The use case is you and your friends are at an event downtown and cell service goes out (like it does when the sites are oversubscribed). This doesn't replace GSM, it replaces walkie-talkies (or rather updates it for the text-based world). I think maybe you're looking at the wrong use case. 2 miles with those limitations is a great distance. And cell towers with all the advantages listed only travel less than 20 miles. Bear in mind, these aren't huge towers hundreds of feet above the ground with 50kWh power sources and million dollar price tags, they're battery-powered, handheld, and consumer-priced. I've been trying to solve an issue similar to what Beartooth is doing, and 2 miles is amazing range. I just don't think they're good emergency beacon replacements. I think SPOT (and the Iridium-based InReach devices - which seem to have better coverage btw) make great satellite communicators for this purpose. The only downside is that you don't get breadcrumbs or non-emergency text messaging. It would be unfortunate if you didn't get rescued because you forgot to pay a bill. The big benefit is that these are triply redundant: GPS via geostationary satellites, doppler shift triangulation via low-earth orbit satellites, and old-fashioned direction finding on the 121.5 aircraft distress frequency.Īs an added bonus, since the PLB network is run by an international government organization (COSPAS-SARSAT), there's no subscription fees either. I'd recommend an actual 406 MHz PLB (personal locator beacon). Since folks often buy these for life-and-death situations, this is a problem. If either of those aren't met, your SOS message might not go through properly. The problem with SPOT is that they're entirely reliant on GPS and having a clear view of the southern sky. That said: Having just done some research on distress beacons, I just want to point out that there's some better options than SPOT beacons out there.
Carry a cell phone, but don't rely on it. A dedicated radio (FRS, GMRS, MURS, or amateur VHF) - along with GPS and other survival gear - is essential in the backcountry. What do you do if your tent poles break? Two flat tires or a blown engine? Something gets your food? Your phone (meaning comms and maps, for the purposes we're discussing) breaks or your spare battery shorts? If you are not familiar with outdoors adventuring (and even if you are), one important exercise is to think through your gear, asking yourself how you get by without each piece. I just don't trust my life to consumer-grade tools built for the home and office that can't even get wet or survive a small drop. Oh, my phone, too, 'cause it is fun and handy. When that isn't true, I'll usually have at least a handheld ham with spare batteries, a list of repeaters around where I'll be, and GPS andd/or paper maps (along with other things of use when one is remote). That's because if I break/lose battery/lose my phone, there are always tons more around me.
I usually just have my cell phone with me, even when I'm doing some potentially sketchy things. which were not reliable in their chosen environment.įrom my perspective, it is about redundancy and flexibility within my environmental constraints. There have been hundreds of cases people suffering in various colorful ways due to reliance on cell phones, GPS, etc. If you want more horror stories involving wilderness and technical failure, I can set you up with as many as you like. This comment is FUD and based on anecdotes from two articles about Scotland. People shouldn't fear GPS devices or phones as tools for survival and navigation. In some situations, map skills and reckoning may get you home, but seeing yourself clearly marked on a map will make you safer too. Situations like I have been in, where there is so much snow coming down, that you can't see the trail you're following or cutting, much less peaks or other landmarks.
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They use battery packs and rugged/insulating cases with their iPhone and Android devices to make them durable and long-lasting.Įven if you are a master orienteer who knows how to use a compass and a map with great skill, there are situations where you will be safer to have a GPS along too (either a smartphone or standalone unit). I develop an app called Gaia GPS, which a vast array of backpackers, wildland firefighters, and SAR use as a tool to navigate in the woods. But that doesn't mean your phone isn't a good tool, or that we'd have less emergencies if they didn't exist. I agree it's foolish to do a dangerous trip with just one navigation method.
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