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Author Topic: Using radio for SoS situations  (Read 867 times)

KD5JVP

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Using radio for SoS situations
« on: November 29, 2019, 11:55:21 AM »

Hello

I fo a lot of hunting and fishing in remote areas where there is no cell signal but at times I can hit a repeater. I was looking into purchasing one of the inReach systems but then I thought I should check in here and use the experience on this forum. Is there a set up I could get that would fit in my backpack and work as an SoS system? I have a Alinco DJ596 (open to getting something else) and I am going to get a small solar charger. My confusion is as to who I would contact? Can I set something up so I can easily send a test with my smart phone to a friend or call emergency services?

What do the rest of you do?

Thanks in advance
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K7AAT

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2019, 01:17:46 PM »

You want to depend on something that " at times you have coverage" ?!   Or do you want something always reliable?   Personally, I find the Inreach Explorer on the $12. A month plan to fit the latter category just fine.   Of course, if your budget allows, you could just get a satellite phone....
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W9FIB

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2019, 03:00:45 AM »

Another problem would be if someone were listening to the repeater even if you do have coverage. Or are willing to help if they do hear you.

In '86 I was out in the desert back country in AZ with my HT and a mag mount on the roof. Came up on a family with car trouble on a lonely dirt road. They had been there almost 24 hours. I could hit 2 repeaters from the location. the first one I got no reply. The second one I did get a reply, but he would not make a phone call to send help. He would not even try to find a relay to another repeater closer to Phoenix. I ended up driving back 30 miles to a small town and made the call myself. Is this something you would depend on for a real emergency?

Sad commentary for this community. Although it gave me a heightened awareness of calls on the local repeaters.
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73, Stan
Travelling the world one signal at a time.

NA4IT

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2019, 04:20:42 AM »

There used to be a Wilderness Protocol for ham radio.

You can read about it at https://harriscountyares.org/training/EME/EME-112.pdf.
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W9FIB

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2019, 06:06:45 AM »

There used to be a Wilderness Protocol for ham radio.

You can read about it at https://harriscountyares.org/training/EME/EME-112.pdf.

Very interesting. Not a topic that comes up much in densely populated WI.

I will admit 146.52 didn't enter my mind since I could hit 2 repeaters.

Thanks for the info!
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73, Stan
Travelling the world one signal at a time.

ONAIR

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2019, 06:05:09 PM »

Another problem would be if someone were listening to the repeater even if you do have coverage. Or are willing to help if they do hear you.

In '86 I was out in the desert back country in AZ with my HT and a mag mount on the roof. Came up on a family with car trouble on a lonely dirt road. They had been there almost 24 hours. I could hit 2 repeaters from the location. the first one I got no reply. The second one I did get a reply, but he would not make a phone call to send help. He would not even try to find a relay to another repeater closer to Phoenix. I ended up driving back 30 miles to a small town and made the call myself. Is this something you would depend on for a real emergency?

Sad commentary for this community. Although it gave me a heightened awareness of calls on the local repeaters.
  A few years back I got stuck off roading out in the middle of nowhere, and was out of cell tower or ham repeater range!  Fortunately I had 11 meter capability, and was able to contact a trucker 10 miles away at 2 AM on channel 19. He contacted the authorities, and they got help out to me.
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K5LXP

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2019, 07:09:05 PM »

Is there a set up I could get that would fit in my backpack and work as an SoS system?

Add "might" in front of work, and sure there is.

I do a bit of hiking here in the NM mountains.  You don't need to get far off the beaten path before you lose cell coverage.  We are lucky to have an excellent linked repeater network here in the state that has good coverage out into the hinterlands.  But even that has it's limits.  So my "SOS" system is a programmed HT with a spare battery plus a spare HT in a waterproof container in my backpack.  I carry a phone that has GPS, and a hiking GPS that I use track back with.  I tell someone where I'm going, when I'll be back and what frequencies I'll be monitoring.  It even worked once, where it took a bit longer to meet my XYL at the pickup point and I was able to call in on simplex to say everything was OK and my ETA.  If there was a true "emergency" there's no telling if I could reach anyone especially if I was injured and couldn't reach a repeater.  I could sit tight and wait for help which might be aided by simplex but it's not like a cell phone or satellite call.  Point of all this is if you're looking for a "I've fallen and can't get up" link, ham radio isn't it.  It's just a tool that might help "when all else fails" but I'd consider it a distant third to a primary and secondary distress signal.

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
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AK4YH

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2019, 01:11:17 AM »

I am a big fan of Morse code... First I will say that I do own an inReach and that would be my primary go-to, simply because it only requires pressing a button... I also carry a QRP CW radio with me when camping. For anything less than life-threatening emergencies, I will try CW first. Even with 5W, the efficiency of the mode pretty much guarantees that someone somewhere will hear you and answer. In the field I string a 132ft wire horizontally, fed by a 64:1 or 49:1 transformer. On 80m, that gives me great regional coverage. The only issue with CW is that you must be able to send code... I don't mean knowing it, but being hurt or sick could prevent you from being able to send intelligible code, or even set-up your antenna. Pressing the emergency button on the inReach is much easier. The best of course would be having both. Your life is worth much more than the inReach cost and subscription. Now if I had to choose a cheap QRP CW rig for emergencies, an 80m QCX kit from QRPLabs would be my choice...

