I'm sorry if this has been discussed before, but I haven't found anyhting using the search function.

Who here uses a Personal Locator Beacon or something like a Spot, InReach, Fast Find, etc?

I've never tripped with one, and I'm given to understand that the ones that work in the BWCA may not work in the Q.

I'd be more apt to use a PLB rather than the subscription based services of the SPOT or InReach, but still haven't pulled the trigger.

Thoughts?

I use a spot. If you only go on one or 2 trips a year it is cheaper to rent than the service costs.  They have worked well for me and I have gotten good service from the renters.   Read the instructions carefully before the trip.  I send OK messages every day when I get in camp for the day.  Make sure no one will panic if you forget or an ok message does not arrive.  I tell my wife if I am moving I am OK.

I also use a SPOT-2 (basic unit). At $100 for the unit + $100 annual subscription costs, the price isn't too abusive.

Here's a recent review cited on one of our local GPS store websites:
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And some user comments from another local GPS store (not all positive)
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My own unit has worked perfectly.

Some people need the ability to send text messages, but the basic unit has all the functionality I need.  You can send 4 different messages: "I'm OK" "SOS" "Send Help" and "Custom", all of which are tagged with a map location. I use "Custom" to mean "Schedule delay, either due to stormy weather or more fish than I can eat in one day." With some imagination (time stamp, sending multiple messages etc) you could probably encode a whole bunch of preselected "custom messages" in this one button.

If all you really want is something to call for help in an emergency, SPOT seems to work fine, and as the industry standard, you don't have to worry that the company will be gone in six months.

Spot is for your loved ones to let them know to are fine.  It is reliable enough for me to not worry in the Q or BWCAW.  And I carry it in my car rest of year in case of an emergency and no cell service.  If you want higher reliability or heading north or south of the satellites Spot uses or worry about being down and unable to move under dense tree coverage or in a deep ravine or cave, get a PLB.  It has but one option and it's nuclear, but you'll be rescued anywhere in the world.  May have been on solo tripper but ther are some really good posts on this subject.  Also two reports on QJ I think of actual emergency use of Spot.  Made me feel more secure.

I may have related this before but it bears repeating......it has a bit of entertainment value as well.

When I crashed and burned at WCPP I spent the night on a sandbar and realizing that Red Lake outfitters had removed my vehicle I was between a rock and a hard place. Even if someone could help me get my stuff to my EP there was still no way out. I cranked up the SOS so I could get on with life. After about 3 or 4 hours I decided to send a "send help" message to my wife figuring she could call park service.

Little did I know that Search and Rescue Had already called my wife to glean as much info about me as possible. I also didn't realize that S&R had been delayed because of severe smoke at the Red Lake airport due to the numerous wildfires raging.

I had pooped the knee back into place during the night (ouch) and could now hobble around. Might as well try some of my new lures out I figured. In the meantime I had the "send Help" messaging on and on the little sandbar. In the hours time I had the function set it had sent 9 messages to my wife. The poor woman who thought I was sending each one. So while I was connecting with the errant walleye my poor wife thought I was in dire straights indeed.

So the lesson is the "send help" messaging will keep sending a "send help" message every 10 minutes or so as long as you have it on. One might be wise to relate that info to the receiving party so they don't freak out.

if all you are looking for is just something to send an SOS - the PLB is the best option

if you want to communicate reliably, rent a Satellite phone

if you want to do route tracking stuff, spot works for that

Spot has its problems - if you look at various backpacking websites, etc, you find a  lot of false messages sent, and a lot of I'm Ok messages that don't get thru - could be user error, or just not 100% reliability

I don't have one, but my most recent example of SPOT error was on Dec 1st - elk hunting, at the parking lot where I was camped out - a guy drives up about 3:00 and is hanging around his truck, and eventually we talk - he just received a spot message from his brother and a friend,  that was a "code" that meant they'd killed an elk and wanted this guy to come help haul the meat out - so he waits and waits, maybe a couple of hours and finally at dusk his brother and the friend come out to the parking lot -surprised to see this guy there - no, they didn't get an elk, must have hit the send button by mistake while the spot was in his pocket!

there have been a lot of search and rescue ops prompted by people who panicked because they didn't receive the OK messages they were expecting

keep that in mind if you go with the SPOT option -

personally, for Quetico ? or most places I go - I'll use smoke signals




"I tell my wife if I am moving I am OK." --- this prompted one of the search and recsue ops I've read about - someone lost their gps, and of course, it stopped moving, so......

