jazzymusicman wrote:
mountain climbers use something called a personal locator beacon for the cases of avalanches or being lost. it's a beacon that rescuers can hone in on, so it works without cell service. but the people trying to find you have to know you have one on you, you need to activate it, and they need to have equipment capable of picking up the signal. could work for you
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/personal-locator-beacons.html[/url]
A note on PLB/EPIRBs... as noted in the referenced REI link.... Modern PLB/EPIRB units transmit a digitally coded signal in the 406MHz spectrum to the satellite network...in accordance with the COSPAS/SARSAT protocols. This coded signal includes unique identification data that is tied to the serial number of the transmitter. Any activated PLB/EPIRB will be detected and automatically transmitted to the appropriate local Search and Rescue (SAR) authority worldwide. You (as the owner) do not need to notify anyone about your unit. If you are in trouble, you activate it, and SAR efforts will commence. Units with an embedded GPS locator, will also encode your lat/long coordinates into the message (with varying degrees of accuracy)...which will be transmitted to the SAR satellites, and ultimately the to SAR rescue team. There is very little (if any) reason to buy a PLB without a GPS---you are only making it harder for the SAR team to locate you. Besides, I'm not even sure you still can.
Additionally, SAR teams will have homing devices (handheld for ground based teams, and fuselage mounted for airborne assets) which can detect both the 121.5 MHz continuous tone, as well as receive the 406.xxxMHz COSPAS/SARSAT messages and decode the ID and location information data directly without the need for further satellite interface. PLBs generally turn on the GPS and update their position once every 5 minutes....to conserve battery.
The point I wanted to make clear is that
you don't need to "inform" anyone about your PLB/EPIRB at the start of a trip. You effectively informed the worldwide SAR network at the time of purchase. No further interface with authorities is required. The worldwide network is constantly monitoring the COSPAS/SARSAT signals. In the event of a detected activation, authorities
will be scrambled. Since the devices are transmitting to (receiving from) satellites, get a clear view of the sky to ensure good Tx/Rx with the satellites.