Personal Locator Beacons?

[SWeidemann]

What do you seasoned cross country fliers use or recommend these days for Personal Locator Beacons?

Thanks much, Skot

[DesertFox4]

I've been using a Spot for about 2 years now. :)
Works as advertised.

[Av8r_Sed]

While not exactly a PLB, I'm using a Delorme InReach SE unit. It allows web based tracking, two way satellite text messaging and a good SOS features in case you do need a rescue.. Basically it's my electronic tether giving my wife some peace of mind while I wander around the countryside. It also integrates well with my smart phone to make entering messages easier.

The only drawback I find is the cost of the subscription service plan.

http://www.inreachdelorme.com/product-info/inreachse.php

http://www.inreachdelorme.com/assets/images/products/inreachse_m01.jpg

[SkySteve]

This is a VERY important subject.

I use SPOT II. As DF4 says, Works as advertised.
There has been discussion after discussion as to which PLB is best. Some have more options but cost more. Some have fewer options but cost less. Some work on one system, some on another. The PLB discussions often follow the "which is the best concealed weapon" discussions. After all is said and done the answer always seems to be reduced to "use the one you have, can afford and feel comfortable with".

So here is my best recommendation: Study them, yes. But most important, Get One, carry it with you all the time, turn it on and use it. They all work and any of them is so much better than none of them. Any one of them could save your life and more importantly they will provide so much relief to your loved ones left behind if you do crash and die in some remote location. Please, just get one and always use it.

[Slyfox]

I generally run local and low. I turn on the gps in my phone. the wife follows me around with that. she knows when I take off, where I go, and when I land.

for anything out of town I throw the emergency thingy in my pocket. it's one of those gps things that you activate and it throws your location out there. can't think of the name of it right now.

[Tom Waid]

Both my wife and I have ACR PLB's. The initial cost is more but there are no subscription fees. In Florida we frequently find ourselves over the ocean. In a ditching situation it's possible for us to become separated. That is why we each have our own PLB. Also the airplane's ELT is on its way to the bottom.

Make sure you register each PLB.

Thinking of this encourages careful preflight inspections.

[cap01]

all these comments are right on . Tom has the correct approach . acr make some great units . a few years ago I picked up a older/larger model with a new battery for an outstanding price . when the battery expires I can get the new model for not a lot more than replacing the batt in my old one . as many people a they have to search for and rescue out of the mountains out here I can't imagine why more people don't carry them . cheap insurance and they are now smaller than your cell phone .

[cubtractor]

I'm using a Spot.

[SkyPirate]

Im going to have to look into the Spot, for the spring flight

[Dorsal]

I also use a Spot, works well enough.

[Danh]

I use the ACR PLB I have it mounted right close by easy to grab if I need it.
It's solid and had great reviews

[BobRS]

We use a SPOT. Purchased it from REI. SPOT has (almost) worldwide coverage and is of course small and convenient. Just for a point of reference, we took a trip to the Galapagos where is is NO internet or phone service on the ships that transport you from island to island. I programmed the service to email/text our locations to friends and family back in the States and they were able to track us for 2 weeks. It works great! The SPOT flys with us in the Skylane tooling around the sparse areas of New Mexico.

BobRS
Building SS7 - Tri gear
Rotax 914 Turbo

[Av8r3400]

The guys on Back Country Pilots are claiming that the SPOT coverage in the western mountain states, Canada and much of Alaska is pretty spotty [sic] at best.

I don't have one, so I can't say. I was looking pretty closely at getting an InReach unit due to the better reviews it was getting in the mountainous regions. I haven't pulled the trigger, yet.

[SkySteve]

I am an active member of the BackCountryPilots site. I have used my SPOT II on several trips to the Idaho Wilderness mountains, Utah's mountains, SE Utah Canyonlands and Utah's West Desert. My SPOT II has always worked. Personal experience. As I have said before, there may be better PLBs and there may be worse. But get one and use it, please. And set up a good network of people who will watch your SPOT webpage, receive automated texts and emails and will commit to come and get you if they receive the "Help" message or the SOS message. My SPOT is programed to send out a message every time I take off: "Taking Off. All OK". When I land: "Landed. All OK". If I need help: "Need help". If I crash and need the Calvary "SOS". Each message includes Lat/Long coordinates and a link to my SPOT web page.

[aviator79]

Reviving an old thread here...

My SPOT GEN3 contract is about to renew, and it has gotten more expensive as time has gone by. I'm now paying $225/yr. New activations cost ~$150/yr. I'm going to call them today to see if I can get the current pricing, but my best alternative to a negotiated agreement is to cancel the service. That would put me in the market for a new PLB/satellite communicator - activating a new SPOT to get the better pricing, or switching to inReach.

The Spot X service costs the same as the GEN3 and gets you two-way messaging, which would be great, but reviews indicate the SPOT X is buggy. It also has a much weaker transmitter, and uses an inferior satellite network. There are a few anecdotes out there of people being left high and dry by their SPOT service. InReach seems to be a decidedly superior product, but it's priced accordingly. The devices are much more expensive, and the plans are pricier as well. The Flex plans (also available with SPOT) could mitigate the cost somewhat, but most months of the year, I'll be flying at least one trip where I would like the peace of mind of a PLB, and knowing my luck, the one time I really need it, I'll have forgotten to un-suspend the service.

What are you all doing these days for PLB/Sat communications?

[PapuaPilot]

I'm in the same position as you. I currently use a SPOT Gen. 3. and mine just renewed for $225. It works fine, but I have seriously thought about going to the Garmin InReach. The annual costs are about the same. I would really like the ability to do more than a few canned messages.

I'm curious what others are doing too.

FYI I got my SPOT Gen. 3 during a 50% off sale ($75) a couple years ago. If anybody hears about any deals for the InReach or SPOT X let us know.

[aviator79]

Just FYI, I called and asked for the new pricing. They told me no, so I asked them to cancel it. All of a sudden, they were able to move me to the new pricing, but with a $20 activation fee. I said thanks, but I already paid an activation fee when I activated it the first time. They said they had to charge the activation fee because the only way to get the new pricing is to cancel and reactivate, but they would refund the activation fee to my credit card. So I extended a year at the better pricing. I really was ready to make the move to InReach because the better pricing would have paid for the new receiver in a couple years. Sticking with the SPOT allows me to kick the can of buying a new unit down the road a year, and so far, I haven't had any issues with SPOT tracking or messaging.

For others looking at this thread: If I didn't already have a SPOT, and were buying a new unit, I'd get an InReach mini. I don't care about two-way messaging with family/friends/facebook, but in a contingency scenario, I see a lot of value in being able to communicate with people to coordinate the help you need. When this contract term is up, assuming there haven't been other pricing changes, I'll probably switch to an InReach.

Edit: Regarding finding a deal on InReach or Spot X. If you are patient, it looks like you can pick up a preowned InReach mini for $250 on fleabay. After reading reviews for the SPOT X, I would not buy one at any price.
https://www.rei.com/product/139231/spot-x-2-way-satellite-messenger
https://www.amazon.com/Spot-X-2-Way-Satellite-Messenger/product-reviews/B07DYC1PGR/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews

[Av8r_Sed]

I'm on the Garmin InReach Freedom Safety Plan. It's about $16 a month plus an annual charge of $25. Comes out pretty close to your Spot pricing.

[GuppyWN]

I read a couple of stories about Spot not being there when it was needed. I switched to inReach and am very happy with it. Plus, Garmin just introduced the ability to slide up and down plans with no additional charge so I can up it during the summer flying season and downgrade in the winter.