Author Topic: Keeping in touch.  (Read 1854 times)

Owen

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Keeping in touch.
« on: 12:22:28, 11/10/15 »
I have a passion for wilderness for nearly 40 years I'm been travelling to the far flung corners of the planet, sometimes with others but often alone. For some strange reason the family have now started nagging about keeping it touch and “what would happen if something went wrong”. Never bothered them before, all very illogical.
For the past two years I've carried a Personal locator beacon, it's small (9 x 4 x 2.5cm) and light (200g). You break the seal, pull out the aerial and press the button, it sends out a S.O.S and your location via satellite. To me that's ideal but you can't keep in touch with it. I could get a SPOT thing, you can send text with them, but their £180 + £100 a year subscription. I've friends who have used them and their not without problems, like they suddenly stop working and people start panicking.
I've been looking on the interweb and I can hire a sat-phone for £5 a day + call charges (£3 a minute).
Has anyone had any experience of using one?
How did you find it?
Did you find any problems?   

youradvocate

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Re: Keeping in touch.
« Reply #1 on: 12:50:53, 11/10/15 »
When I was hiking the GR10 in France recently I downloaded a person tracking app to my Android phone. It worked very well, I had a number of people tracking me and one of my viewers even commented that they saw me moving really fast (I was taking a car ride) on one day in particular. When we checked dates and times, that was the day I hitchhiked about 60km from Lescun to Oleron to buy myself a truss and then back again to Lescun. Is this sort of thing what you mean, or am I way off beam?

Owen

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Re: Keeping in touch.
« Reply #2 on: 13:01:55, 11/10/15 »
No internet in the area I'm going to (Laponia 200km north of the Arctic circle) so I don't think that would work.

youradvocate

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Re: Keeping in touch.
« Reply #3 on: 13:25:02, 11/10/15 »
I'd complain, its not good enough! O0

Owen

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Re: Keeping in touch.
« Reply #4 on: 14:06:12, 11/10/15 »
Should have said mobile coverage there not internet, but you can't get that either.

quixoticgeek

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Re: Keeping in touch.
« Reply #5 on: 16:47:51, 11/10/15 »


I looked at the spot devices, and in the end I bought a Delorme InReach Explorer, it's not cheap (you can get the InReach SE if you don't want the waypoint/route functionality). You can then pay $15 per month, when you go out, so if you only need it for a 2 week long holiday in the summer, you can just pay the $15 for that months use.


I've had mine for a few months now, and it's been really useful. Very glad I got it.


J
« Last Edit: 16:54:50, 11/10/15 by quixoticgeek »
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staggerindragon

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Re: Keeping in touch.
« Reply #6 on: 18:34:42, 11/10/15 »
Hi Owen,
I'm out of date with communications up there, but 8 years ago, satellite phones were used by families in the Kutjaure and Vaisaluokta area.  What if you phoned or emailed the Saltoluokta or Bjorkliden youth hostels to pick their brains and see what people are using now?     Good luck--where are you headed?

swanseamale47

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Re: Keeping in touch.
« Reply #7 on: 22:42:46, 13/10/15 »
We used them on occasions in the past, generally the Iridium were more lightly to get a signal if there were obstructions to the line of sight of the satellites, mountains etc (they move across the sky so they come into line at some point) They are all affected by bad weather to some extent and as you've noticed they are not cheap, theres also a lot less delay with the Iridium because the satellites are a lot lower orbiting.

Owen

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Re: Keeping in touch.
« Reply #8 on: 20:56:54, 14/10/15 »
Yes it was an Iridium phone I was looking at, I'm not going until next summer but I think hiring one would be one answer.

Slogger

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Re: Keeping in touch.
« Reply #9 on: 13:58:02, 15/10/15 »
Ive had the SPOT for many years, but that Delorme looks really good for a similar annual subscription too, thanks for the info.

 

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