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I personally have not invested (yet) in a satellite-based communication system, nor have I taken the time to research them. I suppose it it would be the "smart" approach. I have riding friends that carry either the DeLorme or the Garmin. I have one that actually carries BOTH! I do know that having one tucked away in a bag somewhere would not be a good idea. I suppose the best "spot" (pun intended) to wear one would be on the chest area of the rider? That way either arm could "reach" (pun intended) the unit when/if needed.

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2 hours ago, shutterrev said:

Great question, I am also curious or if just cell service was avail so called. I will also say though, literally five minutes after reading this post I thought about this, and ordered a Garmin InReach Mini... It's on the way. 

I was the first person to CID after he crashed. Since we were only about 3 miles outside of Christmas Tree circle in Borrego I was pretty sure I'd have decent coverage. I checked my phone and had 4 bars so called 911 instead of using my Garmin Mini. It's always better to call 911 if you can versus using the Garmin. The Garmin would just add another party, and slow response times down, since they would have to contact the same dispatch center I got by calling 911 directly. So always try 911 first and then Garmin as a backup. I'm pretty sure everyone in our regular group has one. 

 

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Chris (DFL), Delorme is now owned by Gramin. That article is old and obsolete. If you are interested in purchasing one, I recommend Garmin Mini. It's small, cheap(er), easy to use, and can be blue toothed to your phone for easy of use. $300 range but can find them for less if you wait for a deal.

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2 hours ago, Zubb said:

You'll be glad to have it.  

Dozens of trips where I've been able to text with the wife from remote campsites in CA/CO/WA/Baja/ID letting her know I'm safe.  Even texted a few work things to my assistant from off the grid.  I even attempted a trailside repair on the COBDR via text thru inReach.  I lost my tank bag full of EXPENSIVE stuff in central WA a couple years ago.  Fortunately I had the inReach in the bag.  It's the only reason I was able to get the bag back.  About $1grand worth of joy on that one! Though I now carry it on me.

A friend of mine just did the CABDR with 2 other riders.  They all had in Reach mini's.  All on loaded 1200/1250's. One fried the clutch in the Mojave, texted the other one who was half a day behind, to go back and get the truck. Between three riders and the dealership in Riverside texting via inReach they only lost one full day on the trail (dealer stayed open that night to receive the 1250 and install clutch so the Rider could drive back and join the group again.  

InReach Mini is EDC for me now.

Yeah I've done the same with friend's Spot trackers in the past for Baja, and Ultra4 events (4x4 stuff) - but the team owned those - It's high time I bought my own and for this purpose the InReach Mini by Garmin seems to be the one. I will have it on me for the upcoming Parker Dash :)

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5 minutes ago, Oracle said:

Chris (DFL), Delorme is now owned by Gramin. That article is old and obsolete. If you are interested in purchasing one, I recommend Garmin Mini. It's small, cheap(er), easy to use, and can be blue toothed to your phone for easy of use. $300 range but can find them for less if you wait for a deal.

Thanks LB! And, thanks for being there to help Nelson!

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When you dial 911 from your phone, are they able to see exactly where you are like they do with a Spot?

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9 hours ago, Ptkatoomer said:

When you dial 911 from your phone, are they able to see exactly where you are like they do with a Spot?

After this incident, I contacted an acquaintance who is a Sheriff's department dispatcher and is partnered with an EMS helo pilot to ask this and similar questions.

The answer is yes, they can (and did, in this case) successfully triangulate on the signal while they were on the phone. And that's great, but we were less than 2 crow-flying miles out of downtown Borrego Springs, and we had plenty of signal from (obviously) at least three towers. As one gets more remote, one might not have cell signal at all, or may only have a connection to a single tower, making triangulation impossible. BE READY TO PROVIDE COORDINATES from a gps or even a cell phone- phones do not need cell coverage to obtain coordinates- they have a GPS chip built-in. Just know how to access them when the time comes- practice it.

A SPOT device does not use triangulation- it transmits the specific geographic coordinates in a electronic message to a satellite, which is then relayed to GEOS headquarters. It's better, except there will be some delay and possible room for error when GEOS attempts to contact the local authorities. Also, SPOT does not allow (unless one is texting) transmission of details that might tell local authorities more about the nature of the emergency (a stable broken leg, or something far more traumatic)- and the texting takes time and hands that may be otherwise occupied helping the rider.

