[pct-l] personal locator beacons

[Ron Graybill]

I hiked the first 20 miles of the PCT (11 miles, camped, then the final 9)
this past weekend with *DeLorme inReach 2-Way Satellite Communicator *which
offers versions which work either with Apple or Android. (I had an Android
phone with both DeLorme's *Earthmate* app and *Backcountry*
*Navigator*App).  One has to pay a subscription price to send and
receive messages. I
ended up with several problems with messaging feature and am waiting for
them to respond to my questions.  But I will say this for sure: The Delorma
Topo map that they offer on their *Earthmate* App is virturally worthless
for seeing if you're on the PCT at any given time.  You can open up the map
on your Android and the arrow indicating your current location is almost
never on the smoothly curving line they have on their map to indicate the
course of the PCT. The one advantage is that you don't have to have the GPS
location services turned on your Android in order to see your location on *
Earthmate*, so if you're content to just have a general idea that you're
somewhere near where you're supposed to be, I guess it's okay. And of
course there is an SOS button on the InReach so if you break a leg or get
bit by a rattlesnake it will send a message to the nearest Search and
Rescue with your precise location.

I'd love to hear from others who have more experience with *InReach*--there
may be other maps available for *Earthmate*, hopefully some into which you
can download PCT waypoints.

On the other hand, if you use the *Backcountry Navigator* app (which has no
relationship to Delorme's *inReach*), download the PCT waypoints to it,
turn on your smartphone's location services, and happen to have a
connection to your service provider's network, then you can see quite
precisely where you are and that you're still on the trail. And at many
points along that 20 miles stretch, I did have cell phone service,
sometimes even 4G, so I could use *Backcountry Navigator*. I also overcame
the inReach's message problems by simply phoning my wife from time to time!
 I hope to do the PCT in many small sections, so as I advance, I probably
won't feel the need to keep so connected--but to begin with we wanted to
see what was possible.

I hike slowly, so the 20 miles took me a total of 15 hours, during which
time I used four of the small sized batteries in my Verizon HTC
Thunderbolt, keeping my location services off most of the time.  But I also
took quite a few pictures with the camera on the smartphone.

On Fri, Mar 1, 2013 at 10:59 PM, Chris Anderson <srhspaded at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I am looking at PLB's right now due to pressure from my family and loved
> ones.  I am looking at the spot, and also the acr resqlink.  the spot is
> cheaper but requires a yearly plan, while the resqlink is more expensive,
> it doesn't require paying for a subscription.  Does anybody have experience
> or knowledge about the two comparing their satellite coverage?  I have
> heard the spot device is "spotty" when sending the OK msg...and the acr
> doesn't have that option.  I'm not interested in options, just peace of
> mind for others...so how do i find out if one or the other has better
> coverage/transmission.  The acr seems to be a cheaper buy even if more
> expensive since i plan on causing my loved ones more trepidation in the
> future...sometimes you can't convince people you will be ok...and it would
> be nice to have a backup backup plan in case i end up not ok
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________________________________________
> Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even
> though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who
> neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that
> knows neither victory nor defeat!
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-- 
Ronald D. Graybill, PhD
Centennial Historian
White Memorial Medical Center
1720 East Cesar Chavez Ave.
Los Angeles, CA  90033

Home: Riverside, CA
(909) 910-9339 (mobile--txt messages ok)