There are "issues" with every form of communication is there not? While I have heard of unintentional messaging being sent via SPOT that has largely been remedied with covers that prevent accidental promptings.

In my past life  ;) (when I was younger) I spent many months each year alone in the woods and largely off trail and without a soul knowing where I was at. I thought nothing of it.....literally second nature.

How ironic the very first time I get a communication device it becomes a tool which saved me a very great amount of frustration. That was a huge relief not to have to spend who knows how long stuck on a little sandbar with no expectation of help and at the COMPLETE mercy of a passerby who would not only have to help me to the take out but also drive me to town if they were so inclined. As is obvious the SPOT put power into my own hands.......That is supremely important to someone as self reliant as myself ( HELP!  ;D )

Since I am no longer indestructible my thought process has  changed. SPOT will certainly accompany me into the Quetico and even a daytrip into the ten thousand islands. It is small and lightweight enough........

On a more remote trip however I would employ a SAT phone in the future. I would still like very much to finish what I started in WCPP and will not second guess my strategy of having my vehicle remotely parked some weeks later. The caveat being is that I must have an out. The SAT phone and the ability to call a floatplane is that out........the SPOT can be a backup. Redundant perhaps but I will likely be alone (who can go for 3 to 4 weeks?) and am no longer as tough as I once was but rather oldish and wee bit frail.

Spot has tried to address some of the issues M_M mentioned, but it still has some bugs. I know guys had problems with the 1st ones, like not knowing if their message was sent. Spot added a "message sent" light to the new ones, but it comes on while it's still "sending". It doesn't mean the message is done sending  ::) Oops
Engineers need to try again "issue 3"  ;D

Spot did cover the buttons better as M_T says. And there's two "I'm OK" buttons, so there's more options for coded messages like "I got my Elk. Come help me pack it out."

My opinion is Spot is more for fun, comfort for contacting those at home, and maybe taunting some friends that didn't get to go  ;)

Really reliable SOS help is the PLB.

Thank you to everyone.
I've been thinking about this for a couple of years and still haven't decided what to do.
I did take a SAT phone with me on one of my solo trips and found it to be a bother - heavy, and difficult to connect.
I'll probably keep thinking about this for awhile yet!   :)

IBFLY (IBBY for short  ;) )

Have you checked out some of the new generation SAT phones? I was under the impression that the SAT phones were heavy, large and cumbersome with unreliable coverage. I haven't really done my research yet but I have done enough to dispel my previously held position. Size and weight seem entirely doable to me and coverage is dependent upon the company you choose........

check it out......
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Jim J Solo wrote on Jan 10^th, 2013 at 7:49pm:

Really reliable SOS help is the PLB.

Do you know of an instance of a Spot having failed to send an SOS message?  I agree a PLB is more robust than a Spot but, are you sure a Spot is not robust enough?  I feel 100% comfortable with a Spot.

I have used a SPOT for the past several years.  I go solo for 1-2 weeks at a time in BW or Q and I do that 3-5 times a season.  I send an okay message every day.  When I check the map on my computer after I return I find the locator has set my position exactly. 
I did freak out my "pickup" person the first time I hit the "help" button....repeating urgent messages on his cell phone....until he realized they were coming from the landing where I was waiting for him, a day earlier than planned.
I have not had any issues with accidentally sent messages or with messages that did not get sent.  On occasion I will have to move the SPOT around camp to be sure a message gets sent; mine has a message sent function which lets me know if it has worked or not.   :thumbup

I've used the SPOT 1 for three seasons now.  Never had a problem.  Like IC mentioned, a couple times, I needed to move it near the shoreline to get it to link with the satellites.  I know it's sent the ok message when the 2 lights stop blinking together and only one blinks.  I'll use the "help" message only if I'm staying at the same site the next night due to weather or because it's a really nice location.  Haven't had to send an SOS message....knock on wood....it is fun to get home and see the track and campsites I used during the trip....

BillConner wrote on Jan 15^th, 2013 at 2:57pm:

Do you know of an instance of a Spot having failed to send an SOS message?

Check out the stories in the GPS City link I posted earlier. Although the "SOS" and "I'm OK" buttons work a bit differently in their attempts to send messages, I suspect that in practice the two have close to the same reliability. You will have to decide for yourself whether many peoples' problems result from not reading the directions. I assume you would test your unit out for mechanical soundness before going into the wilderness.