I further inquired about the specific format of GPS coordinates they prefer in addition to the possible triangulation data. There are a few different types of coordinates- lat/long/ decimal and somethingelseidontremember. There appears a slight preference for the decimal format, but the bottom line is they can and will convert any format you can provide.


The trick here is to have that information available and to know how to get it when you're very concerned about your buddy's well-being. This incident brought this out- I think the guys I was with were about as competent in all these areas as one can expect, but there were hiccups. For example, Randy removed his garmin from its cradle to provide the coordinates information to LB- but the Garmin shuts off when power is disconnected. Some seconds were lost while waiting for the Garmin to reboot. Easy to happen (and without consequence in this situation) and I'd have done the same thing. We all have a lot of resources like this, but our ability to think clearly and respond appropriately when one's buddy is gasping on the ground is yet another thing. Another thing I learned watching LB- put the cell phone on speaker. It frees one's hands, and allows others to relay information (coordinates, etc).

Again: to be 100% clear- our group performed well under pressure, and Chris was well-served.

But I believe there's always a lot to learn from these incidents.

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15 hours ago, Dress4Less said:

I have one that actually carries BOTH! I do know that having one tucked away in a bag somewhere would not be a good idea. I suppose the best "spot" (pun intended) to wear one would be on the chest area of the rider? That way either arm could "reach" (pun intended) the unit when/if needed.

Hey, Chris!


I carry both- I'm a believer in redundancy.

I rarely do this anymore, but I've been known to ride alone. I always have tracking activated, and about once per year, I send an email to family and specific friends that link them all together with contact information. As our kid grew older, I provided site login information to her so she can have complete access to any details on the website. I always send an OK message before each ride (here is where I parked my truck) and both units are physically tethered to my backpack: NOT on the bike. I text to family on my safe return.

I've never understood why solo riders choose to put their families through hell- days/weeks of anxiety- waiting to find their body. A couple years ago, a rider in Otay died of natural causes while riding (hey, it happens) and that poor family was terrorized until they found the body. I refuse to put mine through the same thing- it's bad enough that I ride!  SPOT (if negotiated) runs $85/year. I'll pay it.

 

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10 hours ago, paulmbowers said:

Hey, Chris!


I carry both- I'm a believer in redundancy.


I rarely do this anymore, but I've been known to ride alone. I always have tracking activated, and about once per year, I send an email to family and specific friends that link them all together with contact information. As our kid grew older, I provided site login information to her so she can have complete access to any details on the website. I always send an OK message before each ride (here is where I parked my truck) and both units are physically tethered to my backpack: NOT on the bike. I text to family on my safe return.

I've never understood why solo riders choose to put their families through hell- days/weeks of anxiety- waiting to find their body. A couple years ago, a rider in Otay died of natural causes while riding (hey, it happens) and that poor family was terrorized until they found the body. I refuse to put mine through the same thing- it's bad enough that I ride!  SPOT (if negotiated) runs $85/year. I'll pay it.

 

Yo Paul! 

As always, your feedback and words of wisdom are greatly appreciated! Many of us that participate in this forum have benefited and learned from you. I can attest, you are a stickler for details! You think Garmin would honor the "PMB discount" for D4L? 😄

Thank you for being there to assist Nelson...take it easy... 

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Chris, Im glad to hear that you are on the mend. Heal well. If I drop to the point that I need medical attention, I hope that LB, PMB, and Randy are with me! Good job guys! 

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12 hours ago, SoCalMule said:

Chris, Im glad to hear that you are on the mend. Heal well. If I drop to the point that I need medical attention, I hope that LB, PMB, and Randy are with me! Good job guys! 

+1

I believe @Goofy Footer would be added to this dream list of who should be there if down and br😉ken (God forbid).

Do we have the makings of an official SDAR rescue team coming together?

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13 hours ago, Dress4Less said:

You think Garmin would honor the "PMB discount" for D4L? 😄

 

I've not been able to negotiate the Garmin deal. The SPOT is easy- just call them when it's time for renewal and say "I'd like to continue the service, but it's unfortunately too expensive and I'd like to cancel". For me, they've always made a deal. It was helpful that I subscribed early and add to the statement "if the price were the same as last year, I'd renew", but there's room and a path to negotiate.

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32 minutes ago, paulmbowers said:

The SPOT is easy- just call them when it's time for renewal and say "I'd like to continue the service, but it's unfortunately too expensive and I'd like to cancel". For me, they've always made a deal. It was helpful that I subscribed early and add to the statement "if the price were the same as last year, I'd renew", but there's room and a path to negotiate.

Got it, thanks!

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