PLB "Procedures" And SAR/F&G

Not sure if this technically is a New England or General forum question but I am looking for a NH/New England specific answer so I'll start here and feel free to move as you see fit.

I am curious about the "protocol" for when a PLB should be activated and/or F&G notified of an "incident". In particular the documentation in my PLB states that "the activation of the beacon tells Search and Rescue who you are, where you are, and that you are facing a life threatening situation." Does that mean only when you are unable to continue on your own or just if you are in trouble? Or said another way, is an immobilizing injury the only valid criteria for PLB activation?

So let's say I'm out between Adams and Jefferson well beyond treeline. The weather was not great but has turned decidely bad and I have no clue where I am going anymore and the temps are plummeting. I am not injured and still have my wits about me but it is likely I am going to need to hunker down. Do I deploy my PLB so people know I am in trouble or should I wait until I am physically unable to continue due to hypothermia, gear failure, injury, etc?

Seems like a stupid question on the surface but I am curious how SAR and/or F&G look at this. In my hypothetical example above, let's say I break out the bivy, dig in and activate my PLB. But then two hours later the weather breaks and I am able to resume travel and find my way to safety below treeline. Can a SAR team follow the moving target that was my PLB activation? And how pissed off would they be if I did such a thing. Knowing I activated my PLB am I supposed to hang out in that location and risk a return to the life threatening conditions that prompted the activation in the first place?

But then on the other side of it, let's say in the same example above I hunker down and do nothing. After 6-8 hours of waiting nothing has changed and now I am hypothermic, without water and darkness has fallen. Fearing the worst (i.e. a life threatening situation), I activate my PLB. But the wait adds significantly to the time I am in danger and could cost me my life waiting for SAR to respond.

Or what if I don't activate my PLB but I am fortunate to get a text to my wife indicating I need to hunker down and can't travel. Should she contact SAR or F&G and indicate my present situation so they are aware of it and/or can decide for themselves if they should send a party out?

At the end of the day if I think I am screwed I am going to fire every bullet I have and explain why I'm a moron later, write a check, etc. But the other side of it is that others could be putting themselves at risk coming after me so I certainly would like to do what they are expecting me to do to make the process as smooth and reliable as possible. If anyone who is on SAR or F&G or knows of it's procedures can comment on the above it would be appreciated. Thanks.

Good question that I haven't seen answered. Here is my thinking. PLBs were originally used on planes and boats. In the case of planes, the PLBs generally are activated automatically when the planes crashes. On boats they can deploy automatically (when they get wet) or the crews take them into the rafts and set them off manually. In either case they are set off at a point where S&R may be able to rescue the crews.

Now add in personal PLBs, they are exclusively turned on by the users at their own discretion. My feeling is that S&R would much rather get multiple false reports where there is a chance of rescue than a last minute activation when a person is at the point of no return. Unfortunately a motivated PLB owner is most likely going to try to self rescue before deploying leading to a inherent disconnect.

I know personally that my PLB is carried for when there is no reasonable expectation that I can self rescue. My exposure tends to be terrain related more than extreme weather related so there is not the time pressure like a severe conditions rescue. If I am stuck with an injury or trapped in an area where I cant self rescue I can wait. Those trapped due to weather and cold cant.

peakbagger said:

Good question that I haven't seen answered. Here is my thinking. PLBs were originally used on planes and boats. In the case of planes, the PLBs generally are activated automatically when the planes crashes. On boats they can deploy automatically (when they get wet) or the crews take them into the rafts and set them off manually. In either case they are set off at a point where S&R may be able to rescue the crews.

Now add in personal PLBs, they are exclusively turned on by the users at their own discretion. My feeling is that S&R would much rather get multiple false reports where there is a chance of rescue than a last minute activation when a person is at the point of no return. Unfortunately a motivated PLB owner is most likely going to try to self rescue before deploying leading to a inherent disconnect.

I know personally that my PLB is carried for when there is no reasonable expectation that I can self rescue. My exposure tends to be terrain related more than extreme weather related so there is not the time pressure like a severe conditions rescue. If I am stuck with an injury or trapped in an area where I cant self rescue I can wait. Those trapped due to weather and cold cant.