My SPOT unit worked fine under normal (WCPP) tree cover, and also from inside a tent. I was encouraged by the backpacking mag's tests in Utah slot canyons too (see other link above). So the "clear unobstructed view of the satellites" requirement may not be as bad as it sounds.

With a SPOT unit, you do still have to press the buttons. If you are incapacitated under an avalanche for example, a PLB will help you, where a SPOT will not.

I have found that the satellites must be low in the southern horizon re: the BW and Q; as I need to position the SPOT definitely facing south to get the best and fastest results.  I also have NOT had luck in sending from under trees or in the tent (which is usually under a tarp as well).  It has worked well placed on the dash of my car and facing out the window.

I learned after testing at home that after pressing a button to just let it sit till it auto offs.  I have not had clear sky problem - generally set on fire ring when we first make camp so usually off by time we are set up.  I read comments and a lot of negatives seemed about money and cost and customer service. 

AS to renting a SPOT,  -how's that work? Do you just link up with with the renter, and then have your 'homebodies' take assurance in knowing that 'somebody' knows where you're at?    What's a pbl, or plb, or whatever?   As you can probably tell,I really have'nt embraced much of anything developed in the tech world yet. I'm trying... (a little bit). :-?

BillConner wrote on Jan 16^th, 2013 at 2:05am:

I read comments and a lot of negatives seemed about money and cost and customer service.

Bill I read the same reviews about customer service. That is a shame, you ALWAYS want your clients best interests at heart.

The exception is the folks who purchased insurance for the unit......evidently you are taken care of pronto if that is the case.

As for renting......can you rent a SPOT? I hate renting anything except for a post hole digger and a car.......I certainly wouldn't rent a SAT phone or PLB. Way to much chance for abuse in the renting world IMO.

I bought but have read that some outfitters do rent.  I assume their rental includes editing the list of recipients and the messages.  Not the best user interface (last I used it in the summer) but maybe 15 minutes to create a new list of email or txt addresses and custom messages.  Lynn from VNO can fill in details - I know she is on CCBB and BWCA boards.

I have rented from

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and
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intrepid_camper wrote on Jan 15^th, 2013 at 3:16pm:

mine has a message sent function which lets me know if it has worked or not.   :thumbup

Mine too. I turned mine off after getting the message sent light. Half my messages didn't get through. After talking to Spot Support, I was told to let it run about 15 mins longer. Spot Support told me the light really meant the message was "being" sent, not already sent. So I'm thinking it should be labeled a message "sending" light  ::)

BillConner wrote on Jan 15^th, 2013 at 2:57pm:

Jim J Solo wrote on Jan 10th, 2013 at 7:49pm: Really reliable SOS help is the PLB. Do you know of an instance of a Spot having failed to send an SOS message?  I agree a PLB is more robust than a Spot but, are you sure a Spot is not robust enough?  I feel 100% comfortable with a Spot.

Bill, No I haven't. I think the issues with the early models and not knowing if the "I'm OK" messages were getting through created a lack of trust. My guess?? Some outfitters/guides expressed a lack of confidence in Spots. They had used PLB before and trusted them.

We'll use both on Lake Superior. One of us will carry the Spot and the other a PLB. In Q I'll just use a Spot. Mostly to send "I'm OK" to tripping partner's loved ones at home, and it still has a SOS feature.

Jim  J - were I on Lake Superior other than very near shore I'd consider a PLB.  Like you, in the Q, I do not worry with a Spot.  (I use second button to say pick me up with intent my location will be obvious where - ep or whatever in case I'm out early or other than where planned - and third one to say - trouble, I can't move or get out myself but not in meed of immediate assistance - which leaves a challenge for my sons (I only send that one to them - my wife would get upsate and sons are very thoughtful and familiar with the area) to decide if they can arrange something or shoud call for emergency services or leave me to hit SOS after no one shows.

Intrepid - I think it auto offs so I just make sure both lights illuminate   and then forget it.  I agree though it would be better if it said "sending" rather than sent, but I just looked and my spot 2 just shows an envelope with a contrail, so less - or more - uncertain as to meaning.

BillConner wrote on Jan 17^th, 2013 at 9:30pm:

I just looked and my spot 2 just shows an envelope with a contrail, so less - or more - uncertain as to meaning.

Bill, You are correct. I was going from memory and my impression of what the symbols meant. Knowing the complains I had heard, I was thinking Spot had an absolute fix. But since it wasn't designed to receive signals it probably can't display a message sent light.