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I did all my remote travel solo
uhf for close call coms
hf, used to do twice daily log ins, long distance coms
sat ph, odd call to family to maintain contact
epirb, never used but always carried if walking more than about 10m from vehicle
and the normal ph
cover all your bases as you only get one chance sometimes
cheers
blaze
I know everyone has there own decision making processes but just to widen the options in this thread for Less cost than an EPIRB plus Spot unit you could have bought a SatSleeve Hotspot and put it on the Optus $15 a month sat plan (half the price of Spot monthly)
The nice thing about this setup is for general comms to loved ones you can setup a “system” of 1/ sat phone calling then hanging up.
2/ Then the contact can call back and it is the same cost as calling any mobile phone (often free)
In a vehicle based emergency situation most likely mechanical than medical
It’s pretty nice to have some AULRO legend contacts who can phone diagnose or order parts etc etc
And in a true emergency direct comms with emergency services can be very helpful compared to a beacon and nothing else.
When on the boat besides it being mandatory EPIRB makes sense because SHTF moments happen quickly and can have far quicker fatal consequences
Vehicle based in the bush things are much slower. Even a snake bite I’d prefer sat comms over an EPIRB? With sat phone direct contact an evac plan can be negotiated as opposed to an EPIRB which will be “whatever resource can be mustered”
Anyways that’s my thoughts on the matter!
Satphone on cheap monthly plan for land based activity
Satphone plus EPIRB for on water activity
Are my emergency choices
Steve
We went with a satellite phone rather than an EPIRB or spot for the two way communication mentioned.Quote:
Originally Posted by roverrescue
We carry it in the vehicle and with our fosiking equipment.
I liked the idea of being able to talk directly to a person in a medical situation to either get appropriate first aid information or organise for an medical evacuation. The same applied for a vehicle based situation where we could improvise a repair and have parts sent to an appropriate meeting point.
I’m happy with decision after the following happened...
On a trip I lead a few years ago our group split into 2, one headed more remote while the other stayed on main dirt roads. The remote group had a medical incident and contacted RFDS direct, first aid treatments where put in place and the person was driven(4wd only area)to a meeting point where he was then transported by RFDS to hospital. I, being in the second group due to a mechanical issue recieved a call to tell me the evacuation was in progress. The hospital updated me and I then informed the remote group on the situation and confirmed the group was still able to continue untill our next rendezvous.
The waiting factor of did the EPIRB or spot message get through and is anything happening while a person is having a medical emergency was something I wanted to minimise.
DMight be seen by some as overkill but I carry:
UHF
PLB with GPS
Spot Trace GPS tracker
Iridium Sat Phone
on the boat I add an EPIRB and VHF
I'm old school with an HF that I was generously given and subscribe through VKS737 but the setup Steve detailed is almost a no brainer
Hi,
A free 3G, 4G solution is Google Map's Share Location option. Our family know where all the others are, but only with network access. But it is free, uses very little data and provides location most of the time.
Next step up for us will be one of the Garmin in Reach units I think.
Cheers
It all depends on your perception of "Remote", In most cases a satphone is more than enough to get you help even in the most remote parts of Australia.
Quite an interesting thread, I personally use a Sat phone when going remote with my mates on dirt bikes, as it does allow us to talk to family and emergency services, and push button SOS ( which requires a subscription).
We have found that PLB's have issues when used with trail bikes as they tend to activate even though the activation switch and tab are still in place. This happened during a ride in the Vic High Country where 3.00 am in the morning we had a helecopter land next to use as my mates PLB was activated while located in his tank bag.
The problem with the satphone only emergency situations, is that you now rely solely on the vehicle for the emergency situation.Quote:
Originally Posted by roverrescue
So for those true emergency situations where everything that could go wrong, will! ... as already said the PLB should also be given more serious consideration.
eg. it basically depends on what it is you do when you travel remotely. In my case, that would be drive to location X, but then when there, possibly walk 5 hrs to location Y as that's the only way to get there(by foot/bike/crawl .. etc.)
So in the snake bit situation, satphone is fine when you're at the vehicle, but when you're even 30mins walk away .. no use.
Also, what if the emergency situation was a fire issue with the vehicle. Maybe unlikely, but not impossible.
And the things you'd want quick access too if the vehicle so happens to be involved in that would be 1/ fire extinguisher(s), 2/ Water, first aid, and PLB .. 3/ any other stuff that is deemed important.
I'd keep a PLB(need to get one) near, or with, a first aid kit( which I have), and again near the fire ext.
But, also want to get one of those mobile phone -> sat phone thingies too .. sounds close to ideal for my eventual usage needs.
Over the years Ive had and used HF (VKS737) , Spot , Inmarsat , Iriduim & Thuraya sat phones .
By far the best & cheapest is Thuraya ( XT Lite phone is only around $750) with a Casual $15.00 monthly plan ( you can stop the plan if your not touring and restart it )
I still keep the HF rig in the truck even though I'm now unlicensed but in an emeregency you dont need to be under ACMA regs.
if you fall down a mineshaft I doubt any of the above will be of much use.
(All will soon be obsolete with SpaceX starlink.)