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FWIW, all 406mhz plbs/elts transmit information which indicates whether the device was activated by manual or automatic (shock or water) means.

My opinion is that you should do exactly what they say...wait until you feel that your life is threatened
After all, someone is going to come for you.

I have heard it is very expensive to replace the batteries in a plb.

When that time comes, if you want more margin, consider a two way satellite messaging system. Its one thing if your bleeding, another if you have blown a kneel or ankle out and took precautions with enough gear to stay warm all night.

My PLB has lithium batteries rated for seven years, it has a test function that can be used to check the function but it can only be used a couple of times before the unit shits off this feature to assure that the battery life is adequate to last seven years. In theory it can be sent back to them for a recell but given the pace of technology I expect there will be smaller and lighter device for sale when its times out.

I bought a PLB for emergencies only. Anything that is two way is going to eat batteries and require more attention than a PLB which is designed for one purpose to be abuse resistant and work when its needed. Things may have changed but the PLB satellite network was far more extensive than SPOT.

Remix said:

When that time comes, if you want more margin, consider a two way satellite messaging system. Its one thing if your bleeding, another if you have blown a kneel or ankle out and took precautions with enough gear to stay warm all night.

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I am actually looking into this. My far more common "problem" is staying in touch with my wife. I did a hike this past November where I wound up way behind schedule for the itinerary I left her an had no cell service until I was back close to Lincoln, NH. As much as I hate to shell out more money for another device (OK not really - I love buying toys!) I think I may get a DeLorme InReach SE so I can transmit precanned messages to her or she can ping my movements and monitor my progress if I forget to message her. They have a basic plan which is only $11.95/month with an annual contract. I hate locking into a monthly fee but if it takes the worry away from both of us while I'm in the woods I suppose it is worth it. While I was fine on the hike mentioned above I was nearly two hours behind schedule and felt a lot of pressure to get in touch with her because I knew she would be upset (and she was).

I guess I'm hijacking my own thread but does anyone on here use an InReach device an have any commentary on it good or bad??

DayTrip said:

My far more common "problem" is staying in touch with my wife. They have a basic plan which is only $11.95/month with an annual contract. I hate locking into a monthly fee but if it takes the worry away from both of us while I'm in the woods I suppose it is worth it. While I was fine on the hike mentioned above I was nearly two hours behind schedule and felt a lot of pressure to get in touch with her because I knew she would be upset (and she was).

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My wife bought me a spot two years ago (spot-2 I haven’t upgraded yet). I love it because she doesn’t resist my hiking solo that much anymore. It doesn’t have the two way messeging as the Delorme inreach but you have three buttons with prerecorded emails. I have one set at “I am at the trailhead or at a summit destination” The second is simply,” I’m okay and I’m at this destination.” The third button (which I’ve never used) is something like. “I’m in a bit of trouble and could be very late but don’t call in the Calvary unless you don’t hear from me in 24 hrs”. The 4th button is the actual SOS button which gets sent out to globalstar who sends in the Calvary (no take back once pressed). Each msg sends out the lat/lon with a hyperlink that will mark your spot on a topo 3-d map. I try to send out an ” I’m okay” every two hours or so depending on the hike or more frequent on a bushwhack. If I return to my car and don’t have cell phone coverage or my cell is dead, I may spot a few times while driving home so she can see I’m on a highway and made it back okay. The limitation of both the spot and inreach is that they are suppose to have a clear opening to transmit but 95% of the time my signals get through even below tree-line I wear it facing up on my pack shoulder strap. It finds my lat/lon quickly but then may take a while to find a globalstar satellite to transmit the email. The inreach is supposed to have a stronger signal and better response coverage than globalstar. I pay $100/year for the service (no monthly rate) and $20(I think) for $50k rescue insurance (which I may not renew because of the hike safe card). You can get the spot to automatically send positions but that's an additional yearly fee. Of course both a plb and a spot (or inreach) may be the best solution but too much $$ for me vs the risk. Oh, also I have only had to change the batteries once so far but always carry two spare lithium AAA for it.

