connect seems most useful to me if you are comfortable with one-way communication and more limited coverage than a PLB or an InReach. The SPOT Connect in particular is useful for launching an appropriate rescue or no rescue at all.

Here are the lowest prices I found. Costs go up significantly for the InReach and the SPOT Connect if you don't already have a compatible device.

ResQLink: $233. Five year cost: $233.

InReach (assuming you have a compatible device): $250 + $9.95/mo for the Safety plan. Five year cost: $847

SPOT Connect (assuming you have a compatible device): $150 + $100/yr. Five year cost: $650.

SPOT: $100 + $100/yr. Five year cost: $600.

I just carry a regular PLB and always keep in mind what a local SAR tech mentioned to a group of us recently:

"Regardless of what PLB / SPOT device you use. If you push the button, SAR is alerted. We now have your coordinates and if you stay put, we will find and come to your rescue even if there is no other info forthcoming after the initial alert."

The reason I carry a PLB when I fly is that unlike the aircraft manufacturer, I don't expect the aircraft and the attached ELT to remain above water long if a ditching emergency occurs. Being an optimist, when things go wrong I expect them to go very wrong. So I equip myself with all the back-up luck that I can. Redundancy is life.

While on active duty my squadron lost a few aircraft. Of the 22 souls in those aircraft one (1) survived. None of the other bodies were recovered. The one person rescued was located (in the middle of nowhere) by activation of his PRC-90 (243.0 MHz) beacon. That was the first and only signal that came from the aircraft. COSPAS-SARSAT was the evolutionary upgrade from that (now ancient) SAR system. Bottom line -- I carry an ACR PLB in my vest. The system has been tested and proven.

IMHO - My preference -

1. ACR PLB
2. On the registration I list my personal URL.
3. I update the URL prior to each trip.
4. I carry a rescue strobe for the rescue phase.
5. I carry an MT1000 for the rescue phase.

........................................................

URL - RESCUE OF CLIFF and/or CAREY HARRISON

If you have gone to this page because of a Personal Rescue Beacon signal, we must be in trouble. We are the only two that have access to the ACR Beacon sending you the signal. Only an answering machine is at our home/business number - 208-793-3121.

TRIP DATE
12/19/2011 – KIRKHAM TRAIL, BOISE COUNTY, IDAHO

CLIFF HARRISON
66, 6' 1", 185#, HEALTHY, IN SHAPE, NO MEDICATIONS

CAREY HARRISON
65, 5' 7", 135#, HEALTHY, IN SHAPE, NO MEDICATIONS

TRUCK
RED FORD 1 TON, FLAT BED - IDAHO PLATE - "GUNS"


TRIP LOCATION
We are hiking the Kirkham Trail from Hwy 17. This is ¾ mile east of Kirkham Hot Springs. We plan on parking at N44.07207 W115.53116. We will hike North towards Kirkham Ridge - Boise County, ID - Sheriff - 208-392-4411.


TRUCK LOCATION
THE TRUCK IS PARKED ON HIGHWAY 17. It is ¾ MILES EAST OF THE KIRKHAM HOT SPRING AT - N44.07207 W115.53116


BACKUP PLAN
Adjacent canyon to west if Kirkham is blocked

TRAIL CONDITION
Trail clear and dry this morning. High winds and snow are pending. No snow until 5000'.

SCHEDULE
Be back to the truck and out by dark on 12/21/2011 or we are in trouble.

EQUIPMENT
We have serious overnight survival with us.
We have a white rescue strobe.
We carry firearms and bear spray.
We are aware of drug activity in canyon.


COMMUNICATE
We carry a cell phone – 208-781-0514. We carry a Motorola MT1000 and can communicate on 155.160 Mhz with Idaho Search & Rescue and 155.280 Mhz with Idaho State Communication.

MEDICAL
We have Life Flight Air Ambulance membership with St Al's Hospital out of Boise, Idaho.

Nice trip plan, Cliff! Very specific in terms of where to look and what to look for. (I.e. the colour of strobe.)

Do you include a subsequent equipment list? I'm always torn about that. Generalizing leaves questions but a specific list doesn't always translate into the knowledge or ability to use it in a pinch. The colour of tent or tarp might be helpful.

Very nice plan! I really like the idea of putting a URL into your PLB registration and keeping it updated. Everyone with a PLB should do this.

Forgive my radio geekery: How did you come to have an MT1000? Are you licensed to use those frequencies (NB in an emergency it's legal to transmit on frequencies that you don't have a license for, if that's the best way to communicate)?

I'd be putting my amateur radio callsign and gear on the list. Presumably the local RACES would be willing and able to provide a ham with his/her radio to try to communicate with me on whatever frequency I'd be monitoring.

I have a complete list in our vehicle. I do not publish that information on the PLB registration URL. I could not foresee any agency being interested in the details of what I had along. The only time the list came into play was when we were snowed in on the opening day of an elk hunt. Fish & Game questioned each camp that had CB radios (Pre PLB era) to determine a priority. They asked detailed questions about food, warmth, medical and mental issues. We won. We were in no immediate danger and were properly equipped. We were "rescued" last with a snowcat ride on the 10th day.

As a side note: The only radio that allowed us to get a signal out was CB on channel 19. We were recorded by monitors in Melbourne, FL and Montreal, CA. (Pre PLB era) CB skips best on a clear night very late or very early in the morning.

A little history -- NOAA Emergency Beacons COSPAS-SARSAT is about more than just PLB's.

Hey Montanero

Quick question. I think I saw the InReach units down at my local REI. If I remember correctly, they are offering satellite-based emails as part of that service. Have you tried this out at all? I'm curious about how well the 2-way comms work.

thanks,
Pete2

The two way comms work very well. You have text and email. When you set up the account, you get an inreach email address. It all goes over the Iridium satellite system.

The other use of the 'OK' button that I've read of is for letting those at home know that everything is okay when you are simply behind schedule. This use could prevent an unnecessary SAR mission if you are simply delayed but not in any real danger.