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Personal Locator Beacon


johnplav
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3 minutes ago, johnplav said:

One of my buddies is planning on getting a GPS locator beacon for his Dad since he's getting older and hunts alone.

Anyone have any experience with these?  

My wife makes me wear one, always.    Lol.   Sorry.  It’s a good idea.   

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9 minutes ago, cachemoney said:

The Huntstand app you can use on your phone has a friend finder option on it. We use it everytime we go into the field, just in case. 

Its probably a lot cheaper than a stand alone product. 

Does the "friend" have to be a user of the app?  Or will it send a notification to someones spouse?

 

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I have a Garmin in reach gps. Mines the 66i a little more detailed gps,but they sell a mini for what you want it’s nice because you can suspend the service when not needed,plus if your farther texted you it shows you where he is on a map. I pay $60 a month but there’s a cheaper plain with less texting. I can tell you it works. I’ve texted people all over the country with no issues at all. To me up in the ADK’s it’s worth it.

 

 

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I also have an inreach that I have used on a couple Caribou hunts.  As stated before there  are smaller options but mine works fine for me.  It allows you to use the SOS function but also allows you to text anyone- so your dad could keep in touch with you.  They are a pain to type on but you can Bluetooth to your phone to make it easier.  They have plans that you can activate and deactivate- which is what I do.  I pay like $39 a month .  You can activate it just for the fall hunting seasons.   I got it to use up in AK but  the family likes the fact that I can communicate when necessary in the Adks as I normally hunt alone at camp and ther's no service.  A text every couple of days is easy and makes for a happy wife :)

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I don't have one but, I know a few people who hike the 46 alone all year who swear by them. Is your buddy looking for a personal locator beacon or a satellite messenger type? Some models on both run around $300 plus the monthly service. If it was me I would get the messenger type so people would know whay I was sending the signal.

 

I wouldn't count on a cell phone for this type of thing.

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I have an in reach and wouldn’t recommend it. I have had terrible luck with mine since delorm sold it to garmin.


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What kinda problems? I’ve had mine for a year now and use if in the spring and fall with no issues. I’m used to the texting platform they use so it’s not an issue for me.


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I've had the inReach mini for a couple of years and the larger one before that and it has been really solid. The Earthmate app pairs with the inReach via Bluetooth and texting is just like on your phone. The weakness of any of these type of beacons/GPS/SAT devices is having a clear view (connection) to the satellites. In the ADKs it can get pretty thick, but if I really want a message to get out I just step into a clearing to make sure it gets through. Our group hunts where there is no cell service and we all use our inReach to text back and forth.

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Sometimes messages take an hour, sometimes they take a day.


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I always ask the person I’m texting to send me the tome they receive the text it’s always with in minutes. The farthest I’ve text was my buddy in Wyoming. He got in a few minutes.


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