1SlowHiker said:

My wife bought me a spot two years ago (spot-2 I haven’t upgraded yet). I love it because she doesn’t resist my hiking solo that much anymore. It doesn’t have the two way messeging as the Delorme inreach but you have three buttons with prerecorded emails. I have one set at “I am at the trailhead or at a summit destination” The second is simply,” I’m okay and I’m at this destination.” The third button (which I’ve never used) is something like. “I’m in a bit of trouble and could be very late but don’t call in the Calvary unless you don’t hear from me in 24 hrs”. The 4th button is the actual SOS button which gets sent out to globalstar who sends in the Calvary (no take back once pressed). Each msg sends out the lat/lon with a hyperlink that will mark your spot on a topo 3-d map. I try to send out an ” I’m okay” every two hours or so depending on the hike or more frequent on a bushwhack. If I return to my car and don’t have cell phone coverage or my cell is dead, I may spot a few times while driving home so she can see I’m on a highway and made it back okay. The limitation of both the spot and inreach is that they are suppose to have a clear opening to transmit but 95% of the time my signals get through even below tree-line I wear it facing up on my pack shoulder strap. It finds my lat/lon quickly but then may take a while to find a globalstar satellite to transmit the email. The inreach is supposed to have a stronger signal and better response coverage than globalstar. I pay $100/year for the service (no monthly rate) and $20(I think) for $50k rescue insurance (which I may not renew because of the hike safe card). You can get the spot to automatically send positions but that's an additional yearly fee. Of course both a plb and a spot (or inreach) may be the best solution but too much $$ for me vs the risk. Oh, also I have only had to change the batteries once so far but always carry two spare lithium AAA for it.

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Thanks. I was leaning toward the InReach because of the supposedly better network coverage and also the ping feature. Apparently someone else can ping your device and follow you on a map so even if I forget to update the wife (or don't provide frequent enough updates) she can check on me too. It costs a small fee per use but you can also send 160 character texts on the unit so if you need to provide more detailed info than the precanned responses you have that option. Trying to keep the monthly cost as reasonable as possible. The precanned messages will work for me 90% of the time.

How many characters do you get for the precanned responses 1SlowHiker?

DayTrip said:

How many characters do you get for the precanned responses 1SlowHiker?

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I'm not sure, I logged into my account and couldn't find a limit. I think it must be pretty high because I tried adding 10 or more dummy lines and it took them. At any rate because it is precanned it doesn't need to be long. your receiver should already know what it is or means. You do realize you cant change them unless you are on-line. I guess if have cell coverage you could change them with a smart phone. what I didn't know until just now is that you can have different message's for different recipients. So, I could end my I'm here msg with "love ya" to my wife and "see you later" to my brother.

BTW, I just noticed that my avatar shows where I mount my spot. I can reach the send buttons and see the status light there.

I had to purchase a SPOT device as a rules requirement for the Yukon 460 mile (YRQ) and 1000 mile (Y1K) races. In 2008 I had a Gen1 Spot, since upgraded to the Gen2, but I do not yet have the Gen3. The autotrack function (required to be active for the Yukon races) sends out a GPS location signal every 10 minutes to designated recipients (race officials and anyone else so designated) on the internet. My pit crew could follow us precisely, and with a program I wrote they could also calculate continuously updated accurate time estimates to any future point down river.

The "I am ok" button could be pressed at any time as well, and for the 1000 mile race is used as proof to race officials that we have begun and ended our required minimum 6 hour "nightly rest stop" at the same location.

Pre-plan understanding is if we press the "Help" button, we are physically ok, but unable to continue the race to the finish. Meet us at the next possible drive-to village down river from our current location (which could still be a couple hundred miles further down river). Continue to follow us with autotrack. In four races we never had to use this function, nor the SOS to send out the calvary emergency function. By the way, from the instruction sheet it is possible to cancel the Help or SOS signal if it is accidentally or otherwise sent, then follow up with I am OK.

Not just for canoe racing, many here in the Adirondacks use Spot in similar fashion for hiking, much as 1SlowHiker describes, to keep those at home aware of our current status.

1SlowHiker said:

BTW, I just noticed that my avatar shows where I mount my spot. I can reach the send buttons and see the status light there.

