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Charky

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When you're out of cell and internet coverage, what are you using for emergency communication?

After being out in the middle of nowhere enjoying the countryside and on some very infrequently traveled trails, I've wondered how I would communicate to someone in case of an emergency. What are you/would you use for communicating in these situations? I know it's better to travel with someone, but in reality, for me, that's not the case.

GMRS and find repeaters, hope someone's listening to whatever channel, Garmin inReach, Apple iPhone 14 with satellite SOS, ........

Thanks!
 
sollie said:
I keep an Ocean Signal rescumeME on the dash. It's SOS only, but it doesn't require a subscription, so it's a much more affordable option than most of the PLBs. I also try to let someone know exactly where I'm planning on going.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the info, I followed the link, interesting and learned something new. I don't know what I don't know!
 
I was considering a Garmin for this, however, I decided to upgrade to the latest iPhone 14 for its SOS feature.

For those that aren't aware, here's some more information on it:
www.apple.com

Emergency SOS via satellite available today on iPhone 14 lineup

Apple’s groundbreaking safety service Emergency SOS via satellite becomes available to customers in the US and Canada starting today.
www.apple.com
 
I use my Garmin 66i for sending messages back home when in remote situations/camping. Didn't know Iphone can now do this, pretty cool.
 
MT_Tremor said:
I use my Garmin 66i for sending messages back home when in remote situations/camping. Didn't know Iphone can now do this, pretty cool.
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As you're already a Garmin user, do you have any opinions on the Messenger or Mini2? Primarily for emergency use and perhaps sending a non-emergency text occasionally as you mentioned. It looks like the monthly inReach subscription is the same regardless of Garmin product.
 
ACR ResQLink+
No subscription, just a online registration with your emergency contacts and short information about your activities that you can update any time.
 
TremorMax said:
ACR ResQLink+
No subscription, just a online registration with your emergency contacts and short information about your activities that you can update any time.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I wasn't familiar with ACR, seems well reviewed and made in the USA. The Bivy stick, while subscription based, is interesting as well with the ability to text. Probably similar to the Garmin Messenger.
 
Charky said:
Thanks, I wasn't familiar with ACR, seems well reviewed and made in the USA. The Bivy stick, while subscription based, is interesting as well with the ability to text. Probably similar to the Garmin Messenger.
Click to expand...
There even is a YouTube video on how to DIY change the battery pack.
 
I do the HAM route. I save all the known repeaters for a 300 mile radius of my planned route. I also have all emergency channels saved in my quickest. When they tell me "it's against the law to use the channel", I go Bruce Willis on them and say "arrest me! And bring (whatever the situation calls for)"
 
Yeti said:
I do the HAM route. I save all the known repeaters for a 300 mile radius of my planned route. I also have all emergency channels saved in my quickest. When they tell me "it's against the law to use the channel", I go Bruce Willis on them and say "arrest me! And bring (whatever the situation calls for)"
Click to expand...
Are the benefits of HAM over GMRS primarily range and dedicated emergency channels?
 
GMRS is super limited and meant for very short distances (UHF) VS where I do my stuff (VHF) I can get up to nearly 30 miles depending on the situation and the HF guys are literally pinging satellites.

There are a lot of people who would argue that HAM is going away and a bunch more that don't want to hear/believe it (including myself) but I don't see a path where it benefits our government to continue to encourage and fund HAM radio use. You can do a LOT more with HAM, And with higher licenses, you're bouncing the atmosphere for your relay which is pretty slick.

For me, knowing just enough to make sure someone knows I'm in trouble no matter the situation, I'll stay with HAM and tweak the FRS/GMRS peeps if I need to get the FCCs attention.
 
Charky said:
As you're already a Garmin user, do you have any opinions on the Messenger or Mini2? Primarily for emergency use and perhaps sending a non-emergency text occasionally as you mentioned. It looks like the monthly inReach subscription is the same regardless of Garmin product.
Click to expand...
If you don't need the GPS function I'd say get the Inreach mini2 as you can connect your phone and text through that. Simple to use and works anywhere, I like being able to send texts for non-emergency situations.
 
Just curious - what did you decide on?
 
TremorMax said:
Just curious - what did you decide on?
Click to expand...
Haven't purchased anything yet, but I'm leaning towards the inReach mini or ACR Bivy stick. Several good options were brought up, but as I think more about it, I like the idea of being able to send non-emergency texts when out of cell or internet range along with the proven SOS functionality.

