[pct-l] To SPOT or not to SPOT [AND] Money along the

[Ned Tibbits]

>From our point of view as practical wilderness safety instructors, the SPOT 
system provides a fallible sense of security. Do not place your safety, 
security, or peace of mind on anything electronic in the backcountry. They 
can fail in more ways than one and the ripples can be felt a long ways (you 
may not know that your friends back home are getting really worried or that 
30 or 40 SAR people are being mobilized to go look for you!)

However, the idea is a good one. It's just not perfected yet! During one of 
our SAR training exercises we had an Air Force Captain teaching us about how 
the Emergency Location Transmitters (PLBs, ELTs, SPOTs, etc.) and the system 
of satellites they work within connect to his National Response Center (out 
in Nebraska or Kansas, if I recall right) and forces get dispatched to aid 
the lost or injured. In essence, the SPOT works on a different and smaller 
network of satellites from those used by the military and commercial 
aircraft (think multiple satellites flying two grid patterns across the 
globe both longitudinally and latitudinally compared to two flying just one 
direction). Thus, it takes longer to connect with the SPOT system (which 
then has to call the National Response Center to request help for you) and 
get resources mobilized your way.

As many of you have already said, the SPOT units, themselves, do not always 
make their daily signal connections either (and unfortunately, you don't 
know this at the time).

Either way, you, the user, thinks that everyone back home is merrily 
watching your progress and getting your daily "I'm fine" messages while you 
figure that if anything does go wrong, all you have to do is rely on 
technology to "call for help" when it may either not be able to do so or 
just take quite a while to do it.

Then we have the issue of battery maintenance--don't let them get cold or 
run out of power or let the unit get wet. Will you be able to guarantee this 
once you hit the backcountry?

Yes, they are lighter and cheaper than a more definitive answer, but are 
they a sufficiently reliable and predictable method of safety 
communications? What do the smart Guide Services use? They are leading 
novice hikers and climbers all the time into remote, rugged international 
locales. What works for them?

A Satellite phone.



Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
www.mountaineducation.org
-----Original Message----- 
From: Jeffrey Olson
Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2012 2:47 PM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] To SPOT or not to SPOT [AND] Money along the

Having started hiking alone before there were guidebooks- only topo maps
- let alone SPOT or iridium satellite phones, the idea of carrying
something that would let my loved ones know how I am is a bit over the top.

I hiked a long section hike with a girlfriend in the early 90s. Her dad
was dying of colon cancer.  We were hiking at a pace where we would get
to town and a phone every week or so.  The day we got closer to town
she'd get emotional cry her way down the trail.  I totally got it and
left her alone.

She'd check in and her spirits would rise and we'd have a great time
eating town food and doing couple stuff.

The listserv started back in 1994 or 1995 if I remember correctly (Brick
of course knows).  If you have access to archives, spend a half hour or
so reading what people talked about.

One thing that's pretty obvious, is there were few, if any, women
participating in discussions, or starting the trail alone.  That has
changed wonderfully!

There was also no way that someone on the trail could communicate with
the outside world outside of towns.

I totally support young men and women, who often times for the first
time, are doing something outside of parental influence, gently insist
that s/he will check in when they get to a town, and that the parental
units may not hear anything for a couple weeks. You might help them,
"Get used to it..."

I know it won't be long before you'll be able to lie in your tent near
Tyndall Creek and talk to your Mom (mine is 86) on the phone.

The question will become, do you want to...

Jeffrey Olson
Rapid City, SD



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