Anyone ever use a SPOT?

[Lonestar]

Or other PLB?

Some of you know that I've gotten back into hiking after an absence of many years, and members of my family(who always go "uh, well, I got something else going on" when I ask them to join) don't like it that I'm wandering around the Appalachians by myself. I'm actually planning a fairly long hike in the future(10 days to hike through Shenandoah National Park in spring of 2011), and order to give them some peace of mind I'm thinking of getting a GPS personal locator beacon, such as a SPOT. Unfortunately the reviews on the interwebs seem to be pretty uneven.

So I am turning to you, SDN, to help me out. Anyone ever use one of these?

[weemadando]

It's not exactly a SPOT, but IIRC anyone hiking in Tasmania is strongly encouraged to carry an EPIRB nowadays (to the point where I believe it may have even been passed as legislation requiring you to take one if you are hiking). All the hikers I know carry them, but none have been forced to use them. Of course, these are emergency beacons not a "warm and fuzzy" like SPOT. My recommendation, talk to the Park Rangers, Police, SES equivalent (State Emergency Service in Australia, who do a lot of the rescues/searches) and any other relevant groups who would have to come and find you should you ever get into the shit. Find out what their preferred devices/standards are and use that to make your purchase decision.

[The_Saint]

..stuff.. Tassie...

It's not legislation but if you get lost and don't have one (and survive it) people laugh at you... conversely if you use one and didn't need to local's bang their heads on walls. There's been moves afoot to charge for helicopter extraction ($5000) due to the number of people (read: tourists) who panic. (note the state budget for search and rescue is only $85,000)

..plb stuff..

Can't comment on US equipment but there's a lot of new companies starting up hire of alterantive PLB's as a "cheaper" alternative to epirbs. Recently I was involved in a discussion forum over the use of a new locator beacon service similar to a SPOT here where the beacon can "send" multiple pre arranged signals that the company can pass on as text messages to nominated numbers. So I could program before the hike that of the pre arranged signals '1' is sent to our pick up indicating we're delayed but no emergency, '2' indicates we're leaving early by a prearranged route, '3' need more beer, etc

Looking at the size/shape of the Shenandoah Park and calling upon my Tasmanian contempt for it's level of "remoteness" I'd reconmend some kind of non-emergency PLB ie SPOT.

[Lonestar]

Looking at the size/shape of the Shenandoah Park and calling upon my Tasmanian contempt for it's level of "remoteness" I'd reconmend some kind of non-emergency PLB ie SPOT.

Yeah yeah, I'll never be more than 5 miles from a major road(Skyline Drive) and on the most well-traveled footpath on the planet. I was just asking for opinions(I guess no one here as actually used a PLB before).

[The_Saint]

...I guess no one here as actually used a PLB before.

I didn't have to "use it" but I hiked in a group that had a version of SPOT that's available here (was a pre-discussion road test).

Really it's whatever you/your relatives think peace of mind is valued at... purchasing a PLB like an epirb is expensive but it's a silver bullet solution. A PLB like a SPOT (depending on availability) should be far cheaper and offer's "alternative services" to a simple distress signal which sounds like it'd be better for you.

The discussion group I was a part of was looking at purchasing (long term hire) three SPOT like devices for use in our state (Tasmania, that little bit dangling off the bottom of Aus) by Scouting groups. At this stage it's been put on hold as 1) we don't have much money and 2) winter's coming which means we don't hike (insurance limits for under 18's).