SpotGen3 – Better Preparedness

If tools and technology are available, should we use them and how do we use them? While in remotest Africa, I show you how I use this SPOT Gen3 personal satellite locator beacon (PLB). Remote travel and adventure both close and far from home carries risks. Features like the tracking beacon, check-in, and the SOS buttons could save our life one day. For me, that's pretty cool. If something goes horribly wrong, these devices could save our life and the lives of those responders searching for us. https://youtu.be/0DqN6kpOq6Y These tools are part of our Better Preparedness A distress tool like these satellite beacons is not enough. It has to be part of your overall proactive preparedness. Knowing when it's safe to go out there and how to be safeBeing equipped to be safe and be ready for crisesKnowing how to use your gear and emergency itemsA compact emergency kit (whistle, mylar blanket, 1st aid, …)Notifying friends/family of your route and start/finish timesA Plan B and Plan C are great ideas Distress and Emergency Communications Tools and Devices There is a range of low and high tech tools available to us and the costs are in the reasonable range these days. If we can afford a mobile phone but we frequently venture away from signal, it's worth considering a 1-way or 2-way personal locator beacon (messenger). Remember, each of these has pros and cons. The whistle will reach out to anyone within a few hundred metres, including searchers. The signal mirror could catch the eye of an aircraft or boat searching for us. The locator beacons are critical to helping us be found more quickly and with less risk to the searchers and responders. Learn how to use these tools and devices. Disclosure: The following are Amazon Affiliate links and if you buy something, I get a small commission (at no cost to you!) and that's awesome because those few bucks help me pay for running this website. :-) 1. Emergency Whistles: https://amzn.to/2tFnRhk 2. Sun Signal Mirrors: https://amzn.to/2H4Gv5c 3. 1-Way Satellite Beacons/Locator Beacons SpotGen3: https://amzn.to/2w3Z0EZ ACR ResQLink 400 Buoyant: https://amzn.to/31GvYXI 4. 2-Way Satellite Beacons/Satellite Messengers Garmin InReach Mini: https://amzn.to/2H6AogW Spot X 2-Way: https://amzn.to/2Sc2sG1 Garmin InReach Explorer+: https://amzn.to/2Sc2sG1 5. Satellite Telephones (Satphones) Iridium Extreme: https://amzn.to/2SxBOWY IsatPhone 2.1: https://amzn.to/2Sc3UrX Iridium 9555: https://amzn.to/2SdiS0Z What Activities Can Benefit from a Personal Locator Beacon? Mobile phones are awesome but they have their limitations such as network coverage or battery life. A 1-way SPOT Gen3 or (even better) a 2-way SPOT X satellite locator beacon has the potential to notify friends/family or authorities swiftly and let them know where you are. If I break my leg or suffer major equipment failure, and am stranded, using one of these beacons could save my life and help get help to me without searchers looking randomly for a needle in a thousand hay stacks. Here are some of the applications for a Personal Locator Beacon: Hiking and TrekkingTrail runningCycling and Mountain biking (MTB)MotorcyclingSnowmobilingHunting/FishingCamping/RVingSolo/remote travelSkiing (downhill, cross-country, downhill, touring, hors-piste, ...)Sporting eventsElevated risk travelSearch and RescuersCanoeing/Boating/Sailing,…Backcountry wilderness travelRemote living locations Remote forestry, tree planting, or prospecting jobsWhat else can you think of? Your Comments: What are your views on satellite locator beacons and messaging tools? How do you feel about these satellite locator beacons and messaging tools? Do you use one? Which one?What are your top tips? Please add them in the Comments below! Extra Resources from Better Preparedness https://betterpreparedness.com/your-easy-guide-to-emergency-survival-whistles-and-how-to-use-them/ https://betterpreparedness.com/fox-40-boat-essentials-kit-full-review/ https://betterpreparedness.com/ultimate-ultramarathon-running-packing-guide/