Epirb vs spot tracker

hi there justawandering - do you mean a PLB and not an epirb.. PLB (personal locating beacon) used for land based travel where as an epirb is much larger in construction as it is a floatation emergency beacon used majority of the time on water. I use a GME brand PLB, as my personal preference, as it is small as in it is pocket size and easy to carry in your bag whilst away from the vechile. I cannot comment on the Spot as I have had no dealings with it but there are others that could fill you in. I purchased my PLB for around the $300- dollar mark with a battery life of 7years according to the manufacturer. Would not go anywhere without it. The cook even puts in her backpack when cross country sking even though there is reasonable mobile reception. hope that was some sought of help GarryR
yep I also failed to say that I carry a sat phone and radio equipment that I require. The kids can follow my treks on a daily basis through a trekking log stating my position regulary. they will always know my last position, and with that knowledge they should find me within a reasonable radius from that point even
if I have not set off a beacon or not. As Stephen L stated "Be Prepared" quoted from Baden Powell founder of the Scouting Movement

Empir/Plb does not have an ongoing yrly fee

The Brother In Law and his son did a 600 kilometre walk and he had a spot tracker. We followed his movement the whole way.. It also had the ability for him to send short text messages such as "all OK", etc.

We found it very easy to monitor their movements.

We have a Spot2 and have used it for about 5 years. These are the reasons that I like it.

1. We send a message to family members at the end of each day so that they know where we are and that we are OK. It has facilities to send messages by text or email. The email advice includes a link to the map position. About 6 or 7 people know where we are as a result.
2. Spot2 has a lesser emergency button to indicate non life threatening issues such as break down where urgency is not involved.
3. The emergency or SOS button not only sends a message to Australian Search and Rescue via their sister service in USA, it also sends the message to my contacts. That means that my son will know that we have an emergency as soon or sooner than the authorities and he will be on the phone to them instantly.

So the whole arrangement allows us a high degree of certainty that we will be looked after in an emergency.

I think that is far superior to a single message from a PLB that no one else knows about.

As an aside, our eldest daughter is involved in training nurses in India. She receives an email each day and is often teaching when the email comes through so she chicks on the link and shows the class where her parents are that day. They are fascinated. The idea of a caravan towed by a car is not main stream in India.

Cheers,

Kevin

It is not a vs argument or an either all argument - PLB is the ultimate failsafe when all else fails - set and wait.

Spot, SatPhone, UHF fulfill a different function - yes they can call in an emergency etc but whether they are failsafe is up to the individual to decide.

To my way of thinking when travelling a PLB should be carried on the person and then also have your non failsafe method of communication for everything else.

Also there must be a 100 threads on this very topic over the past few months so have a look at some of them.

Garry

Thank you all for your help we will be ringing around tomorrow. Cheers

Yes, the SPOT II has its advantages, but disadvantages too.

The down side of the SPOT in my opinion is that it is monitored by a 3rd party (GEOS Rescue Coordination Center) in the USA via a satellite network. They call you and your nominated phone numbers and then notify the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). The other is that the SPOT only sends a signal to the satellite that provides your GPS co-ordinates that is then forwarded to the rescuers. It uses batteries that will need to be replaced or keep thing on an external power lead, it also has an annual subscription.

The up side is that your family or Mrs at home can track your progress when out of mobile phone coverage and see you are at an outback pub, rather than in a ditch 1/2 way there. It has the "OK" button, the "Its All Gone To Custard and Could Do With Some Help, But I'm OK" button and the SOS button, so you can escalate the level of help required.
They will also leave a 'bread crumb trail', so if you do fall off the face of the earth or are unable to push the SOS button, then those watching from home can see where you were, so have some idea where to start searching. For that reason a lot of my motor bike riding mates have them.
Based on the way it is meant to be used, the SPOT will be on the dash in plain view and easily accessed/activated. Relatively cheap to buy.

PLB cons; You have to be physically able to push the button to turn it on, so no good if you can't get to it. Because it is a one trick pony, more likely to be buried in the glove box and therefore not easy to find/access/deploy/activate in an emergency and absolutely no help if no one knows it is there.
Doesn't give you the option of those at home tracking your ramblings, so they can't guess where you were heading.

Pros: You push the button, the signal goes to a satellite and then AMSA. Not only do the new ones transmit your GPS location, they can also be picked up by aircraft and allows the rescue helicopter to use it as a homing beacon so they can fly straight to you. Will work for 24hrs (minimum) and no batteries to service. More expensive, but no ongoing costs, so probably cheaper in the long run.
Definitely the preferred option In case of emergency.

I have had mates use both, both were out in the desert and a long way from anywhere. One had a SPOT II, one a PLB, both had to wait several hours and both got a ride with the RFDS. Would one have got rescuers there faster than the other? Its hard to say, 10 or 20 minutes saved was probably insignificant when looking at the travel times.

Personally, I'd like both, the SPOT would be nice to have, but if betting my life on it I would get the PLB and mount it somewhere obvious in the vehicle.. or in the pouch on my PFD.

In addition to information from this thread I suggest you contact the AMSA as they have plenty of information they can give you to assist in making a choice.

Bear in mind, PLBs and Spot Tracker both provide emergency notification, but a PLB (406 Beacon) is what you want if in dire straits.

It uses a dedicated satellite system among other things, and you can also register trips you are doing via an upload to the AMSA. If your beacon goes off the first thing they will do is look at your profile to see if you are travelling, and whether the beacon activation corresponds to the area in which you indicate you are travelling in.

I have both, Spot Tracker because family and friends can track our journey, and a PLB for when I really need assistance.

The activation of a Locator Beacon (PLB) invokes a very specific response from the authorities which has been mandated and well understood by all who use it, and those who implement the service. And this occurs no matter where in the world it is activated.

There is absolutely no ambiguity – activate the beacon, it will be detected by a satellite, your position will be established and the response process commences immediately. And the response follows a very specific pathway, escalating over time until a result is achieved.


Cheers, Baz - The Landy

Small trap with the Spot is that you must cancel the subscription and not just let the subscription run out. Bushwalking friend let subscription run out. Fine print says you must opt out or automatic recharge cost. Debt collectors turned up on friend's doorstep demanding three years of subscription costs.

Two old blokes I know carry a Spot while bushwalking and are on strict instructions from family to send the "I'm OK" message four times a day or they will call out rescue.

Traveling outback roads or poking around in the tinny in inland waters, I carry a PLB.

Iza

Hi all
On the spot battery longevity.
I used my spot on a two week motorbike trip , with recommended lithium batteries in it, it lasted and was still going on the same batteries later. So not to much problem with keeping it powered up. Couple sets of extra batteries on board is no problem
Cheers
Robbo

Get a PLB and a Sat phone. Sat plans are similar to SPOT, you can send messages "Im ok", even call loved ones or emergency services, spare parts dealers, even VKS 737 if there is an issue.

I think SPOT tracking is infrequent ( several hourly?) unless you pay more. I may be wrong. There are lots of extras in the billing. Check it out.

To me, SPOT is neither as good as a PLB at one end, or a Sat phone at the other end.

Track your movements with EO or a phone tracker that works off line then uploads to a website when it gets reception. It doesn't really matter where you are unless you have an issue, that's when you reach for the PLB AND the sat phone.