EPIRB - Sat Phone - HF Radio

[drewy]

As we will be traveling into some remote areas next year I've been contemplating which form of emergency communication to take with us.

What have others taken on remote trips and what would you recommend?

 

[cruza driver]

What areas are you travelling too Drewy?

 

[drewy]

At this stage we'll be traveling up the centre, across to Queensland to do the cape then under the Gulf to Darwin, through the Kimberly and back home via the west coast. For the most part it will be a very similar trip to Matt's. At a minimum we'll take an EPIRB but I like the idea of being able to speak to someone in an emergency, the advice alone could be enough to save a life. Be interesting to know what others are commonly using nowadays and what their thoughts on the subject are.

 

[cruza driver]

Sounds like a great trip, I guess EPIRB as you mentioned plus a UHF as a minimum too.

When we have done trips up the centre we only have had the UHF and have found there was plenty of other people travelling too.

A sat phone would be good and they can be hired for your trip although there are a few 2nd one around 4 sale.

 

[Stone Stomper]

Hi Drewy, we have a Codan NGT HF and find it's great it does take some practice though, we chose this over a sat phone mainly because you can log in if you want each day when travelling and if something goes wrong there are lots of other members out travelling that maybe able to help you out before calling a tow truck and the vks747 network also relays messages from home twice a day, you also get up to date weather conditions, road conditions, radio, and heaps more interesting stuff to listen to.

We also have Radtel channel on the HF so we can make phone calls which is also great, the calls are a $1 a minute and a year for membership, you only get charged for calls made in each month, so if you don't make a call you don't get a bill.


Regards

Christian

 

[Bank of Dad]

With the EPIRB or PLB (difference is transmit time) ensure that it has a GPS input to the 406 MHz transmission. The cheapies don't. It should transmit on 406 MHz for the satellite and 121.5 MHz for aircraft homing.

I'd also take a Sat Phone and register details with local police.

 

[mfexpanda]

We have a epirb , thats reg to our boat and car, and a UHF but I'd look into a Sat Phone if I was crossing a desert or traveling alone .
I think the Satphones have got a little cheaper than what they were

 

[bully66672]

Always take the satellite phone when remote traveling.
Also have UHF and my trusty iPhone/iPad.
Don't forget a good gps for your exact location.
You can never have enough gadgets

 

[drewy]

We currently have a UHF Radio and Sat Nav and I'm looking at EPIRBs at the moment.

It now comes down to Sat phone or HF radio, I like the added advantages of the HF radios as Christian stated and the low running costs. The only down side is trying to find somewhere to mount all the gear. The Sat phone would be much more compact but the running costs are much higher. Decision, decisions!

Sat Phones are looking like the popular choice here at the moment though, anyone know how much I would expect to spend on the handset?

 

[straydingo]

can't advise on costs, but if you don't want to buy one and pay the monthly service charges, you can rent them.

 

[Aremac]

I've just had a satphone delivered from Perth. I was tossing up which way to go for our upcoming 3 month trip and kept coming back to a satphone - i figure it'll be good to be able to speak to someone if we need medical advice. After a bit of googling i found a dealer in Perth who was great to deal with, and bought a prepaid satphone.

Theres a government subsidy scheme you can apply for if you're spending more than 180 days (over 24 months) in areas without mobile reception. After the purchase price for the handset, I paid $119 for 50 mins talk time which lasts for two years with no monthly service charges. The price of the handset varies depending on which type you want and the amount of subsidy you qualify for.

In the end for around the same price as an EPIRB we have the option to call home or for medical assistance if required.

Here's a link to the mob i used - no affiliation, just a happy customer! http://satellitephonesales-px.rtrk.com.au/

 

[ah197331]

I had heard it was possible to make emergency calls (ie. 000) on a sat phone without being on a postpaid plan or without having any call credit. Like a normal mobile phone. Does anyone know if that is that the case?

If so, you could buy a 2nd hand sat phone, and have it purely for emergencies, and not have any running costs?

Andrew