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Best way to call for help?

cosmokenney

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Calling on those more knowledgeable than me for some advice.

I'm not trying to start a CB vs. HAM vs. whatever debate here. I am a solo weekend warrior. I go fishing/hiking/back-country skiing in places where there is no cell service. And I have always just crossed my fingers. But, now that I have an even more capable vehicle, I'm sure there will be times I get myself even deeper into trouble.

My question is what is the best device to carry to get help? I mean if I'm stuck and there is no cell service (and there rarely is cell service where I spend my time).

But, let's talk about two different scenarios:
1. My vehicle is stuck in the back-county. I'm not hurt, but need help getting out because I tried to use my winch and failed. But I'm hungry and already drank the beer in my cooler.
2. I'm hurt and am having trouble getting back to my car. Or, I made it back to my car but I'm bleeding so bad I'm light-headed, and will probably pass out and drive off the edge of the road.

Mind you I'm no namby-pamby who throws up his arms at the first sign of trouble and calls in an emergency. I've had some pretty bad days in the back-county and still got my still got myself out.

But now that I'm in my 50's, the bones are getting brittle and I'm not as strong as I used to be. But I still have the desire to find out what's just around the next bend -- consequences be dammed. I'm sure some of you can relate.

I have been reading a little about the differences between CB and HAM and the hand-held units are interesting for sure. But between the two, which one can be used to call someone -- most likely someone I don't know -- and say I'm screwed, I'm 50 miles from civilization and my truck is on fire, can you send help? Which one is going to be more likely to have that "someone" on the other end listening?

Then there are GMRS and FRS? Are those any good? Or useful in the above scenarios?

Should I forget about "radios" and go for a spot/in-reach? I have wanted to get an in-reach for a long time but the cost of entry and monthly satellite subscription costs are big turn off for me. And, I personally think they charge way too much for a service that I will hardly ever use. Think about it, it's not like I'll be sitting there on the peak of Mt. Shasta texting selfies to my friends. In fact the only time I'll use it is when I'm truly screwed. So having to constantly pay for "cheap insurance" is somehow not appealing. Wish they had a pay when used deal.
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cosine

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The best advice i could give you, goes all the was back to boy scouting days. you should always have a buddy or 2 to join you. same goes for the jeep.. i know you have done this alone. one thing and the next best thing is to plot out your plans and leave it with someone as a contact / emergency person. this would include where you will be and what time you will be back and contacting that person that you are ok.. the other thing you mentioned is a sat phone. i don't know much about them. i would think where ever you are going, there would be a cb channel that a ranger station or post that monitors the radio.
 

jeepdriver99

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If you don't have a ham radio license, I would suggest getting it. Then get a HF/VHF/UHF radio and antenna tuner. I had one in my TJ for years with a 102 inch CB antenna and talked all over the country while driving and even got thru to Europe a few times.

Before I put the CB antenna on, when I wanted to use the HF band of the radio, I had a long wire and rope on the end that I threw over a tree branch and let the antenna tuner do it's work and was able to talk throughout the state on 80 meters.
 

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.... plot out your plans and leave it with someone as a contact / emergency person. this would include where you will be and what time you will be back and contacting that person that you are ok.....
This is an absolute must, whether you've got a radio, sat phone, or anything else. This is a proven life saving technique. It doesn't matter if it's simply a "day trip" into the woods or a several night expedition. Always let someone know when you're expected back, and a bare minimum of what area you plan to be exploring.

Combining that with your chosen form of communicating, you can let whoever answers know that "John Doe at 555-555-5555" has my planned route/location". This allows rescuers to search a much smaller area.

I'd say the most reliable would be a sat phone because you can call anyone you want rather than hoping someone is monitoring your channel. Another option is to carry an old cell phone.
I know you said there is no cell signal, but in some cases a phone may show no signal because the carrier doesn't have towers in the area, but other networks might. All cell phones can call 911 on any network, whether the phone is activated or not. So if you charge your old flip phone from 1990 it can/will connect to 911 as long as any network tower is able to pick. This can be hit or miss depending on how deep into the wilderness you are, but it's better than nothing.
The next option would be CB. It's easy to operate, and you don't need a license to operate on it like you do with ham radio. That said ham will generally give you much more range. In both cases check the local area to see what channels the local emergency services (police, rangers, etc) monitor. Here in Ohio we typically monitor channel 9 on the CB. I'm not sure what frequency is monitored on ham, or if the rangers monitor something other than 9. It's worth the extra time to make a few calls so your chosen method of communication has the best chance of reaching help.
You're on the right path. You're doing your homework to make sure you're safe.

PS, you may already do it, but since you mentioned bleeding out I'll mention it. Always carry a first aid kit. This should include the typical bandages and such, but also toss in a tourniquet, hyfin seal, hemostatic gauze, and emergency thermal blanket (very thin, looks like foil). The chest seal is likely unnecessary on a hike in the woods but it weighs maybe an ounce and is about the size of a folded piece of paper, so it's a potentially life saving item that really doesn't add to your load.
Happy hiking.
 
