Activating an EPIRB or PLB in Real Life

[MudRunnerTD]

Hi guys,

Many of you would have seen the story recently about the family that got bogged in the middle of the Simpson Desert in their Camper Truck.

They activated their EPIRB and had to have airdrops and air rescue.

Here is a great interview with the guy that lived it. No Crap. No Social Media junk.... Just WHAT HAPPENED.

Well worth your time to watch. 30minutes well spent. It might save your life one day.

The last 5 minutes of the vid is the interviewer going through the options you have and how they work and it very informative.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbb8ADODZXY

[Hodge]

Great post Darren.
I watched that video yesterday. Definite eye-opener and a absolute must watch as a lot of us have this "it'll never happen to me" attitude.

I have a GME unit in the car with me no matter how long or short my trip is. I've owned one since I went out with a work mate who is a mountain climber and a caver...
And he put me in a position, where it ended up being a "WTF are you gonna do now" scenario... The next business day I went out and invested in a unit.
Cheap potential life saving insurance if you ask me.

[PeeBee]

Bought my first PLB in 1997, would not be without it. Last line of emerg defence in my view after active comms gear has failed.

[Cuppa]

We carry a PLB & a Satphone. Touch wood have never needed either, but wouldn't be without them.

Ours are in our grab bag in the car (Everyone has a grab bag when off the beaten track don't they?)

We really ought to carry the PLB when away from the car too, but generally we don't. Our GME PLB is great, but when it needs replacing in 2024 we'll look for a smaller unit that we can carry more easily in a pocket.

Every time the topic of PLB's comes up I remember the advice an old friend offers to folks. He reminds them that accidents can happen near home just as easily as in remote areas, & recounts the sad tale of someone driving home at night on a well used road, & who in an accident scenario had the car leave the road, over an embankment. He was hurt, but not killed, but he died because he was inside his trapped car which could not be seen from the road & wasn't found in time. Less than 10km from home. If he had had a PLB in the car he would have survived.

[MudRunnerTD]

Cuppa check out the last 5 minutes of that vid. The guy is an Ex Helicopter rescue pilot and avid adventurer. He rates the GPS Locator as the goto on land. When he is canoeing he has his life vest around his waste and the GPS locator os permanently clipped to it.

He also rates a PLB or GPS locator over an EPIRB on land as it uses the GPS system bit then scans for tracking signal s from approaching aircraft and will bring it straight in. An EPIRB has to bounce around the globe first and won't hone in. He does say that limitation is any when on a Land Track. On Water in open Ocean an EPIRB excels and is the only way to go.

[pollenface]

Thanks for posting, I carry a PLB1 in my dirtbike riding gear.

[Maxhead]

Been meaning to get one for a while now…thanks for the reminder.

Good video too btw


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[MB]

Agreed, Awesome video thanks Dazman [emoji106][emoji106]
Only a couple of years ago too purchased a GME EPIRB for a last line of assistance for solo missions with our youngest daughter adventuring in the Vic High Country.

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2022/01/215.jpg

No doubt there is better/cheaper models out now with GPS enabled functionality but either way her solo missions education was to only perform the 2 stage simple activation under severe removable duress.

Our GO-TO communication device is currently the Iridium- GO when out of mobile reception.

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2022/01/216.jpg

As Cuppa kindly mentioned it lives in the GG’s “Grab Bag” ( my handbag ) and also has ease of connectivity to any mobile phone with Australian invented WiFi including SOS programmability without a handset connected.
FWIW: Around 20% cheaper to buy than a full Iridium handset but also has a secondary weather App than can be downloaded onto devices prior to departure.

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2022/01/217.jpg




http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2022/01/218.jpg


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