Any Members in Arkansas?

Man, that sucks...not too much damage at least. Bet it was a pretty good thunk with that bumper scuff.

 

You get ya a CB installed yet?

 

Lol, not yet. I'm just along for the ride.

 

Anybody here use personal locator beacons or satellite messengers? Have any recommendations of a certain one or why PLB or SAT is better?

 

I have an ACR ResQLink. I bought it more for working in remote areas of AZ but take it with me when I off road. Never had to use it so I can't comment on functionality.

 

Yeah, ideally you wouldn't want to have to ever use it. I guess I just want to make sure I get something with good battery life and reliability. I've heard that PLB's aren't rechargeable but instead have years long battery life and sat coms are rechargeable??? Trying to figure out the benefits of one over the other.

 

@Dave_M

 

Mine supposedly has a 5 year battery. Return to manufacturer to replace the battery. I've heard replacement costs can vary but ACR is supposedly ~$100. I figure after initial cost then $20 per year isn't bad for peace of mind. In AZ I was working right on the border in some fairly remote areas and was just as concerned about abduction as I was vehicle failure w/o cell service.

The crazy thing was that my boss and I drove up on a group of 20-30 y/o women working with the National Parks Service right next to the border with no security or vehicle. They just dropped them off about 10 miles from the nearest paved road. Which doesn't sound like far except that on the unpaved roads 10 miles was ~25 minutes. We asked them if they needed anything and they said no. Didn't want a ride and had plenty of water.

 

Hey if anyone lives close to pilot rock rd me and family are stuck down forest road 1832 on forest Map down 9323d across from the river from long pool campground hiked up hill for service but about to walk back down to truck with no service was waiting on towing company to call back but no word yet might spend night in woods thanks

 

How are you intending to use it?

 

Let us know you got out ok...we'll be up that way tomorrow.

 

All is good we got out thanks

 

Glad you’re out, can you pin where you got stuck? We’re heading that way in the morning...

 

Just as a backup for piece of mind. I don’t really need messaging functions, but if they are beneficial then I’d like to know.

 

I’ve carried a few models everywhere from the Ozarks to the Himalayas. By far my favorite is the gen 3 Spot. It’s super durable, small, and easy to carry. I can’t speak to the battery life, because I put new batteries in it before any big trip, or every 3 months, whichever comes first. What’s nice about the Spot is that you get some very basic communication options like sending an “ok” messages to people you pre select. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ve carried the Spot, Garmin In reach, and ResQ so might be able to help with any of them.

A couple of things to keep in mind with these things:
1. You’ll need to subscription for the service for all but the stand alone PLB, and even some of them require it.
2. In an emergency, the basic PLB will send out a signal, but whether that gets to the right people is questionable. This is especially true if you’re abroad.
3. Whatever you get, make sure it’s something you’re comfortable carrying on you, or keeping within reach. Not much point in having it if you have to search for it in an emergency.
4. I cannot stress this enough, get an insurance policy for it. If you call out emergency services with one of these, it is going to be insanely expensive.


Looks like Spot is even running a great deal right now.
https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/products-services/spot-gen3

 

Hope you had a change of clothes!

 

My extra clothes were back at camp so my driver seat and floor was pretty muddy been doing a lot of detailing today. Still had a good time though

 

I got a little stuck today too, fortunately had a buddy behind me to snatch me out.