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I will note that operation is marginal at best unless the device is mounted with the top side pointed directly up at the open sky. This was stressed by the race director to everyone before the 2009 Y1K race. Those racers who chose to ignore the recommendation and had the Spot either put it in a pocket or mounted incorrectly found that signal transmission was intermittent, if at all. As a result many racers received time penalties for prolonged periods with no location signal, one team accumulating as much as a 9 hour penalty. Those of us who mounted the device properly had no such problems during the 6-day race. Mine was fastened to the bow deck of the canoe, facing upward within easy reach directly in front of me.

Either of you guys use these devices in extreme cold? Batteries/operation still holds up? I'm not at the stage where I'll be out at -50 deg F but below zero temps are below most gadget manufacturers recommendations. If it needs to be external and exposed to function it is exposed to the elements too.

Nessmuk said:

By the way, from the instruction sheet it is possible to cancel the Help or SOS signal if it is accidentally or otherwise sent, then follow up with I am OK.

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Good to know, I just checked the manual to see how. Also I didn't realize the Help button which I use as a" I will be delayed" button needs to be canceled in order to use the 2 non emergency buttons again. BTW (for others); the help and SOS buttons require an additional step to reduce accidentally setting them off.

1SlowHiker said:

BTW (for others); the help and SOS buttons require an additional step to reduce accidentally setting them off.

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Yeah, Gen1 did not have that extra step that was added in Gen2, and presumably there were a number of SOS button false alarms.

I know some folks will carry their Spot on their person with coverage success... the Gen2 and 3 models may or may not have better signal transmission characteristics than the problems some Y1K teams had with Gen1, plus given the additional limitations of viewing equatorial satellites from high latitude locations. But the instructions still say that a horizontal mount with a clear view of the sky is best.

Here are some other operational specs (lithium batteries required):
• Waterproof to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes.
• Operating temperatures: -22°F to +140°F (-30°C to 60°C)
• Operating altitude: -328 ft to 21,320 ft (-100m to 6,500m)
• Humidity and Salt Fog rated.

Note that on InReach (and probably SPOT, too), the pre-canned messages (at the satellite level) are literally the numbers "1", "2", and "3". it is the server/website that converts those to text and routes them to the SMS phone numbers or e-mail addresses. So the message itself is pretty arbitrary. But it can only be changed by logging into the website.

The InReach *also* has the capability to send (and receive) "arbitrary" non-pre-canned SMS-style text messages, but only when it is paired with a smartphone (at least with the original). They charge you a different rate for these, but I don't know what it is, since I've never "paired" my device, so that information isn't very interesting. I assume these are subject to normal SMS 140-ish characters, but maybe not.

An interesting feature of the InReach that hasn't really been discussed is that since it can *receive* text messages via satellite, it can be used to send text messages from InReach to InReach. This requires both devices to be paired with smartphones (I think the newer InReaches my have this capability built-in, which is part of why they jacked the price).

DayTrip said:

I am actually looking into this. My far more common "problem" is staying in touch with my wife. I did a hike this past November where I wound up way behind schedule for the itinerary I left her an had no cell service until I was back close to Lincoln, NH. As much as I hate to shell out more money for another device (OK not really - I love buying toys!) I think I may get a DeLorme InReach SE so I can transmit precanned messages to her or she can ping my movements and monitor my progress if I forget to message her. They have a basic plan which is only $11.95/month with an annual contract. I hate locking into a monthly fee but if it takes the worry away from both of us while I'm in the woods I suppose it is worth it. While I was fine on the hike mentioned above I was nearly two hours behind schedule and felt a lot of pressure to get in touch with her because I knew she would be upset (and she was).

I guess I'm hijacking my own thread but does anyone on here use an InReach device an have any commentary on it good or bad??

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Yes I have an Inreach and did a nuts and bolts review here http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?54423-GPS-Recommendation

JCarter said:

Note that on InReach (and probably SPOT, too), the pre-canned messages (at the satellite level) are literally the numbers "1", "2", and "3". it is the server/website that converts those to text and routes them to the SMS phone numbers or e-mail addresses. So the message itself is pretty arbitrary. But it can only be changed by logging into the website.

The InReach *also* has the capability to send (and receive) "arbitrary" non-pre-canned SMS-style text messages, but only when it is paired with a smartphone (at least with the original). They charge you a different rate for these, but I don't know what it is, since I've never "paired" my device, so that information isn't very interesting. I assume these are subject to normal SMS 140-ish characters, but maybe not.