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cosmokenney

cosmokenney

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The best advice i could give you, goes all the was back to boy scouting days. you should always have a buddy or 2 to join you. same goes for the jeep.. i know you have done this alone. one thing and the next best thing is to plot out your plans and leave it with someone as a contact / emergency person. this would include where you will be and what time you will be back and contacting that person that you are ok.. the other thing you mentioned is a sat phone. i don't know much about them. i would think where ever you are going, there would be a cb channel that a ranger station or post that monitors the radio.
While I agree that having a buddy along is good advice in general. I find most people are definitely not into the same level of outdoor experience as me. It's rare for me to find a fishing partner that is wiling to scramble rocks for 12 hours then hike back out in the dark. The older I get the harder it is to find compatible partners. I.e. on my dirt bike, I'm into technical stuff that my friends my age don't want to run, but I'm too slow and out of shape to keep up with the younger guys.
 

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On a recent trip, one of those with several radios said the GMSR are the way to go. I don't know how they differ from HAM, so which one do you think is more future proof?
 

WranglerAz

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Sounds like a HAM radio is not compatible with a GMRS one a buddy has. Do you have a link on a decent HAM radio so I can read up on it?
 

JimLee

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While I agree that having a buddy along is good advice in general. I find most people are definitely not into the same level of outdoor experience as me. It's rare for me to find a fishing partner that is wiling to scramble rocks for 12 hours then hike back out in the dark. The older I get the harder it is to find compatible partners. I.e. on my dirt bike, I'm into technical stuff that my friends my age don't want to run, but I'm too slow and out of shape to keep up with the younger guys.
You're going to get a metric F-ton of people saying you should never go do anything alone, I don't subscribe to this, not one little bit. But i'm with ya, me and my wife go offroading to get away from people, not as a social event. I'm actually supposed to go on a group run this weekend and not really looking forward to it. That being said I do have her with me usually, but she wouldn't be able to drag me out of trouble and her medical expertise pretty much stops at dousing something in peroxide and putting a bandaid on it. Sometimes she has other things to do and I just head out by myself. We carry a pair of good hiking boots for both of us in our Jeep, along with enough water and food to hike out of somewhere for a couple of days. If the Jeep leaves us stranded most likely her and little dog will stay with the vehicle while I hike out for help. If i'm too injured to get out just save yourself and leave me here to die, away from people. As far as leaving plans with other people, meh, we often end up way far away from our initial route, i'm sure you understand "hey, wonder where that trail goes?", or "this trail sucks but I saw something off the highway an hour back, lets go check that out". I have a CB, and plan on a HAM radio, but i'm not trying to get crazy with it, i don't need to talk with anyone in China and really have no interest in doing so. I also am not going to pay for a subscription for a emergency communications service that I don't use and by reading reviews can be unreliable anyway. Honestly I think it's just a risk some of us are willing to take, you can mitigate it with some extra communications devices, but those also have their limitations. That and carrying some good survival gear that you know how to use is probably the best you can do if you are the lone adventurer type.
 

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No single device is foolproof. Worst case scenario is you are hurt, in a canyon, that blocks access to the satellite and you can't string an antenna for the HF Radio, and you are out of CB range, and off the cell grid. This is a COMPLETELY plausible scenario in most of the western US.

Back to the reply from @cosine . Did you plan your trip and leave that plan with a person that will validate you are checking in every 8-12 hours?

And as @Shots said, did you bring a sufficient first aid kit? What about the other 9 items in your 10 essentials?

"Be Prepared" means to be prepared "for any ol thing, really."

Unless this is your preferred method of dying ( and if so, that's your decision) you should "Be Prepared".

As a matter of selflessness, it would be kind of you to let your family know what you prefer
 

wanderer

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When it really comes down to life and death. I think an inreach is the way to go. Say u get bit by a rattler. You aren’t,t hiking anywhere. And if you have scrambled back into some secret fishing hole you aren’t getting back to your jeep. Inreach is the only answer. Now if you are dumb enough to go into an abandoned mine get over by bad air faint and fall into a ratller nest. West kyagb.... but you found the lost Dutchman mine for what it’s worth. I am 65 like minded that’s what I carry. CBS ham etc don’t work if you can’t get to your vehicle. With an inreach you can text a local club. Find the numbers in advance. Get help getting unstuck. Maybe. Get an inreach and a backup vehicle. Like an electric mountain bike. Good battery and you get 60 -80 miles. That is one of my thiughts
 

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pablo_max3045

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I use an Inmarsat Satellite Phone. The phone is not that expensive, but the service is a bit pricey. I normally just use it when I am remote and then I get a 90 day pre-paid which is about 100 bucks. Works anywhere in the world though.
I think you have cheaper options in the states though.
 
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cosmokenney

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jhmartin

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Satellite is going to be best, because there's no guarantee of reachability for HAM/cell/CB etc.

For shorter trips you can go with leaving a route and expected return time with someone not on the trip. Worst case someone has to retrace your steps to find you.

The 'bleeding and passing out' use case is going to be satellite only (no time to babysit a transmitter) but help won't likely reach you in time, so the other essentials will be critical there.

I have a APRS HAM setup which has a decent chance of posting my position to the internet; if I don't come back around the expected time then help will know approximately where I was. Even if there's no iGate around help would know to listen for APRS broadcasts which would help once they get in range.

However if I were going on an outing such that merely being overdue would be too long (say I'm on a 2 week trip and have a problem on day 5) then satellite starts to look better. On a long trip the potential area to search is very large and the time before someone would know to even look is long.
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