Your alone in the mountains, away from cell service, and you need help…fast.
Thank goodness you planned ahead and have the SPOT X 2 Way Satellite Messenger with you.
Planning Ahead
I have been planning and researching a lot these days on Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) and Satellite Messengers, which I prefer to call Emergency Satellite Messengers (ESMs). These are great emergency locators that we should all have on our packs but my thoughts have been taking me elsewhere, besides just being able to notify family and friends back home or rescue teams.
Most of the time, I go hiking or backpacking with a group and how many of you can answer correctly how many people in our group has an emergency locator with them. Of course the answer is almost always none of them. I want to change this and have our hiking team be prepared for anything. Hopefully we won’t need help, but we may be able to provide help to another fellow hiker.
So, planning ahead means that you and Your Team need to be able to communicate with others if an emergency should ever arise.
Your Team
Planning ahead shouldn’t be just about YOU. Your entire team needs to be prepared.
How many times does your hiking team split up to visit different areas of interest, especially on an extended day hike? It happens a lot. At least half of my backpacking trips have ended up in teams of two or three choosing to explore different areas.
Have you ever asked what would happen in only one person on the team has an emergency locator and you are not all together. You may go half the day or the entire day before you realized something was wrong and you needed to start searching for your missing teammates.
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about having a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) or an Emergency Satellite Messenger (ESM) that cannot message or maybe you have an ESM that can message 1-way, which is great, but will that help you if your team only has 1-way messaging capabilities when there are others close by that could provide immediate help, long before a search and rescue team arrives?
First Responders | Your Team
Everyone thinks of first responders as being rescue services who reach the scene first, but this needs not be the case out in the wilderness.
The First Responders should be your own backpacking team but how will that work when you are outside of cell service and can’t communicate with each other?
You may not want to hear this but it’s important to have more then one ESM on your team. I know, this costs money and many times we’re doing everything possible to even get to go on the trip and now I’m recommending you spend several hundred dollars more?
YES, I am telling you that is exactly what you should do!
My Team
My team normally consists of my son and daughter, two nephews, several friends, and sometimes co-workers. Most of the time our backpacking team ends up having 4 or 5 people for the trip.
I’m not saying that every person on the team should have an ESM, but that would be good. I recommend that you should have at least two ESMs so if your team splits up, both smaller teams will have at least one ESM and be able to communicate with the other team.
It seems like I have always struggled with not having enough money and most of the people on my hiking teams typically have less money then me so you have to be creative when finding ways to handle emergencies.
My Plan
I have personally decided to purchase two Emergency Satellite Messengers (ESMs) that can communicate 2-way with each other so when family and friends do join me on an outdoor adventure, I will be able to provide our team with the emergency communication devices we need.
I understand the financial constraints most of us have but I have also been in some close calls in my life and see the absolute importance of being able to place an S.O.S. distress call in a life-threatening emergency.
My specific plan is to purchase two (2) SPOT X 2 Way Satellite Messengers. I will have one for myself and one for another experienced hiker. If our group decides to split up then the two hikers with ESMs, will be in different groups, so our teams will always be able to communicate in cases of an emergency….and for the really awesome scenery that we often experience, so we can tell the other group that you need to come here and check this out!
The choice is clear for me. What about you?
What About You?
Will you head off on your outdoor adventure, knowing that everything will turn out perfectly, or will you begin thinking ahead and planning for the unthinkable?
This can be a tough financial decision but it is an easy decision to make.
I have seen my son and nephew almost get bitten by a rattlesnake and a water moccasin and I know I would have been devastated if a simple call for help could have saved their lives.
So, what will you do?
Your Field Test
Well, you decided to invest in an ESM and are ready to set off on your exciting new outdoor adventure…but WAIT!
You need to field test your ESMs. I’m not just talking about setting up your account and adding custom messages or putting contacts in your device or checking to see if you’re getting good reception and your tracking is working.
