Time to update my list of communication types that I have access to in the rig. The forums have been invaluable as a treasure throve of useful information based on the many years of combined experience of my fellow overlanders. When I first participated in this poll, I felt that I was pretty much covered in terms of the various types of communciations but after reading some of the other responses, I quickly realized that I was a bit behind the times. I saw multiples mentions of something called Delorme InReach and I had read many mixed reviews of the spotty and unreliable coverage offered by the subscription-based SPOT tracking system over the years. My knowledge on the whole subject was a bit primitive and definitely out-of-date. Time to learn more!
I was fortunate to also attend my first
OB rally last Wednesday night and saw how the various rigs were outfitted with communication equipment. This was a great learning experience and
@hallry spoke to me about all the positive sides of the well developed and reliable Delorme InReach that he had installed in his rig. It was an eye-opener and I appreciated his recommendations. I also noticed that it was a common device in most of the rigs I looked at or more accurately drooled over! I knew that I had to learn more about it.
A few months ago, I was overlanding in the desert east of Yuma Arizona when my wife fell ill and had to be rushed to emergency. While I had a fully functioning Ham Radio, FRS, GMRS, MURS, and a CB, I had no cell service, which was the only means that she had from over 600 miles away to reach me. I emerged from the desert, drove to Yuma for provisions and only then learned of her illness and hospitalization.
After many hours of research and the OB rally, I knew that the Delorme InReach satellite-based 2-way messaging system could have been used to reach me.
My research also revealed that the much-admired Delorme InReach SE and Explorer models had just been discontinued by Garmin who had acquired Delorme last year and had now merged this trusted technology into the newer, unproven and more expensive Garmin InReach+ and Explorer+ models. Online inventories of these older models are quickly drying up as folks rush to buy the last remaining ones. Last night, I was fortunate and managed to buy one of the last available Delorme InReach SE models from the REI online store.
View attachment 22648
I had checked a few days ago with no luck. This morning, they are all sold out again. Good timing! I just hope that I was not the victim of an online inventory glitch and that it actually ships.
I plan to initially combine this device with the flexible recreational freedom plan, which as the name suggests allows me the freedom to suspend service during those months when I am not overlanding. I might adjust the plan as I begin to use this new messaging system.
View attachment 22647
My research also came across an excellent thread regarding
Personal Locator Beacons and how they differ greatly from the "SPOT", "InReach" Personal Messenger-based communication systems. This is another area where I am a complete novice. Special thanks to
@AKBushDag for sharing his knowledge on the topic.
PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) should only be used in situations of grave and imminent danger, and only as a last resort when all means of self-rescue have been exhausted.
No subscriptions, no two-way communication, just a simple registration is required. The device does not need charging and is ready-to-go out of the box. The battery has a five year shelf-life. The 5 watt transmitter is many times more powerful than the "SPOT" and "InReach" Personal Messenger-based communication systems and can be reliably used in heavy tree cover and steep valley areas. It will transmit your GPS location and identification at 406 MHz and simultaneously act as a homing beacon for Search and Rescue at 121.5MHz for about 1.5 days. It has even been designed to be operated with just one hand. Two simple steps are all that's needed to activate the beacon.
View attachment 22650
After some research, I visited my local REI today and bought the
ACR Electronics ResQLink+ GPS Personal Locator Beacon. Online registration only took a few minutes and now I am good to go. I just have to get into the habit of having the PLB with me. This is priceless insurance for the unexpected, worst case scenario. Whilst extremely rare,
tragedies do
happen and I want to stay as safe as possible while overlanding,
offroading and hiking as I am sometimes alone and
accidents can happen to even the most prepared.