I'll probably end up getting a Midland GMRS to communicate locally and with anyone I might be driving with. If doing so will tweak @Yeti, so much the better 🤣!
 
I have around five years of experience as part of a SAR team in Colorado and would like to share some observations related to satellite communicators, SOS transmissions, and response. If anyone has more specific questions about any topics, please feel free to reach out to me and I will try to answer them. I also don't claim to know everything about all of the options out there, and my thoughts are based on seeing SOS messages as part of our response, talking with people on our team who are more involved with communicating with subjects and other departments, and my own research into this area.

Some big points are below:
  1. Having a satellite locator is better than not having one
  2. Two way communication is much better than one way communication, which is much better than a no communication emergency locator beacon
    1. If you want to save as much money as possible and use an ACR type system that does not require a subscription, please please please make sure that you understand how these devices work, who will be listening for an SOS signal in your area, and what happens when/if they do
  3. Time can obviously be a very critical part of a rescue effort and your device can make a big difference in both how long it takes a SAR to respond and how well prepared they are for your situation (which saves more time)
  4. While most satellite communicators make it easy to send the initial SOS message, it is more critical than you might think it would be to know how your device works and whether it has specific limitations in its communications.
    • For instance, as described in the user manual for the Garmin Mini 2 (and similar for the Mini 1) the device will check for messages IF/when the user has the device tracking turned on (which is a default 10 min interval), but otherwise it will only check for messages 10 min after a message is sent and then hourly intervals after that.
    • From a SAR perspective, if our next message is sent 15 minutes after your last communication and you don't know to manually check for messages, it will be 45 minutes before you get the information or question that we have sent.
  5. Understand the pros and cons of using a device which requires a phone to act as its display and keyboard. Since almost everyone carries a cell phone now, it might seem obvious that all you need to do in order to be prepared for the worst is to add way to get a distress message to a satellite. 9
    1. Pros:
      1. Devices are smaller/lighter
      2. Communicating through the phone app interface is usually much easier to use
      3. Everyone already has a phone
    2. Cons:
      1. How long can you use your phone on one charge and do you carry a battery pack with you at all times. The majority of our call-outs take place later in the day and often times the subject's phone is low on battery
      2. What happens if you lose or break your phone
      3. Automatic message checking may be significantly delayed due to battery saving measures programmed into the satellite communicator
  6. Satellite communicators are superior in some environments to satellite phones because of the amount of small amount of data that is being transmitted over a short period of time
  7. Understand what happens after the SOS button is pushed
    1. This will depend on the device and state.
    2. In Colorado, all SAR teams are comprised of entirely of volunteer rescuers and each team generally works under the authority of the Sheriff for the County where they are located.
    3. The Sheriff's office is responsible for managing the rescue operation and a SAR team is one of potentially several resource that the Sheriff can use for a rescue.
    4. Garmin, Spot, Zoleo have their own response centers who receive the device's SOS message and then relay that to the dispatch center in the County from which the message was sent.
      1. Due to how County lines were drawn in Colorado this can mean that if you fall down one side of a mountain, you might land in County X and if you fall down the other side you are in County Z. County X might be able to respond to your SOS in 1 hour and County Z might take 4-6 hours to respond. That said, even if you are only a few hundred feet from County X but your GPS location says County Z- County Z will be who receives your message and then has to figure out what to do with it. While there are inter-agency agreements in place to allow for County X's SAR team to respond to an SOS activation in County Z, this process may take some time to work its way through
      2. While it is difficult to describe what the differences are once the initial SOS message is relayed to the SAR team handling the rescue, members of our team who were reluctant to name one company as being better than another are now recommending Garmin over the others.
    5. Two way communication allows for a more rapid response, especially if you are located in County Z but the closest SAR resource is in County X
    6. Two way communication allows for questions to be asked before resources are deployed, which will help ensure that the correct resources are deployed for your situation and needs
 
While the Iphone 14 has (or will have) emergency satellite communication capabilities, I have not yet seen an SOS activation from one of those devices and cannot speak to how well it may or may not work at this time.

Eventually, it will likely be the standard, but for now, I will continue to use a more proven system as my primary emergency communicator.
 
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