PLB/EPIRB Story thread

>>642565
> implying poorfags can afford them
> implying people that can afford them have time to go /out/

If I went solo (likely), this has appeal if I was out of my normal AO. I'm so familar with everything for 250 mile radius, I would never get lost.

The weight tradeoff would be far better in a gun, for me.

>>642573
They are not expensive at all, about $250 depending on the model, and weigh 4oz.

I'm not sure what type of gun weighs 4oz and would be useful if i fell and broke my leg.

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>>642579
> ~$250
And yet poorfags bitch abot a $10 Ti spork vs. stealing a spoon from the cafe.

> what kind

The pic related kind that ends the misery.

>>642565
I'm buying a high power infrared strobe strobe, that's about it.

I had one when I worked for the forest service. They're kinda nice to let people know you're okay and it would of been great if I ever had an emergency where my radio didn't work. They can take a really long time to get a satellite and send a message though. One time it took like 2 hours.

>>642573

Shoot yourself out from under an avalanche?

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>>642579
>They are not expensive at all, about $250 depending on the model, and weigh 4oz.
I paid about $200 for mine, but that included a couple rebates. Same one in OP's pic, ACR ResQLink.

>>642632
If you're sending "OK messages", you have a satellite communicator, not a PLB. SPOT/InReach function similar, but they're not the same as a PLB.
The "OK"/check-in and tracking features are nice if you (or your family) needs/wants them.
I don't know that I trust some company's callcenter operator in the event of an emergency. PLB's phone out to Air Force Rescue Command Center, and I'm guessing a phone call from them would light a fire under local SAR's ass a little faster than Mohammed at Globalstar-SPOT dispatch. The long delay thing is a concern to me as well.

>>642642
Not an avalanche beacon either... very different. Local mountain rescue team had an incident with a guy who would activate his unregistered PLB momentarily for weeks, finally traced it and learned he was "testing" it thinking it was an avalanche transceiver.

Never used mine yet, hope I never do. Always carry it on both snow and moto.

>>642565
>tfw your brother has your PLB and uses it be cause he's lost in the city and can't find a McDonald's down town.

He wasn't even supposed to have the fucking thing.

>>642580
Until someone steals it and uses it against you.

>not leaving a trail of breadcrumbs and telling your mum to follow them if you're not back before tea

>>642648
>I don't know that I trust some company's callcenter operator in the event of an emergency.
This, I changed to a PLB when I read people saying SPOT may not be very reliable (+ yearly fee), I've never had to use either though.

>>642677
>Until someone steals it and uses it against you.

>2015
>still using the bad guy will disarm you maymay

>>642924
Happens all the time. Shooting a target is easy. Shooting a real person when caught off guard and pumped full of adrenaline is extremely difficult. Most people, even at close ranges, fail to hit their intended target.

http://www.milsf.com/psychology-of-killing/

>>642677
W-why would someone try to steal my Ti spork when I would shoot them inna balz?

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>>642805
>+ yearly fee
PLB's need service/battery replacement every 5 years, and that's about $100. I consider it $20 a year, so the "yearly fee" argument is pretty much invalid between SPOT/InReach and a PLB; you're either paying for "service" and supplying your own batteries, or paying $20/yr over 5 years for battery "service".

For me, it's one less set of batteries to deal with. Between camera(s), radio(s), GPS, phone, avalanche beacon(s), and laptop(s)... not having to even think about "Did I charge my emergency beacon?" is a big plus for me.
I do the thru-satellite test at the beginning of each season (snow and dirt, so fall and spring for me), which I have battery life for 12 of those, and I do a basic self-test before big trips (Enough for one a month for the 5-year battery life, and I do about one big trip a month in the winter).

I don't need/want the "tracking" and I feel better about the 406MHz system than I do GlobalStar/Iridium, so PLB's the choice I made.

>>642929
Nice opinion piece bro. FBI has the stats yer after and most of the time the bad guy losses. But hey most of the time people don't crash cars....better focus on the times it happens and demonize them because they scare you even if you've never so much as ridden in one.

>>642573
I have one.

>>642984
>being this triggered.

>>642964
Yea, but the SPOT subscription start a $100 which make quite a difference over 5 years.

>>642964
How long do PLBs last on one charge?

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>>643754
>How long do PLBs last on one charge?
They don't "charge". It's a non-serviceable battery.

Manufacturer (believe it's an industry-standard) specs minimum 24hrs continuous emergency operation once activated, even after all the self-tests (both internal and thru-satellite) are depleted. I'm sure there's some additional capacity built in to account for cell variances and temperature.

The battery is rated at 5 years. After that time, you'll have to send it in for service which includes battery replacement.

You get 10 through-satellite, powers-everything-up-locks-into-position-and-sends-a-test-message-through-the-system tests, and 60 or so quick self-tests (Micro boots up, pings the various other ICs on board (GPS chip, maybe commands it to do an internal self-test; 406meg radio burst; check battery voltage and tamper switch status) over those 5 years.

There's how-to's that show you how to replace the battery pack, but... even being an electrical engineer, I'd rather pay the OEM their $100 fee to service it and know it's done right.

>>643214
jesus, the *basic* SPOT plan is now $100/yr... inreach, about $140/yr...
I thought a few years back they had a basic plan that was about $20/yr. Either way, looks like you can do month-to-month with either, so if you only /out/ in one season you can save some cash that way.
But yeah, definitely sticking with my PLB after seeing that...