PLB - Personal Locator Beacon's - The Bloke
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What's interesting to me now is things like the spot, which also have a button that basically can be agreed upon to say - 'I am ok, but delayed. Don't panic just yet'.
There was a case recently where SAR was activated and the guy was 'saved' - however he had essentially been delayed by a river rising, so stayed in a cabin an extra night.
While he had a PLB, he didn't activate it, as he didn't feel he was in need of assistance. A spot could have signaled to interested parties (intentions form) that he was ok, just going to be an extra night or so.
The disadvantage with spot systems though is that they are still commercial in nature and don't have access to the same standard/network of satellite systems...
Oh, and thanks for the link... ;)
I got chatting to a Swiss backpacker recently who had invested in one of the two way satellite link gismos. He could text via satellite and allsorts. Came at a price though
I think it was one of these
DeLorme InReach Satellite Messenger Review - YouTube
You get to the point where you want a 2 way system for communicating with home, and a PLB for emergencies.
I've only ever used Iridium hand pieces for work, but have heard of these smartphone satellite adapters. I have no idea if they're proven or not.
For anyone interested:
SatSleeve for iPhone | Thuraya
Edit, just read NZL is outside their satellite network coverage so no good here. Thought I'd post it anyway as the idea may interest some one.