Repeater freqs in Death Valley?

[rando]

I really don't understand why you would activate both? Activate the inReach first as it gives feedback that it was successful. In the unlikely case that the inReach does not confirm the message was successfully received, activate the PLB.

 

[smlobx]

I guess for me it depends on the potential type of situation I could find myself in..

when I was in grad school in Texas I was heavily involved in ocean sailboat racing in boats from 30 to 60 feet long and races which lasted from 12 hours to 10 days. To say we were “out there” was an understatement. There were two times during that period where we needed professional assistance and in both cases we were able to use the boats VHF radio to contact the Coast Guard via a tanker that was able to pick up our transmissions and relay them to coordinate the rescue.

This led me to believe that having the ability to communicate with potential rescuers was an important aspect in being able to effectively direct my potential rescue. As we know there are many potential things that can happen to us in the back country from mechanical breakdowns to physical injuries that would prohibit our ability to self rescue. When I purchased my InReach I set up the 3 preprogrammed messages to address potential levels of “crisis” to include Mechanical breakdowns...send help to Physically injured...stand by... This allows me the ability to ask for assistance from (in this case) my older son who can help coordinate help specific to my situation. If I were to have gotten in a serious vehicle accident or other life threatening situation then I would just hit the SOS button (if I was able to) and have them send the cavalry.

For me it is the ability to send for help specific to the severity of the situation...

Back to sailing for a minute. There is a race currently going on which is a solo around the world race, the Vendee Globe. A couple of days ago one of the racers had a serious accident in which his boat actually split in half while sailing 840 NM southwest of Capetown, South Africa. All boats are required to have EPIRBS which are similar to PLB’s but for marine environments and to make a long story short he was able to be saved by a fellow competitor after spending several hours in his life raft in rough seas... You can read more about it here..

https://gcaptain.com/rescue-underway-for-vendee-globe-skipper-who-abandoned-ship/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gcaptain+%28gCaptain.com%29&goal=0_f50174ef03-8a37674e30-169970173&mc_cid=8a37674e30&mc_eid=94bc1ac706

In his case he didn’t have the time to communicate with anyone and this is where a PLB or EPIRB was the perfect answer.

 

[craig333]

In this case https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/30/missing-florida-sailor-stuart-bee-rescued-capsized-boat#:~:text=A%20missing%20Florida%20sailor%20has,his%2032ft%20vessel%20Sea%20Ray. he was unable to activate his epirb. Good thing the freighter wasn't on autopilot.

 

[CatButt]

I love my Garmin InReach...I have loved the 2 way comms and have used them to get out of a pickle more than once where I did not need a calvery. That said, I have had some connection issues when deep in a canyon or even under some very heavy forested canopies. If I were to travel alone I would likely consider having a PLB as a backup to my Garmin. But I would default to the Garmin as first choice...mostly due to the 2 way communications aspect. I alos like the fact that the Garmin has some advanced rescue options of you are traveling to more hostile areas...I have a friend who contracts and has participated in a couple or Garmin initiated rescues where you really want folks with regional and military knowledge to come and get you out.

I am also a HAM and have never really had much luck in DV. I have a Yeasu 400 and run APRS and scan a few simplex and repeaters in the area. Only hits are from the crew as we all roll HAM in out trucks...both mobile and HT.

 

[craig333]

I've thought about a PLB as backup to the inreach but its hard to justify the cost for something that hopefully I won't need. Of course if I'm dying in the wilderness and the inreach isn't working I'd be cussing at myself for not spending the money.

 

[eyemgh]

I've thought about a PLB as backup to the inreach but its hard to justify the cost for something that hopefully I won't need. Of course if I'm dying in the wilderness and the inreach isn't working I'd be cussing at myself for not spending the money.

The beauty of a PLB is that there's no subscription. Over the 7 year life expectancy of the battery, assuming a purchase price of $289, that equates to less than $3.50 per month. A battery is roughly $100, so it's even cheaper for the subsequent years. Pretty powerful tool for the price of a fancy candy bar.