Yuppie 911=GPS

[shecky]

I heard this story the other day, found it interesting and relevant to many of us on this forum.

If you're going hiking or climbing in the back country, you may decide to take a personal locator beacon or a satellite tracker with you, a small device that transmits your GPS coordinates to rescuers in case of an emergency. And because these devices have gotten pretty cheap and common, rescuers are finding more and more people using them carelessly, sending distress calls when they really don't need to.

I have yet to get one of these newfangled devices, but yeah, I can see this as being one of the unintended side effects of such technology becoming cheap and common.

 

[Md 25v]

One of the big problems with these technologies is that they give less experienced people a false security that they 1- know where they are 2- know how to get back. The downside to the pieces of equipment are that they run on batteries(cold kills batts), can be accidentally left on, can accidentally erase a "plot" or route. There is not always a good signal from satellites depending on the weather and its easy to loose sections of your route due to poor satellite connection. I took my first orienteering class twenty years ago and I don't think there is any electronic alternative to basic map and compass navigation skills.

 

[PayetteRucker]

Yup I have a Garmin Venture Hc and a SPOT. I got stuck on a 2000 foot ledge face once and thought about using it but took 5 minutes to calm down and assess the situation and got myself down. Batteries are a HUGE issue. In the backcountry nothing is a 100% failsafe,which is why you need to know what you are doing... you simply cannot rely on gear to do the job for you.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

I don't know if I've told this story on here before, but -

A couple of years ago, I was to do a hike for a local outdoors-oriented youth club. Basically it consisted of identifying various trees and plants and explaining how early people's used them. Some of the techniques were demonstrated, such as fire making, primitive navigation, etc.

All the mentors (adult supervision ) of this particular group were hunters - this is important because it means that they all, at one time or another, were out in the bush.

Just before the hike started, one of the mentors came up to me and said that his wife bought him a GPS for his birthday, and wondered if I could show him how to use it. I told him that I couldn't because I never owned one, nor did I want to.

So anyway, later in the hike, I demonstrated to the boys, the Shadowless Stick technique, which basically gives you an easterly direction. The hunter/mentor/new GPS owner says to me, "OK, that shows you where East is, but how do you tell where is North?" (Without a word of a lie )

What's the expression Bushman 5 uses? - Nuff said?!!!!

Doc

 

[Munky88]

I read a story about some yuppies that went camping In Alaska. Bushplane drops them off and was going to pick them up in a few days. End of the first day they set off the emergency beacon. A rescue plane lands to check it out and finds them. They got sunburned. Not dehydrated or anything, just sunburned. Rescue plane takes off and calls the bushpilot company to have them picked up in the morning.

The thing that gets me Is how awesome that trip would be for any of us, and they don't even make it a day. 'Nuff said'

They at least need to make the signal beacon give out some information. an "I'm injured" "I'm lost" type of thing.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

I know voice communications are difficult depending on the environment. Is there any way a simple Morse transmitter could be built into these devices? Yeah, they can't figure out where north is, how will they remember code?

 

[Bushman5]

Munky hit the nail on the head.......someone needs to make these units so they are PROGRAMMABLE. Scroll thru a menu and choose: 1) need food drop, 2) need fuel drop 3) need medical aid & p/u 4) need immediate EVAC 5) am ok heading to next camp 6) wildfire in area 7) wildfire in area need immediate evac 8) am ok but staying overnight

etc etc etc etc etc etc

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Munky hit the nail on the head.......someone needs to make these units so they are PROGRAMMABLE. Scroll thru a menu and choose: 1) need food drop, 2) need fuel drop 3) need medical aid & p/u 4) need immediate EVAC 5) am ok heading to next camp 6) wildfire in area 7) wildfire in area need immediate evac 8) am ok but staying overnight

etc etc etc etc etc etc

Sounds like the old ground-to-air signals, that hardly anybody knows anymore.

Doc

 

[riz_aaroni]

Munky hit the nail on the head.......someone needs to make these units so they are PROGRAMMABLE. Scroll thru a menu and choose: 1) need food drop, 2) need fuel drop 3) need medical aid & p/u 4) need immediate EVAC 5) am ok heading to next camp 6) wildfire in area 7) wildfire in area need immediate evac 8) am ok but staying overnight

etc etc etc etc etc etc

Sounds good for real missions in le bush, but this would be even worse for the average person. It'd be even more of a crutch and would give them less of a reason to actually go prepared. Unless you are joking, then . IDK, people have become way the hell too dependent on technology in nearly every way. The number of people around my age, 18-25, who can actually cook is scary. Enough of my rant...

 

[dougo83]

Sounds good for real missions in le bush, but this would be even worse for the average person. It'd be even more of a crutch and would give them less of a reason to actually go prepared. Unless you are joking, then . IDK, people have become way the hell too dependent on technology in nearly every way. The number of people around my age, 18-25, who can actually cook is scary. Enough of my rant...

I don't find what bushman said to be much different than a digital form of the Wilderness First Aid assessment forms I have for hiking and such. You figure out what exactly is wrong and then you radio it in. This system would just make the process quicker. Of course, I have tried hiking with a GPS and just find it to be extra unecessary weight. A SPOT would be useful OTOH. Sometimes things just happen and having a simple beacon to notify that there is a problem can be a lifesaver. I would submit that the hiker that had to lop his arm off might still have 2 if he had access to such a device.

