Basejumper.com - archive

Does anyone have any experience to share with this particular personal GPS device?

http://gpstracklog.com/...unicator-review.html

the search feature turned up some posts from back in 08 and it seems the reliability of some of these products can be questionable in dense forests and in situations with no direct line-of-sight to the sky.

with that said, can anyone recommend a reliable GPS unit for solo BASE jump missions in mountain and desert areas in case of either minor injury calling for the help of friends or major inruries requiring SAR?

the above unit seems like it would be suitable for areas that are not thick forest. the only thing im really interested in is being able to get help from friends or rescue personnel, im not really concerned with the tracking and real-time upload features

I don't think that any bluetooth based system is reliable. A standalone unit is a better option in my opinion
http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=102 Unfortunately I don't have the experience with that one, but I'll buy it someday. I like the fact that it has no screen. What if the screen (on the unit you suggested) breaks during a cliff strike and you can't send an SOS message

i have the spot messenger. it is pretty nice. you can send out 3 different types of pre setup messages. one saying you are ok (acutally anything you want to type in to 10 people email or phone ).. one button is a help. goes to 3 pre determined people with a pre-determined message by you saying whatever u want. like im at XXXX antennae and if u get this message im prolly hanging in a tree, come get me. the last is the 911 button. it goes to a central station and they dispatch rescue.

i really like my spot. i might upgrade to the smaller one so if u want to buy the 1st generation model from me, just pm me and we can work something out.

P

The Spot connect is pretty awesome as long as your smart phone is still in tact and has battery. I like it alot. And if you decide on one you know to contact me first, right?

SPOT Messenger vs ACR ResQLink vs McMurdo Fast Find 210

I agree, ACR Q Link is the shit! But only for people who aren't in touch with what's really important. SOCIAL MEDIA BABY! Do you wan't to be found, or do you want to tell the world you just got lost and will probably die from doing something awesome? Being rescued doesn't make the clothes fall off.
The one and only thing I care about is being able to update my twitter account while jumping...and the Spot Connect does that. BOO-YAW Just text and go!
Priorities!

I couldn't agree more. Twitting while in distress is da shit! The problem is, Spot's 0.4W transmitter at ~1600MHz is no match to real PLB's 5W transmitter at ~400MHz when it comes to penetrating thick tree canopy, clouds, rocks, or Occupy Yosemite hippies

Maybe the next version of GoPro will have a video messenger built in, so that jumpers can stream their carnage videos directly to Incidents forum! And the proceeds from subscriptions will go to... of course, Occupy Yosemite hippies!!!

That would be a win! I want mine to play Jefferson Airplane's version of Kumbayah whenever I handcuff myself to a giant sequoia tree, double as a hash pipe, and come equipped with itunes so I can instantly add music as I upload my failure at life.

interesting article. the PLB's seem to be working nearly the same as the E-PIRB's we use on ships in case of distress. and again i could do without the insta twatting features, just need something that could help save my ass if need be, and hopefully without the steep annual subscription fees. fuck

After doing some research, I ended up getting ACR ResQLink. Got it for $232 at West Marine store in California - they list it for $280, but they do price matching, no problem. There are no annual fees, and battery is good for 6 years. Rescue is free in most parts of the world.

Checked out McMurdo FastFind 210 at the store as well, but didn't like two things: there's no way to do a self-test with antenna deployed since it's sealed for emergency use only, and removing the cover requires 18lbs of force which you may not have in emergency.

As for SPOT, here's a nice comparison SPOT vs PLB that explains the differences between the two satellite systems.

I did two GPS self-tests with ResQLink. One in "clear" view of sky (surrounded by big mountains) - it passed. Then in thick, tall forest nearby. GPS test failed (it tries to acquire GPS signal for about a minute or two). In place like this, SPOT will be entirely useless: even if its emergency signal can reach Globalstar satellites, it won't have your location. It'll alert rescue that you're in emergency, but they won't know where you are. COSPAS-SARSAT satellites, on the other hand, can triangulate the signal from 406MHz PLB and get your approximate location. PLBs also emit 121MHz homing beacon signal that help rescue pinpoint your location once they're in the general area.