Gil.
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K7RBW

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #8 on: December 03, 2019, 12:53:59 AM »

Depending on the contingency you are trying to prepare for, an EPIRB might fill the bill. They are meant to be used in only life-threatening circumstances, but have no monthly fee and worldwide coverage. For ex: https://www.amazon.com/acr-2880-ResQlink-Non-Buoyant-PLB/dp/B005E1OU1A/

But, as others have said, ham radio should probably not be your first option for an emergency unless you’ve already set up some comm plan with another ham in advance, and even then, I’d want a few backups.
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N1ZZZ

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #9 on: December 11, 2019, 07:43:34 AM »

Depending on the contingency you are trying to prepare for, an EPIRB might fill the bill. They are meant to be used in only life-threatening circumstances, but have no monthly fee and worldwide coverage. For ex: https://www.amazon.com/acr-2880-ResQlink-Non-Buoyant-PLB/dp/B005E1OU1A/

But, as others have said, ham radio should probably not be your first option for an emergency unless you’ve already set up some comm plan with another ham in advance, and even then, I’d want a few backups.

THIS!  Personal locator beacon is the answer.  If you light one of those off, you WILL get the alarm raised and the appropriate rescue assets dispatched.  Amateur radio depends on both being heard and the other station being willing and able to help.  If you contact someone out of state from you on HF, who are they going to call?  The local dispatcher may or may not be able or willing to help, and calling authorities long distance is dicey as well.  If a rescue coordination center gets an EPIRB ping, they can find your location and are trained on who to call in short order.  The beacons are also cost effective and portable.

73
Jeremy
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AK4YH

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #10 on: December 12, 2019, 01:26:00 AM »

What Ham radio brings is the ability to make contact for less-than-life-threatening emergencies... With an inReach or EPIRB, it's pretty much all or nothing. You press the button, trigger an all-out search-and-rescue operation... Sometimes people will delay pressing that button until the situation has worsened significantly. Sometimes it takes an outside view to judge of the severity of the emergency... With radio you can ask questions, bounce ideas, get feedback and advise... And maybe someone will tell you to press that button NOW! I would definitely suggest having both. Not all emergencies are life-threatening, but they all have the potential to evolve in that direction. An EPIRB or inReach won't give any information on the nature of the emergency or your state of mind, though the inReach allows you to send text messages... Hearing someone on the radio can tell a lot about the situation, just from the caller's tone of voice. Even using Morse, you can tell an operator is under stress... Radio could bring you the answers you need so you don't have to wreak havock and solve the issue... Then if that doesn't work, you turn on your EPIRB and hope for the best...

Gil.
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K0UA

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #11 on: December 12, 2019, 07:23:43 AM »

What Ham radio brings is the ability to make contact for less-than-life-threatening emergencies... With an inReach or EPIRB, it's pretty much all or nothing. You press the button, trigger an all-out search-and-rescue operation... Sometimes people will delay pressing that button until the situation has worsened significantly. Sometimes it takes an outside view to judge of the severity of the emergency... With radio you can ask questions, bounce ideas, get feedback and advise... And maybe someone will tell you to press that button NOW! I would definitely suggest having both. Not all emergencies are life-threatening, but they all have the potential to evolve in that direction. An EPIRB or inReach won't give any information on the nature of the emergency or your state of mind, though the inReach allows you to send text messages... Hearing someone on the radio can tell a lot about the situation, just from the caller's tone of voice. Even using Morse, you can tell an operator is under stress... Radio could bring you the answers you need so you don't have to wreak havock and solve the issue... Then if that doesn't work, you turn on your EPIRB and hope for the best...

Gil.

You made some very good points.
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73  James K0UA

KB2FCV

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2019, 05:53:00 PM »

For deep middle-of-nowhere wilderness with no hope of cell service I would personally go with a personal locator beacon for any truly life threatening situations. As a backup to that I'd go with a handheld GPS & a small QRP CW radio such as an Elecraft KX1, KX2, etc and an antenna that is extremely easy to deploy (long wire, etc). The radio would be fun anyways to have on such an adventure.. but you should be able to work someone on a few watts and a wire (I've worked all over the country with my KX-1 and a wire literally tossed in the trees..)
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K0UA

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #13 on: December 30, 2019, 11:48:28 AM »

"back in the day"  before cell phone service and no one had personal cell phones in their pocket, I went fishing with a friend. Of course we were out of communication. When I got back in the truck and turned on the 2 meter rig. There were people calling me on the local repeater.  In those days of regional wide area coverage repeaters before every ham had his own private repeater in which he is the only one allowed to get on it, You KNEW which repeater to get on as there was only one or two. Everyone was on that repeater. So anyway, I was called, and I answered.  Seems my wife had an automobile accident and was in the hospital. Of course I hurried to the hospital to be with her. She was conscious and had the presence of mind when asked who should be contacted, she mentioned a local ham she know that would get the word out and start the radio search for me. She knew I would come up on the repeater as soon as I got back in the truck which was a habit of most of us back in those days. So in this case ham radio helped find me and get me to the hospital. While not life and death it was good that I could be with her rather than me making a long journey home and waiting for the phone to ring, all the while wondering where the wife had went.  She had taken a few minutes to go to her parents house a mile away and a 16 year old in a pickup truck decided to take her out. She lived (with injuries) the nearly new pontiac car did not. I don't think the 69 Chevy pickup truck driven by the newly licensed 16 year old fared very well either.

I was glad for ham radio that day.  And there have been many other incidents since then that it really came in handy.
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73  James K0UA

W3XH

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Re: Using radio for SoS situations
« Reply #14 on: April 17, 2020, 05:03:23 AM »

there is nothing that says you cant carry both a ht and a plb if you need comms and are in repeater range you cna use your ht , if you are injured you can set off the plb.  i dont think this is an either or questions. keep your ht in a zip lock bag or waterproof case and keep your plb close, those plbs are small now so both would not take up much room.

alex
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