About that trail tech....

Hello again, it's been a while. I've been helping the ladies get set for their trip, including setting up the Liz and Melinda's Excellent Adventure blog.

Their trip is only 2 months away now, and the preparation activities are hitting a fever pitch.

I plan a couple of posts about tech on trail, this is the first, looking at beacons/trackers. these devices are used in a couple of different ways, but probably the driving factor in using one is having emergency response available literally anywhere in the world with the push of a button.

Strictly speaking, a beacon is a specific device transmitting using a specific technology on specific frequencies approved by NOAA search and rescue teams.

There are three types of beacons used to transmit distress signals, EPIRBs (for maritime use), ELTs (for aviation use), and PLBs (used for land-based applications).

These beacons are highly reliable, very narrow in scope, very expensive and use somewhat outdated technology. They use satellite tracking to get within a 2-3 mile radius, then a different radio "beacon" to allow SAR teams to home in on the device. Most don't use GPS, although some newer units do.

Because of the expense and outdated technology, most outdoorsmen and women now use trackers that utilize one of 2 most popular satellite phone networks, Iridium or Globalstar. It turns out that which network is used is one factor in choosing a tracker unit. More on that later.

These trackers typically use GPS to determine their place on the planet, which can be done with great accuracy. (Generally can report accurate coordinates to within 30 feet.) They then send coordinates and an SOS message via a satellite phone network. These units also have the ability to send coordinates on a regular basis so that family and friends can follow along, and some have the ability to send and receive short text messages.

I'm going to focus on the 2 most popular units, the SPOT Gen3 messenger and the DeLorme InReach SE. They have many features and requirements in common, including an SOS button that summons help in an emergency, the ability to send tracking updates to a web site and the need to pay for a subscription to use the service in addition to the purchase price of the unit itself. I'll focus on the advantages of each when compared to the other.

SPOT Gen3 advantages:

1. Lower entry price. The unit can be found for about $125 as opposed to $299 for the InReach SE. (In all fairness, the InReach seems to always have a $50 rebate program going on.)
2. Smaller device, easier to pack.
3. Motion activated, will turn itself off if you forget to.
4. $99 per year subscription cost (no tracking) or $149 per year with tracking.
5. Uses AAA batteries, easy to have spares on hand. (The InReach battery is built in and must be recharged via a USB cable.)

InReach advantages:

1. Can send and receive text messages (Both pre-programmed and free-form)
2. Monthly subscriptions available which can be suspended when not in use. This is cheaper in the long run if you only plan to use the device a couple of months per year.
3. Can be paired via bluetooth with a smartphone, giving a much improved user interface.
4. Uses the Iridium network. Iridium has true global coverage. (Globalstar does not cover the polar regions.) SPOT users have also complained about message and tracking reliability. This is believed to be associated with use of the Globalstar network.)
5. Superior tracking web site using DeLorme Topo and street maps. Easy integration with Facebook and Twitter.
6. Better customer experience (IMHO) including an easier to use customer web site and more straightforward device setup and maintenance.

As you can probably tell by now, I chose to buy the InReach SE in spite of the steeper initial cost. There was a $50 rebate in effect and I bought it on sale from REI, which also gives a 10% dividend back each year. Between the 3 programs, the price came down to about $200 making it the right choice in my book.

Liz and Melinda will be carrying a solar charger (More on that later) so keeping it charged on the trail should not be an issue.

That's it for now, I'll write more later about smartphone use on the trail.