Are we behind the times? How many carry use PLB's?

countrryboy

Well-Known Member
Alright folks.

Just wondering are UK staklers and hill walkers outdoor people behind the times when it comes to carrying PLB's and satelite tracker devices?

Been a few tragic deaths in the hills this winter as there will be most winters really, and with that young keeper having a bit of a kucky escape (well lucky he was well prepared and kept his head).
But when u see the ammount of man hours and risk the local volanteer Mountain rescue teams are putting in to find them.
In any rescue situation if u had a PLB the rescue teams or helicopter could pinpoint where u were exactly and save them a lot of searching, just got to resue u then.

Tragically 2 walkers dies sort of near me recently, know the area fairly well and for all it will look totally different when fog or a whiteout conditions its a reasonably well populated area ith a lot of proper hill roads and quad tracks over the hils, i would bet if they pushed the button the MRT could probably have drove there 4x4 with a mile of them if not closer.
Same with the young keeper, bet his head keeper could of drove his skidoo out to the break down and gave him a lift home and dragged the broken 1 back for repairs, would not of taken long if he knew where he was and was broken down. Prob wouldnae have needed the MRT involvement

I was lucky enough to be in NZ a few years ago and done a bit of fishing, hunting and walking with some kiwi mates. There not the most sensible or H&S aware yet always take a PLB everytime they go bush even when fairly close to home.
Met some other lads, friends of my mates, the most red neck bunch of folk i've ever met, great lads thou, yet they all routinely carry a PLB all the time. 1 lad had a pouch sown on his pig sticking belt next his his knife for it.
When u go to rural NZ almost ever small shop, petrol station is hiring them out for a not a lot of money.


Is there a reason why they haven't caught on in UK?
Is there also a reason why MRT spokes people are not pushing them more?
Been in papers and on radio a bit but i've never heard them mentioned. Even when u get the usual H&S nutters/tabloids trying to ban folk from going out in the hills never heard anyone mention them either

Seema complete no brainer to me.
I'm bad for moaning abot stupid meaningless tickets but cannot understand how PLB's are not needed instead of a 1st aid ticket, i know which 1 will probably save more lifes
 
Bought a satellite phone recently. Brilliant signal on our ground where no mobile signal whatsoever.
 
Knowing the UK the reason is probably ££££££££

It is certainly hard to bring yourself to spend the money on something that almost everyone who owns one will never use. On top of this you have to actually carry the thing with you and I'd guess most stalkers wander down a farmers field for a few hours of an evening so it would be pretty hard to convince yourself that you needed to carry state of the art emergency gear under those circumstances.

It is also the case that up until very recently PLBs were not licensed for use onshore in the UK, they were only allowed to be used at sea. For this reason I guess they weren't marketed to the UK walking/stalking/outdoor type market and so they don't have a user base.
 
Most places in the UK have mobile phone coverage as we live on a relatively small island. My iphone supplies my exact location if required.
MS
 
Part of the joy of stalking for me is getting into wild places where there is no mobile signal !
 
Most places in the UK have mobile phone coverage as we live on a relatively small island. My iphone supplies my exact location if required.
MS

Got quite a few mates who cannae get signals in there house in towns and villages never mind going into more remote places.

Some woods u can get signals but an awful lot are pretty patchy and only on top of hills facing the right direction.

Some of the cotton wool brigade were on about making everyone have outdoors ins, guessing would be a bit like in europe where only rescue u after u've showed ur ins.


Are sat phones not expensive red neck?
We bought my dad a lerome Inreach a few years ago to act as a tracker as well as a plb, tracking has worked well. Seemingly u can link them to mobiles to make a sat phone but none of us have fancy enough mobiles to do it
 
Also silly gun laws.. the Singh case (?) that classed pen flares or rather the pen flare launchet as a s1 firearm. But so what if someone dies because of no longer being able to carry one on the hill. 'Cos we are better of without such things the law has decided.And I don't know what a PLB is either?
 
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Sorry Personal Locator Beacons, basically a mobile sized thing with a button u push to send an SOS, meant to guarantee a signal within 99% of world or something and whole of uk no matter where u are, and straight to stelites so works where no phone signal

About 170ish quid as a 1 off payment but lasts for about 8 years i think then needs a new battery, can only use them the once thou.
Also get satelite tracker things that are cheaper to buy and give out a signal every 10 mins or so but have a monthly bill
 
Personal location beacon once activated it sends a signal to the emergency services cost about £150
 
Most places in the UK have mobile phone coverage as we live on a relatively small island. My iphone supplies my exact location if required.
MS

Plenty places in the Highlands where you can't get a signal, and the Highlands are probably where a PLB would be of most use, on an estate where I worked 32,000 acres I only found one spot where I could get a mobile signal and that was poor.
 
Also silly gun laws.. the Singh case (?) that classed pen flares or rather the pen flare launchet as a s1 firearm. But so what if someone dies because of no longer being able to carry one on the hill. 'Cos we are better of without such things the law has decided.And I don't know what a PLB is either?

and countryboy goes on about kiwis not being sensible and h/s aware........personal locator beacon
 
change mine every 5 years £170 McMurdo that works out at 65p per week anybody going out on the hill or to remote places that does not have one is stupid you cannot put a price on life
 
It all depends on your situation. If you are going to use a PLB ask yourself these simple questions:
1. Will you carry a mobile phone?
2. Will you always have cellular coverage?
3. Do you have a 5W walkie talkie?
4. Do you hunt alone?
 
Most Scottish forests have no phone signal at all (in fact, pretty much everywhere I have been stalking, even in England, has had patchy coverage at best... stalking areas tend to be remote so by default there isn't the coverage!) so relying on your iPhone, particularly north of the border, is both stupid and selfish (remember... you go missing and you are putting other peoples lives at risk, not just yours!)

Anyhoo... have carried a PLB for the last 5 years.

One main reason they haven't 'taken off' in the UK is that, until 18 months ago, they weren't legal to use on land... you could only 'legally' use them in the air or at sea! until the restrictions were lifted I went with the attitude that if I press the button, they ain't going to ignore it regardless of where I am... I will however be happily alive to deal with the legal action taken against me for incorrect use!!!!! Now that that ridiculous bit of legislation has been removed, the take up will no doubt be higher. Quite a few of my stalking buddies have bought them recently.

The other reason they haven't taken off is the insane notion that one's mobile phone will get one out of trouble if a disaster happens...... erm... not if its smashed, has a dead battery, gets dropped in water or doesn't have a signal it won't!!!!!
 
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