I’m talking about knowing everything there is to know about your ESM. You may have to make several trips on shorter hikes to work out the bugs.
I remember when I bought my SPOT Gen3, I had to make 3 field tests before I knew exactly how it all worked and that my contacts were receiving the messages.
Take the time to test your ESMs, especially if you buy more then one so that you can communicate with each other. Do your devices need unique phone numbers or have to have information entered precisely? Do you have devices by different manufactures and do you know if they will communicate with each other.
I have recently heard from a customer sales representative that one manufacturer allows communications with others, but it doesn’t happen the other way around. I cannot confirm this yet, but I will soon and will write about it, but you need to ask yourself these questions and know what your capabilities and limitations are on your adventure.
The Bottom Line
Be prepared (with the SPOT X 2 Way Satellite Messenger) and test your equipment thoroughly before heading off on that incredible adventure or your adventure may have an incredibly unhappy ending.
- SYNC WITH BLUETOOTH: Connect to SpotX to cellphone so you can communicate with family or even search and rescue; Use as a standalone communication device with it's own dedicated US mobile number to receive messages
- PEACE OF MIND: Send S.O.S. to 24/7 Search & Rescue service, message back and forth about the nature of your emergency, receive confirmation when help is on the way; Message any cell number or email address virtually anywhere
- GLOBALSTAR SATELLITE & SPOT products use GPS to determine location and transmit GPS coordinates to others; SPOT users can notify friends, family or emergency rescue their exact GPS coordinates
- WHAT'S IN THE BOX: SpotX Device, strap and carabiner, micro usb data/power cable, quick start guide, SOS mirrored sticker, warranty card and kickstand
- PURCHASE, ACTIVATE, EXPLORE: Grab a Spot X 2-way Satellite Messenger; Activate by selecting your service plan; Get out there and explore the world with peace of mind
This product was presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
I would love to hear your thoughts or other preparation tips if you would like to share them here. Leave a Comment Below or send me an Email and I will reply quickly.
I hope you take advantage of any outdoor activity you can find. Some of the greatest memories are made together in the great outdoors.
Check out this YouTube video below of the SPOT X field test.
Your Outdoor Friend,
Rick
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I’m a very big lover of hiking and I always take the chance of doing it whenever it shows because I’m a kind of busy man but I still value my family time as much as my personal time to have fun. This satellite messenger is a really nice one and it’s very useful.. it’s very possible to be in a situation that needs utmost attention, it’ll serve as communicator. I’ll try as much as possible to initiate the idea of carrying Spot X 2 way satellite when I’m going on my next hiking. Thanks.
It’s great to see you out there having a lot of fun. I have an article that may help you explore the Emergency Satellite Messengers More. One of them is called Emergency Radio Reviews. It’s actually not about radios but is about satellite messengers with S.O.S. functions. See the link below:
https://hikingemergencybeacon.com/emergency-radio-reviews/
Let me know if you have any questions.
Rick
I competely agree with you, I have been on hikes before and wanted to explore one area but had to choose to stay with the group since we only had one satellite messenger. Since I have invested in a second one our hikes have been much more fun, since we are able to split up and most times do this purposely and compare stories when we get back to the bottom. Thank you for article, lots of good information here!
Hey Travis. You are definitely ahead of most hikers out there who grab their pack and head into the mountains. I was one of these also but it’s great to hear that you are ahead of the game and prepared for the good and the bad.
Rick
It’s such a scary feeling having a loved one go hiking and not knowing if they’ll be okay or if they’ll come back. I have a few people that I know who love hiking but sometimes they go alone as a method of unwinding and I really think this product would be perfect for them. I will be sending them this article so they can check it out themselves.
Hi Stephanie. I was just writing about how emergency locators, such as this, would be perfect for family and friends, and especially the younger ones who we really tend to get worried about.
I appreciate the vote of confidence and please stop back by and let me know which ones they choose in the future.
