Personal Locator Beacons: Saving your bacon when you are in the woods!

Personal Locator Beacons

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NH Recreation Articles: Personal Locator Beacons

Personal Locator Beacons
Be safer in the woods

Are you headed into the woods, out of the reach of a cell tower? A Personal Locator Beacons could save your life.

Are you a follower, perhaps never quite sure where you are? Many of the trails in the White Mountains are without cell service and always knowing exactly where you are can be challenging. You may wish to consider a personal emergency beacon.

How they help

Personal emergency beacons or personal locator beacons are devices can signal for help using satellites, similar to satellite phones. If you go trekking and are lost, or even if you are out on a trip and meet with an emergency, these devices can be used to let others know you need help and where to locate you. Even if you are in a group, where someone else could hike out to find help, these devices can save time, time that might possibly save a life.

Options available for personal emergency beacons

When choosing a device, check whether there are built in features that can transmit an SOS successfully when needed, even if you are unconscious. While there are several on the market, these two devices are rated among the best.

ACR ResQLink

This device is by far the top voted choice by users the world over who wish to have a reliable personal emergency beacon. While not allowing messaging functionality, it has a good track record of reliability, requires no annual fees and is easy to operate. It has a five year lifecycle and 30 hours on dual frequency SOS transmission. It functions best when the device has a clear view of the sky since SOS messages are transmitted via a satellite. Apart from this, it also emits a homing signal on the emergency frequency of 121.5 MHz, thereby increasing your chances of being quickly located.

The ACR ResQLink costs between $280 and $390 and has been rated 8/10.

ACR Electronics, Inc.
5757 Ravenswood Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
1-800-432-0227
www.acrartex.com

DeLorme InReach Satellite Messenger

The DeLorme InReach Satellite Messenger is a satellite emergency notification device. While it does have an annual subscription attached to it, it is linked to most emergency services and transmits on a higher frequency of 1610 MHz. It is lightweight, compact, and has an ergonomic design, making it easy to carry around. Since it is water resistant, it can be taken on different types of expeditions and comes in handy when other devices fail. You get 125 hours of battery life and two way messaging interface that is excellent and easy to use.

This device is priced around $250 and has been rated 8/10. It is a great option where you would require tracking functionalities apart from sending SOS signals.

DeLorme
Two DeLorme Drive
P.O. Box 298
Yarmouth, ME 04096
800.561.5105
www.delorme.com

Regardless of the Brand

Before heading out into the woods, take time to get to know your device, particularly more full featured devices like the DeLorme. When you are lost or injured is a poor time to commence your education. Also, if children are coming along, instruct them in its use as well!

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