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robclayau
JH
Posts:36
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| 08/02/2009 12:56 AM |
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| Speaking of spending money, I'm also considering buying a Personal
Locater Beacon (PLB). The best one for my needs in Australia would seem
to be this model.
(http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=144&item=74527&intAbsolutePage=1)
At over $600 its not cheap, but then what is your life worth?
I started thinking about this the other day. It was dark as I got back
to the Toyota after hunting the other evening, there was some moon light
about so I didn't need a torch. I put away my gear and as I reached for
the key, I thought I hope it starts. I'm not sure why exactly I had that
thought as the Toyota has been and continues to be an extremely reliable
vehicle, the only time I have turned the key and it didn't start was
when I'd drained the battery by leaving the lights on. Anyway the truck
started first time as usual and I had an uneventful drive home.
Nevertheless, it started me thing about the number of times I am alone
and more than an hours walk to the nearest house.
When I stopped to think about there's not a single week that goes by
when I'm not alone (the dogs don't really count in this situation) and
more than an hours walk from the nearest house. I walk the dogs up the
bush 3-4 times a week, go hunting, cut firewood, kayak fishing, etc. All
of it generally alone and more than one hours walk to reach anybody.
Now if the Toyota wont start and I have to walk for an hour or two to
reach help its not that big of a deal, but if I fall and do a knee,
break an ankle or get snake bit, that hour or two walk could be bloody
painful, even fatal.
At 250g and little larger than a packet of cigarettes, I figure there is
room in my day pack for one of these beacons. Like a first aid kit and
safety blanket, you always pack them hoping never to use them, but if
the need arises I'll be bloody glad to have them.
Rob
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stuwest
JH
Posts:39
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| 08/02/2009 8:26 AM |
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| Terry, Jere and I (those I know for sure) are in these situations
professionally and often responsible for several others. It is a
considerable burden as it is impossible to plan for all things.
I drown in a fishing accident, had an OBE, and only survived because my
fishing companion saved me. After that I was MUCH more careful.
The torch is a good idea.
Stu, Dawn & Hunter West
Founder, Pointing Labradors
"Letting Labs Point the Way!"
Alma Bottom Pointing Labradors
N4758 350th Street, Elmwood, WI 54740
(715) 639-3900 h&w
StuWest@AlmaBottom.com www.AlmaBottom.com
Rob Clay wrote:
> Speaking of spending money, I'm also considering buying a Personal
> Locater Beacon (PLB). The best one for my needs in Australia would
> seem to be this model.
> (http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=144&item=74527&intAbsolutePage=1)
>
>
> At over $600 its not cheap, but then what is your life worth?
>
> I started thinking about this the other day. It was dark as I got back
> to the Toyota after hunting the other evening, there was some moon
> light about so I didn't need a torch. I put away my gear and as I
> reached for the key, I thought I hope it starts. I'm not sure why
> exactly I had that thought as the Toyota has been and continues to be
> an extremely reliable vehicle, the only time I have turned the key and
> it didn't start was when I'd drained the battery by leaving the lights
> on. Anyway the truck started first time as usual and I had an
> uneventful drive home. Nevertheless, it started me thing about the
> number of times I am alone and more than an hours walk to the nearest
> house.
>
> When I stopped to think about there's not a single week that goes by
> when I'm not alone (the dogs don't really count in this situation) and
> more than an hours walk from the nearest house. I walk the dogs up the
> bush 3-4 times a week, go hunting, cut firewood, kayak fishing, etc.
> All of it generally alone and more than one hours walk to reach
> anybody. Now if the Toyota wont start and I have to walk for an hour
> or two to reach help its not that big of a deal, but if I fall and do
> a knee, break an ankle or get snake bit, that hour or two walk could
> be bloody painful, even fatal.
>
> At 250g and little larger than a packet of cigarettes, I figure there
> is room in my day pack for one of these beacons. Like a first aid kit
> and safety blanket, you always pack them hoping never to use them, but
> if the need arises I'll be bloody glad to have them.
>
> Rob
>
>
> |
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rospigan
MH
Posts:372
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| 08/02/2009 10:48 AM |
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Rob wrote:
That is without doubt a thing to come. We have
had the EPIRB on merchant vessels for decades but I have never thought about
having a personal one. Each year in the Scandinavian mountains all kind of
outdoor people and also local folks get lost and it will cost huge amount of
money to search for them with helicopeters, snowmobiles and by other means. I am
pretty sure that in the far future the PLB will be mandatory if you are
going into certain areas at certain times of the year, for ex..
We for example have paid more than US$1000 to
keep track of our dog with a GPS based tracker collar, that is how much we value
our dogs life. $ 600 will not be much to protect our own life. However we have
not seen them on our market yet but I am sure they will come any day now. A
search on the net disclosed that the nearest place to get them is UK, not too
far from us. I do not know if our search and rescue (SARS)organisation has the
gear to utilize them. The EPIRB signals go to some international SARS central I
believe, but this PLB might have to have some different equipment to receive the
distress message.
