Personal Locator Beacons (COSPAS-SARSAT)

[W.J.Langholz]

All
I would like to revisit the PLB's to find out how many people have made the purchase.

What did you buy, make, model,price.
WHy did you pick the one you bought?
How long have you had it?
Pro's and Con's
Monthly or yearly subscription cost.
Did you buy it in place of a 406 ELT?

With warmer weather coming(hopefully ) they may come in very handy.

W.

[mit]

I got a spot.

[jrenwick]

I used a SPOT on a trip to Alaska last summer, and posted about it afterward here: http://www.cessna170.org/forums/viewtop ... f=5&t=5801. You can find other stuff on it if you search this forum for "SPOT Messenger" or "SPOT Tracker". It did everything I had hoped it would, but so far I've never had to find out how the "911" service works. Assuming the "911" button works as advertised (and I've never heard any report that it doesn't), it's probably the best value for the least money in this field of products.

[W.J.Langholz]

PLB's research

Kannad X3 GPS $540
ACR Microfix $599
AccuStat GPS $576
FAst Find Max $586

all of the above are 406/121.5 and work on the same sat. system

the spot @ $150 ($25 factory rebate) plus $99 per year service fee for min service. another $50 per year when you add tracking.

So for $300.00 for the first year I could get a pretty good system and maybe buy that time there will be the the "NEW and Improved" will be out. Or i can up for another $150/yr and still have less invested than the above for a period of 2 years.

One thing does worry me a bit however. They say the spot works on a different satalite system and does not go direct to the Airforce is this true?

I still haven't found anybody that has used one of these (other than the spot) to say that it really does work. All the reviews that you read tell you how good they are and why they bought them ......and at the end they say I have never really had to use it and hope i don't. Well now that really gives me ALOT of confidence. When I buy a gun a go out and shoot it a few times to make sure it works. Ya I know all about the test button thing a bob button ....but does it work?

W.

[jrenwick]

The SPOT's "OK" button worked fine everywhere I flew on my Alaska trip, and the tracking feature worked great to let people know where I was. That means the unit's signals were getting to the satellite and back down to the SPOT's service center, through their hardware and software, and out to email. That was all very reliable. I don't know of any reason the "911" button wouldn't work equally well; it's just a different message going through the same pathways (except for being emailed out).

There are testimonials out there from people who have actually used it in an emergency, and more importantly, in the times I've googled around about it, I've never come across a report where it didn't summon emergency services when needed.

As I pointed out in my other post that I linked to, I think if you use the tracking feature in conjunction with a flight plan and an emergency contact of your own who can retrieve the SPOT tracks and help FSS use them, it could drastically reduce the search area in the event that you go down, aren't able to push the 911 button, and your ELT doesn't activate either. Nothing else does that, that I know of. The Canadian FSS people as of last summer knew what a SPOT was, and appreciated knowing that I was using one. I don't know if the US FSS folks have copped onto it yet, but they may have.

[n3833v]

I bought a Microfix PLB. I wanted a unit that will cover the earth. I want to go to Africa, and have been in Japan, and Spot doesn't cover there. I carried it in the woods when cutting timber, just in case I couldn't get out. I use it everywhere I go remotely. It cost 600.00 from a sporting outfit and it temporairly replaces the ELT for upgrade until there is a cheaper and better model. There is no annual fee once registered.

John

[GAHorn]

.. I've never come across a report where it didn't summon emergency services when needed....

Well, DOH! (THINK about it....)

[jrenwick]

Yah, well, someone could maybe live to tell about it. But that doesn't appear to have happened yet....

John

[PilotMikeTX]

Here's a review of the Spot: http://www.equipped.org/SPOT_ORSummer2007.htm

Also, Doug Ritter on www.Equipped.org has TONS of information on various survival products including some PLB reviews.

SPOT is a GPS tracking device. It is similar to what is used on trucks or shipping containers by logistics companies to keep track of their assets. It uses the Globalstar satelites, which do not have worldwide coverage. Also, this is a commercial outfit, so there is no guarantee that it will be around next year or next week.

PLBs, EPIRBS and ELTS are radio beacons that use the COSPAS/SARSAT satellite system to triangulate the location of the beacon. Some PLBs will interface with your handheld gps and some have onboard GPS. I can see pros and cons of both.

I haven't pulled the trigger yet with a PLB, still in research mode, but it's definately going to be a PLB. Spot is not really designed to be a search and rescue beacon, and I'm not going to risk my life on it. Although if the tracking service was about 1/10 the cost, it might be fun to let the family keep track of my adventures, but I think you can do the same thing with some GPS enabled cell phones now.

Oh, BTW, a google search will turn up a few places where you can get a FREE SPOT if you buy the service. There's a thread on Supercub.org.