Transponders for hikers?

Mike Lewis · 07-12-2021, 06:18 AM

A young woman hiking in Montana is missing and presumed dead. She had an inReach device that would give her location, but it is presumed she was unable to trigger it:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mi...ent/ar-AAM21qr

It seems to me that a location device could be made that could be triggered remotely via search-and-rescue aircraft, etc., like aircraft transponders that are triggered by radar. Is there such a product on the market now? Please discuss.

cpaharley2008 · 07-12-2021, 06:30 AM

There is a current tv commercial where daughter finds her father sitting in a park, at night, thinking about her mother......so location services ar still around!

jerryc · 07-12-2021, 07:41 AM

I always use a Spot tracker when hiking alone. Updates my location to family and select friends every 10 minutes. Came equipped with two levels of assist buttons for emergencies. Much better than something that had to be acticated upon need I would think.

Brian B-P · 07-12-2021, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

It seems to me that a location device could be made that could be triggered remotely via search-and-rescue aircraft, etc., like aircraft transponders that are triggered by radar.

A problem is that the device would need to be active all of the time, or at least regularly waking up on a schedule to listen for long enough to get the request passively (which would have to be continually repeated) or to ask the system if there is a request, and that would take a lot more power than just being off until needed. That's not a problem in an aircraft (which provides power), but may not be desirable for a device carried by a hiker.

If the device is regularly sending updates, then it doesn't need to be triggered, but of course that takes even more power than just listening.

The article misses the obvious possibility that the device is functioning, but does not have a clear enough view of the sky for its signal to be received by the satellites. InReach uses Iridium, which has dozens of satellites offering reasonably continuous coverage, but it's still easy to get out of service in many types of terrain.

blue_bullet · 07-12-2021, 01:09 PM

I have a Find Me Spot that puts out a signal every few minutes and can be tracked via maps on their website plus it has an SOS button.

https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/

Service fee is $174 USD/year. My device is aptly named "Buzzards in the Sky". Seriously many have been rescued with this device.

ghosthunter · 07-12-2021, 02:25 PM

I had a Spot locator for ten years. Than I got caught up in the InReach hype. Ability's to text.

The InReach is a lot more sensitive to having a clear view of sky than the Spot locator ever was. If she had fallen any where lower than the mountain around it may not work.

jerryc · 07-12-2021, 05:48 PM

If I'm not mistaken, the Iridium network has been diminished due to satellite failures due to age. A few years ago it was quite easy to track Iridium flares just after sundown and just before sunrise. Many apps such as ISStracker tracked them. It was always fun to have someone watch a spot of sky, and see their amazement when the flare occured. Not many happening, nowadays.

Brian B-P · 07-12-2021, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerryc

If I'm not mistaken, the Iridium network has been diminished due to satellite failures due to age. A few years ago it was quite easy to track Iridium flares just after sundown and just before sunrise. Many apps such as ISStracker tracked them. It was always fun to have someone watch a spot of sky, and see their amazement when the flare occured. Not many happening, nowadays.

There are as many Iridium satellites functioning in orbit now as there were in the original complete system, and most of the are of the new and more capable second generation. Most of the originals are gone, being long past their intended service life.

From Wikipedia, another explanation for the lack of flares:

Quote:

Due to the shape of the original Iridium satellites' reflective antennas, the first generation satellites focused sunlight on a small area of the Earth surface in an incidental manner. This resulted in an effect called Iridium flares, whereby the satellite momentarily appeared as one of the brightest objects in the night sky and could be seen even during daylight. Newer Iridium satellites do not produce flares.

hrewer · 07-12-2021, 06:00 PM

My son has been backpacking and using the InReach device. We can look at a map and see 10 minute updates as to where he is. If something happened and he could not send out the SOS, we would be able to see the last place he pinged from. But it has to be turned on and charged. Different plans do not ping as often so might not be as helpful. It seems like a good device, but not perfect.

kavm · 07-12-2021, 08:20 PM

We are low tech, and a PLB is good enough for us. I am not sure if I want all my moves tracked. Yes, one does need to summon help, but if the bear has already eaten half of me - a communication device isn’t going help all that much. Also, my wife and I typically hike together. So, no one else is watching the breadcrumbs either.

I can see the attraction of being able to text and summon help with some context. What are the other use cases?

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