Torsti
Borta Med Vindens Kennel www.rospigan.net "If you pick up a
starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the
principal difference between a dog and a man." /Mark Twain
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2009 8:41
AM
Subject: [working-gundog] Out and about
alone
Speaking of spending money, I'm also considering buying a
Personal
Locater Beacon (PLB). The best one for my needs in Australia
would seem
to be this model.
(http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=144&item=74527&intAbsolutePage=1)
At
over $600 its not cheap, but then what is your life worth?
I started
thinking about this the other day. It was dark as I got back
to the Toyota
after hunting the other evening, there was some moon light
about so I
didn't need a torch. I put away my gear and as I reached for
the key, I
thought I hope it starts. I'm not sure why exactly I had that
thought as
the Toyota has been and continues to be an extremely reliable
vehicle, the
only time I have turned the key and it didn't start was
when I'd drained
the battery by leaving the lights on. Anyway the truck
started first time
as usual and I had an uneventful drive home.
Nevertheless, it started me
thing about the number of times I am alone
and more than an hours walk to
the nearest house.
When I stopped to think about there's not a single
week that goes by
when I'm not alone (the dogs don't really count in this
situation) and
more than an hours walk from the nearest house. I walk the
dogs up the
bush 3-4 times a week, go hunting, cut firewood, kayak
fishing, etc. All
of it generally alone and more than one hours walk to
reach anybody.
Now if the Toyota wont start and I have to walk for
an hour or two to
reach help its not that big of a deal, but if I fall and
do a knee,
break an ankle or get snake bit, that hour or two walk could be
bloody
painful, even fatal.
At 250g and little larger than a packet
of cigarettes, I figure there is
room in my day pack for one of these
beacons. Like a first aid kit and
safety blanket, you always pack them
hoping never to use them, but if
the need arises I'll be bloody glad to
have them.
Rob
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robclayau
JH
Posts:36
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| 08/02/2009 3:52 PM |
|
Maud & Torsti wrote:
That is without doubt a thing to
come. We have had the EPIRB on merchant vessels for decades but I have
never thought about having a personal one. Each year in the
Scandinavian mountains all kind of outdoor people and also local folks
get lost and it will cost huge amount of money to search for them with
helicopeters, snowmobiles and by other means. I am pretty sure that in
the far future the PLB will be mandatory if you are going into certain
areas at certain times of the year, for ex..
I agree, but not sure that it will be in the far future, maybe the near
future. There are couple of issue here, one is safety and the other is
cost. Likewise Australia has a number of people (locals and
international tourists) go missing every year and huge sums of money
are spent searching for them. There is increasing discussion about who
should pay for the cost of these searches. If the person has taken
precautions and had a genuine accident, then the public seem willing to
pay for the search and rescue. However, the person got into trouble
because of their own stupidity, eg, going hiking without the proper
clothing, food, navigation equipment, etc (yes it happens regularly,
particularly with visiting tourists), then the public is beginning to
resent paying for the search and rescue. Particularly, if as happened
very recently, the lost person makes large sums of money by selling
their "story of survival" to the media.
In areas where people getting lost happens more frequently, the Police
are making PLBs available either for free, or for a very minimal hire
charge. I don't think it will be long before it becomes compulsory for
people entering these areas to carry a PLB. If you refuse, and then
need assistance, I can see you will be asked to pay for at least part
of the search/rescue cost. A PLB (fitted with GPS, accurate to 100
meters) basically means there is no longer a search part of the
operation, just a rescue.
We for example have paid more than
US$1000 to keep track of our dog with a GPS based tracker collar, that
is how much we value our dogs life. $ 600 will not be much to protect
our own life. However we have not seen them on our market yet but I am
sure they will come any day now. A search on the net disclosed that the
nearest place to get them is UK, not too far from us. I do not know if
our search and rescue (SARS)organisation has the gear to utilize them.
The EPIRB signals go to some international SARS central I believe, but
this PLB might have to have some different equipment to receive the
distress message.
My (limited) understanding is that the PLB and EPIRB use the same
signaling technology, but the EPIRBs are bigger, because they are
constructed with ballast etc to ensure when they are in the water they
float the right way up, so the signal is transmitted to into the sky
and not toward the bottom of the ocean. You can still use a PLB in the
oceans (it is compulsory for members of ocean yacht racing teams to
wear a PLB for example) but you have to manually ensure the PLB is
pointed the right way up. PLB's float and are water proof, but without
ballast may not float the right way up.
In Australia, PLB and EPIRB distress signals are received by the
Cospas-Sarsat System and this system is directly accessible by
Australian SAR groups, unlike some other products which send a signal
to an overseas company, which must then contact Australia to advise of
the distress signal.
Cheers,
Rob
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