An interesting feature of the InReach that hasn't really been discussed is that since it can *receive* text messages via satellite, it can be used to send text messages from InReach to InReach. This requires both devices to be paired with smartphones (I think the newer InReaches my have this capability built-in, which is part of why they jacked the price).

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The Inreach SE solves all the limitations that you brought up. The Inreach SE does not require a phone, though having a phone linked to it by blue tooth gives you a gps and an easier keyboard. I would not use a phone because the Inreach SE has a built in battery and I'd want to save that for an emergency, not to run bluetooth. I'm not sure you can you send a txt to another Inreach, but it seems reasonable. You can customize the pre-canned messages with a PC, and Im 99% certain the message text appears on the lcd.

DayTrip said:

Either of you guys use these devices in extreme cold? .

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I tend to be a fair weather hiker. So the coldest I recall using it was -7 at a start of a hike at a trailhead and then it warmed up to 20 that day. But the coordinates sent where spot on.

Getting back to the original question...

If you're getting in over your head but have the ability to self-extricate, I'd do so. Once you're pretty sure you are going to need some help to get out alive and largely intact, even if you think you can make some progress, the advice I've always heard from SAR folks (including in my WFR training) is to pull the ripcord. I have seen nearly unanimous agreement that they'd rather get the call at 1pm to find somebody unhappy but intact, rather than get the callout at 5pm after four hours of deeper trouble and wasted daylight. Think about if the PLB activation last weekend had come at 1:30 instead of 3:30...

Once you send up the flare, nobody's going to complain if you move into a better situation (trees, snow cave), but otherwise you should try to stay put unless you are able to get reliable cell coverage out and state your plan--SAR is likely to still respond and try to meet you. ("I'm at Madison Hut and I'm going to try struggling down Valley Way as best I can.") Once they've arrived, communicate your resources and, if that changes, keep communicating! Don't be the dude who rode the litter all the way down with a "busted" ankle, then jumped off and walked to the ambulance.

When I leave a plan with my girlfriend (usually when I'm solo), I let her know approximately what I'm carrying and, in summer, that I'm equipped to spend an unexpected night out. The idea is that if she feels she has to make a call (which is a whole complicated protocol, overdue is different than known distress), the responders have some idea of how urgent the response may have to be. It's worth giving this information to the person who would be answering the "we have an activation, are they okay" call.

On a related note, Text-to-911 went live in NH last month. Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile only (all other carriers are required to handle by June 30). It's SMS not MMS, so no pictures, and no "cc'ing" anybody else! And finally, it's not E-911, so location information (GPS or tower) is not likely to be attached. But in areas of spotty service, it may be more reliable.

Interesting. You say the InReach SE uses an internal, rechargeable battery, *NOT* AAs. I consider this a giant "minus" for a piece of gear that I might depend on for safety. I can carry a spare set of Lithium AAs or AAAs, but what the heck do you do on the side of the mountain if your rechargeable battery drains? This is especially problematic with the InReach Explorer if you are using your "emergency messenger" as a GPS navigation device. I've had both my GPS and my InReach run their batteries out while in the backcountry (at different times). Being able to simply pop in a spare set makes me a lot happier.

Even though I'm an InReach user, I'd have to say that this is ANOTHER reason to choose the SPOT Satellite Messenger (AAAs) or SPOT Gen3 over the new InReach devices (the weight difference, and the 2:1 cost ratio, especially if you don't care about the battery-draining "tracking" feature, are the primary reasons).

jniehof said:

Getting back to the original question...


On a related note, Text-to-911 went live in NH last month. Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile only (all other carriers are required to handle by June 30). It's SMS not MMS, so no pictures, and no "cc'ing" anybody else! And finally, it's not E-911, so location information (GPS or tower) is not likely to be attached. But in areas of spotty service, it may be more reliable.

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They will send commands to your phone to send its the GPS coordinates. AFAIK, without initiating a 911 call, there is no way to force the GPS in the phone to give up its location--leaving Snowden out of the conversation.

If you have location privacy enabled, they may have to call the service provider for triangulation, which can be very poor and limited to a sector of one tower. So keep your location services on.

There are draft FCC requirements to include a barometer for elevation (mainly to find people in high rise buildings)