Men rescued from Pacific island after writing SOS in sand

Post by ohazi » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 9:39 PM UTC

jessriedel wrote: post #20

vosper wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're not even expensive to buy. I picked one up for a few hundred dollars for hiking. I believe it's good for 10 years, until the battery needs replacing. I don't even do particularly intense hikes, usually not even overnight, but I read a few stories and realised how easy it is to end up in a situation where you need one. You just have to slip over and land badly, that's all it takes. Or maybe it won't be me, but…

A few hundred dollars seems fastastically expensive to me. What is possibly inside it that justifies that price?

Post by floatrock » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 9:42 PM UTC

kingnothing wrote: post #51

ohazi wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "search" part of search and rescue is a solved problem. There's no reason to go into the wilderness without a PLB in 2020. PLBs cost around $300 [1], they have five+ year batteries, and they don't require a subscription. If you need to use it, you turn it on, it grabs a GPS lock and transmits your coordinates for about a day, during which at least one satellite will see your signal and downlinks all over the plan…

If you use a PLB to get rescued, do you then owe a big check to the rescuing organization like when you call for an ambulance in the USA?

Post by floatrock » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 9:45 PM UTC

SiVal wrote: post #32

throwaway5752 wrote: post #4

Call this a freely given and viable but hard to monetize idea - this is a very tractable area for software and drones. Same with locating people in lost wilderness areas. You have a programmatic way to organize coverage areas, you have access to above-human audio and video capabilities, and it reduces the resources/time ratio that is critical in rescues. This was the tragic and avoidable story that convinced me this…

I'd like to see all phones and phone towers fitted with an emergency ping ability and an emergency ping protocol, since almost everyone carries a phone these days. If you needed help, you'd enter a text describing your situation (a default text would be used if you could only click a "HELP!" button), put the phone in a special mode that would shut everything down to conserve battery power but would send out a stronge…

Post by ohazi » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 9:47 PM UTC

kingnothing wrote: post #51

ohazi wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "search" part of search and rescue is a solved problem. There's no reason to go into the wilderness without a PLB in 2020. PLBs cost around $300 [1], they have five+ year batteries, and they don't require a subscription. If you need to use it, you turn it on, it grabs a GPS lock and transmits your coordinates for about a day, during which at least one satellite will see your signal and downlinks all over the plan…

If you use a PLB to get rescued, do you then owe a big check to the rescuing organization like when you call for an ambulance in the USA?

Post by senkora » Wed, Aug 05, 2020, 9:48 PM UTC

thaumaturgy wrote: post #43

oh_sigh wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, there are just personal locator beacons which you can rent and tell rescue personnel exactly where you are if you need a rescue.

This is the right answer. A Garmin InReach or similar device with two-way messaging capabilities should be regarded as standard equipment now for anyone going into backcountry or remote areas. The two-way messaging allows local rescue teams to assess your condition, confirm your location, and deploy the appropriate resources more quickly.