PLB suggested for all and sundry.

[John Gryphon]

Why are Australians still getting lost and dying in the outback?

Kelly’s son and ex-husband died "stupid" deaths in the Australian outback. She’s on a mission to make sure no more lives are lost.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Taff]

I always carry mine even with others, dense bush can be easily turned around or even a gallon into a gully your mates may never find you

 

[John Gryphon]

I always carry mine even with others, dense bush can be easily turned around or even a gallon into a gully your mates may never find you

Lots of cracks,crevices and bush your way. I reckon we went through schitt that only a goblin would go so I named it Goblin Bush.

 

[Kiwiguy]

My wife and I both carry PLB units while hunting. One block called the Pureora Forest has Tomos which are vertical potholes. I have seen many but one in particular is about 5m in diameter and upwards of 10m deep. If you survived the fall a PLB would be the only way to send a distress signal, there is no cellphone coverage.

 

[wytonpjs]

PLBs are good one-shot emergency devices. I carry a Motorola Deny on my bino harness shoulder strap. That has a SOS function to a worldwide overwatch centre and, using the Bullitt satellite messaging App on my phone as a front end, I get worldwide message and position reports over satellite.



Where GSM coverage exists, I’m also running an Honest Mobile eSim which gives me unlimited data on certain Apps like WhatsApp on the big carriers EE, O2, 3 and Vodaphone.

 

[John Gryphon]

PLBs are good one-shot emergency devices. I carry a Motorola Deny on my bino harness shoulder strap. That has a SOS function to a worldwide overwatch centre and, using the Bullitt satellite messaging App on my phone as a front end, I get worldwide message and position reports over satellite.

View attachment 477250

Where GSM coverage exists, I’m also running an Honest Mobile eSim which gives me unlimited data on certain Apps like WhatsApp on the big carriers EE, O2, 3 and Vodaphone.

View attachment 477255

The cost of running that gear is? Is there a subscription fee?
Gotta ask where are you hunting with a need to be carrying that much gear?

 

[wytonpjs]

The cost of running that gear is? Is there a subscription fee?

First image above - £95 a year unlimited. I would hasten to say I was an early adopter and have a loyalty subscription but frankly £2/week to have that capability wherever I’m stalking is great piece of mind, especially when I’m out solo, remote and on the quad.

 

[John Gryphon]

First image above - £95 a year unlimited. I would hasten to say I was an early adopter and have a loyalty subscription but frankly £2/week to have that capability wherever I’m stalking is great piece of mind, especially when I’m out solo, remote and on the quad.

Yes understood remote,we do remote big time here.
I edited my OP to ask a second question whilst you were answering.

 

[Kiwiguy]

Should my wife or I trigger our PLB units we can send them back to the NZ distributor and they will reset the unit and replace the battery for around NZ$240 (around £100). The batteries last seven years and can be replaced

 

[wytonpjs]

Yes understood remote,we do remote big time here.
I edited my OP to ask a second question whilst you were answering.

I started down this route years ago when I started stalking in Scotland where signal was extremely limited. Whilst it’s got better, I’m now stalking in an area where you are very remote with almost no signal.

However, I went stalking in deepest Wiltshire yesterday late afternoon on a large MOD training estate. As you will imagine, the terrain is interesting with the features torn up by heavy tracked vehicles. Much of it has no reliable GSM signal and whilst we have a “buddy” remote overwatch via a GSM-based live location there are large areas with absolutely no signal. Frankly, the investment is minimal and it gives me significant piece of mind that I’m not going to lie somewhere conscious, but immobile and unable to raise assistance - I’m also not getting any younger!

The ability to easily send domestic updates can be quite useful too

 

[wytonpjs]

Should my wife or I trigger our PLB units we can send them back to the NZ distributor and they will reset the unit and replace the battery for around NZ$240 (around £100). The batteries last seven years and can be replaced

My day job is maritime safety and PLBs are a common item - I carry one on my LSJ. Intended for use at sea, in the UK they are tolerated for emergency ground use but regs have recently changed requiring registration of these devices.

 

[countrryboy]

I must admit Nz is so far ahead on carrying PLBs it is unbelievable.

If u go into a rural/walking type area a lot of rural petrol stations or village shops will hire them out by the day/week.
And folk actually hire them and that would be 25yrs ago.