 

[kgd]

It sure would be a lot easier for SAR to have a coordinate to travel to for their rescue.

They should build a website and call it GeoVictim. You download the coordinate nearest to you and go find the victum. This could actually catch on as a family activity if you think about it. There are no shortages of places where victims can occur, from little city parks, rural areas to vast forest expanses. The great thing about GeoVictim is it gets SAR's out to places they may have never been out to. Suddenly they discover all these neat little victim enclaves that they never new were right in their back yards.

 

[dipbait]

I wonder how expensive satellite phones are to own and operate. It would be nice if we could move that direction and get rid of inconsistent cel phones.

 

[WolfTracker]

Hey Dip... I use a satellite phone for work. They are expensive to own and even more so to operate.

I think that the problem today is the whole instant gratification factor. "Who needs to learn a skill? All that I need to do is push a button.". Factor in the rampant lack of personal accountability and the mainstream media's promotion of "all things extreme", as in, "Someone will bail me out".

There is no magic widget to replace good judgment and a solid foundation of core competencies.

Chris

 

[Katdaddy]

Sadly, there is no device or technology that is dumba$$ proof.
I would feel safe in saying that the members here would have the mindset "OK, I got myself into this now I need to get myself out". Not so with too many others.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

It sure would be a lot easier for SAR to have a coordinate to travel to for their rescue.

They should build a website and call it GeoVictim. You download the coordinate nearest to you and go find the victum. This could actually catch on as a family activity if you think about it. There are no shortages of places where victims can occur, from little city parks, rural areas to vast forest expanses. The great thing about GeoVictim is it gets SAR's out to places they may have never been out to. Suddenly they discover all these neat little victim enclaves that they never new were right in their back yards.

This could inspire a new TV "reality" show called BeAVictim !!! Contestants are dropped off in untrackable wastelands -- the Gobi Desert or Death Valley, the mountains of British Columbia, New York City ... well, Brookyn anyway.

Who survives? Which SAR team brings 'em back alive? How many kids are impelled to run off to a war zone?

The possibilities are mind-boggling!

 

[riz_aaroni]

I don't find what bushman said to be much different than a digital form of the Wilderness First Aid assessment forms I have for hiking and such. You figure out what exactly is wrong and then you radio it in. This system would just make the process quicker. Of course, I have tried hiking with a GPS and just find it to be extra unecessary weight. A SPOT would be useful OTOH. Sometimes things just happen and having a simple beacon to notify that there is a problem can be a lifesaver. I would submit that the hiker that had to lop his arm off might still have 2 if he had access to such a device.

A SPOT is a nice thing to have for sure, but the ability to have food drops and such is like a video game. If you are camping in yellowstone, I've pretty sure that is way over the top. IDK, maybe if you are hiking and get stranded, you can call for emergency help and having the ability to communicate the need for medicine or food or water may be useful. I still think proper education is the best way to go.

 

[dougo83]

A SPOT is a nice thing to have for sure, but the ability to have food drops and such is like a video game. If you are camping in yellowstone, I've pretty sure that is way over the top. IDK, maybe if you are hiking and get stranded, you can call for emergency help and having the ability to communicate the need for medicine or food or water may be useful. I still think proper education is the best way to go.

I agree completely. However, I see these functions as being more beneficial for the potential rescuers. I think it might be easier for a SAR team if they know more directly what they are heading into. It would also help in the situation that there are multiple rescue calls around the same time. Not saying it happens, but it would be nice to be able to prioritize calls based on need. For example, one call comes in of a hiker who broke his leg and another is a group who is off the trail and lost. The injured hiker should probably take priority. I dunno...just the ramblings of a very very very tired me...

 

[Bushman5]

Quote:
Originally Posted by dougo83 View Post
I don't find what bushman said to be much different than a digital form of the Wilderness First Aid assessment forms I have for hiking and such. You figure out what exactly is wrong and then you radio it in. This system would just make the process quicker. Of course, I have tried hiking with a GPS and just find it to be extra unecessary weight. A SPOT would be useful OTOH. Sometimes things just happen and having a simple beacon to notify that there is a problem can be a lifesaver. I would submit that the hiker that had to lop his arm off might still have 2 if he had access to such a device.

A SPOT is a nice thing to have for sure, but the ability to have food drops and such is like a video game. If you are camping in yellowstone, I've pretty sure that is way over the top. IDK, maybe if you are hiking and get stranded, you can call for emergency help and having the ability to communicate the need for medicine or food or water may be useful. I still think proper education is the best way to go.

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i'm not saying it should replace common sense and training, but as a complement to said skills....

 

[Toucan Oasis]

I heard this story the other day, found it interesting and relevant to many of us on this forum.



I have yet to get one of these newfangled devices, but yeah, I can see this as being one of the unintended side effects of such technology becoming cheap and common.

I wonder when they'll come out with one that will bring you an escort, if'n you lose your way to Walmart ?

 

[dougo83]

I wonder when they'll come out with one that will bring you an escort, if'n you lose your way to Walmart ?

I just want one to help me find my remote...