Rick
Hello Rick, this is a very good post that you have written here and i have to say that I am really impressed with it. I also like the fact that you have given these awesome tips on the best way to use a satellite messenger. I agree that when one is going in groups, it is always best to have more than one messenger and like many others, i used to think that the first responder is the rescue team. My ideology about that has changed today. Thank you
You are very welcome. I have been hiking for over 30 years and it’s sad to say that it has taken me this long to really understand what it means to hike safe.
Rick
I know I’m leaving two comments on this article but I was looking back through the article again and wanted to thank you for thinking thoroughly about these issues which makes it more helpful for the rest of us. I am going to save this article to my favorites and make sure I share this with my friends who love the outdoors.
Thank you again and don’t hesitate to ask more questions if you have any.
Rick
It’s always good to have satellite beacon or something that can reach out to some other people whenever we’re going into areas with no reception or network connection, this will enable our safety and I really like that suggestion you’ve made about Spot X 2, it’s a nice bone with really amazing features. I’ll recommend it to some of my friends that we go hiking together and I know they’ll love the idea. Thanks for the advice, testing your equipments before hand is very good so as to know of any faults in order to avoid casualties.
You are welcome. I wanted to head to the nearest trail when I bought my first Emergency Satellite Messenger but I realized I had a lot to learn to make it more then a useless piece of technology.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Rick
Hi Rick – I love the outdoors and being one with nature. There are lots of beautiful hiking locations where I live but I don’t make enough time to do more of it…I need to change that. I completely agree that planning is everything, especially when you go out on a long hiking trip. The Spot X 2 Way Satellite Messenger may be a little expensive but sometimes the right question is not how much something cost…but what is the value you are getting. In this case, it could potentially save yours or someone else’s life. I never thought of getting an ESM but after reading your post I got me thinking. Good point on making sure to test your equipment before heading out…just good common sense. Enjoyed the read! Best wishes.
Thank you Jeff for the nice comments. My daughter works with a search and rescue team here in Colorado and she has told me several stories about how other hikers, who were prepared, were able to call for help for someone who had an extreme emergency.
I always use to think the Emergency Satellite Messenger was for my well being, but now I can see it can be much more then that.
Rick
I’m from the inner city and never had the chance to go hiking or mountain climbing but I think having a device like the 2 way satellite your talking about would be a necessity. I have been in big malls and amusement parks and the people I traveled with have gotten split up and we had no way of communicating with one another. The fun turned into chaos and just like the movies our cell phones would not pick up reception. So yes I couldn’t agree with you more in saying that having a reliable communication system is a must.
Thank you for the comments. I have a recommendation for you when in large crowded areas when you loose service at times. It’s called the GoTenna Mesh and it is made specifically for large gatherings so you can ensure you stay in touch. See the link below.
https://hikingemergencybeacon.com/go-tenna-mesh/
Rick
Great insight. I personally think it’s a must to have a PLB and an ESM, as you mentioned in your article it is better to be prepared, because anytime can be a problem, especially in this kind of adventure. Most people think about the cost of these equipment in the first place, but ignore the benefits in time of crisis.
You are so right Randy. Money is no object when you need that life flight or the search and rescue team to scale the mountain quickly to get you or a friend to safety.
Some of these devices are actually very reasonable with several of them coming in under $150 and a few around $200.
No one wants to spend the money until your flat on your back looking up a the sky, wishing someone knew where your were. Knowing help is on the way is a powerful thing.
Rick
Oh well, this is a very good post you have here on the satellite messenger. Your advice is very useful to me and i must confess that i have really enjoyed reading every part of it. I have not really gone hiking in groups yet though but that is something i will like to give a try sometime later so i will remember your tip. Thank you very much for this. Cheers!
Thank you John. I really try and think through things for how I and people I know spend time in the outdoors. Everyone is different in what they do and what they need and I look forward to seeing comments from people with different perspectives, ideas and tips on other things that work for them.
Rick