I can't believe they don't get more publicity in the uk, especially in places like lake district or Highlands where u get a lot of folk walking.
It may not save a lot of life's ( as not many lost) but it would save the MR volunteers a heap of time looking for folk

I've gave a few kiwi mates who hunt, they are also some of the drunkest and most irresponsiblefolk I know ( sometimes mixing alcohol and firearms )
But they never go out bush without 1, even walking their dogs.

 

[Oh6]

PLBs are a common item - I carry one on my LSJ. Intended for use at sea, in the UK they are tolerated for emergency ground use.

Yeah, having carried a PLB for a lot of years I always found that amusing. Before PLBs became legal for land use, I think that a lot of people took the view that they can fine or tell me off once you have rescued me thanks.

 

[CAVHUNT]

I carry a GME MT610G 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacon with GPS Multicoloured. 7 year life span with no ongoing fees/charges etc. Extremely simple to activate which is what is needed in a crisis/stressed situation.

 

[dartmoordog]

Around 150 people die and 4000 are rescued every year in UK mountains and National Parks, Mountain Rescue are a busy bunch and an organisation I am willing donate to when I can. But the vast majority of incidents are through sheer stupidity, ignorance, lack of knowledge, training and kit.

Just last year a friend and myself were out on a hike on Dartmoor, nothing special, 10 or 12 miles, between us we had two maps, two compasses, a Garmin Sat Nav and two phones, plus two First Aid Kits, and I left a route plan with Mrs Dartmoor. Not a bad spring day, but like all of our higher ground areas, the weather can change in a blink, as can the visibility, from good to zero. Being able to navigate is an absolute must. Half way through we stumbled upon a lone man sat on a rock, yep, he was totally lost, no OS map or compass, no sat nav and unbelievably no phone…….He had a small road atlas! I gave him advice on which way to go by following landmarks, or come with us, he declined both, saying he was determined to head West! I explained he had two river crossings and was heading straight for a large mire, mires and bogs that suck in a pony or cattle with ease. We left him sat on the rock, he was an ignorant townie who thought his £120 Nike Airs would see him out of trouble. I informed a mate who is in Mountain Rescue, giving him a 10 figure NGR. I heard no more, so he must had heeded the advice.

Please don’t think the U.K. doesn’t do remote and dangerous, because it most certainly does, as many find out to their detriment every year. Get lost and ill equipped and trained on the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, The Lake District, Peak District, Dartmoor etc on a tricky winters day, and you may not walk of those mountains/hills. Do that in the Highlands of Scotland, and you are in very, very serious trouble. The SAS don’t use the Beacons because it’s easy!

 

[zambezi]

PLB are not cheap, but they are long-lived. And what price your rescue anyway?

If you do get one, make sure it is a 406Mhz satellite-connecting unit, and register via the UK govt online service. In the event that your registered PLB is activated, they have details of the owner, contact numbers, next-of-kin, etc to start search enquiries.

Register a UK 406 MHz beacon

Register a UK 406 MHz emergency beacon

www.gov.uk

OR:

Contact the UK Beacon Registry team to:

• get help registering online
• register multiple beacons at once
• register by post

The UK Beacon Registry
ukbeacons@mcga.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)20 3817 2006
Fax: +44 (0)1326 319264
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (except public holidays)
Find out about call charges

 

[UpNorthMI]

It's hard for people to understand just how remote Australia areas are, my son and I hunted in the Northern Territory for Buffalo and Camel, cell phone service quickly disappears once you head out of the main towns. We had a Garmin InReach Satellite communicator with an SOS feature, it worked very well in the remote areas and allowed you to sent texts globally. We had a full time guide and were hunting on ranches that were over 1 million acres each. Even on roads sometimes you would not see another vehicle for many hours. We did a fishing trip by helicopter and fly for over 2 hours without seeing a road, house or anything other than wild land. While hunting I wore a compass on a lanyard and would take a bearing every time we left the vehicle to wander off in the bush, this helped a couple of times as we had to work out how to return to a vehicle in the middle of nowhere in bush cover.

Leaving a vehicle can quickly result in becoming disorientated in bush, everything looks the same.

I also own a PLB that I carry in the US when I'm working on my woodland hunting property, I operate a lot of machinery and chain saws, cell phone coverage is sketchy at best, but even if services showed up at my land finding me in dense woodland would be nearly an impossible task.

Spending time in remote places can be a dangerous thing, it's good to be prepared. Serious Australians are normally well kitted out with additional gas, several spare tires, hi lift jack and some knowledge about vehicle repair and recovery. I've travelled a lot of the world, Australia was definitely the most remote of any place I've been. Plan and stay safe.