An article about Personal Locator Beacons (PLB's):
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stor ... d2c92.html
The first three lines are a little sensationalistic, but overall, it's not bad for a journalist.
guest wrote:...mother nature can do strange (or unpredictable) things ... on Skyline ... I hiked the trail during weather (on purpose), wanting to gain valuable experience for my job. Well, the one thing I didn't count on was fog & dense clouds! I couldn't see one chute from the other, hell, I could barely see 40-50 ft. in front of me. I was concerned I'd land up in the nasty chute behind Coffman's Craig, so I went up another chute (probably the one several hikers attempted this season already).
It was a real bitch, deep snow, turning Class 3 & 4 w/ 50 mph winds at the top.
guest wrote:Had I got stuck, an ELB would have helped, if they can work in those conditions.
guest wrote:So, of course, no one's invincible, and these devices can be benefical...
guest wrote: ... in the right hands.
Hikin_Jim wrote:I hate to say it, but maybe the high price is a good thing. At the current prices, only serious hikers, hunters, off roaders, etc will get one. Maybe also there should be a fee for every activation, sort of like a doctor's visit co-pay. I work for Kaiser Permanente. You'd be surprised how many doctor's visits are cut down with a co-pay of as little as $10.00. If you're really in trouble, you won't hesitate to activate, but if it's really not that bad, you might think twice before activating if you knew you had to pay, say $50.00.
AlanK wrote:... but who have to conclude that a PLB is unaffordable and must therefore be done without.
AlanK wrote:What I think we really want is a system that encourages emergency use but deters trivial use. The cheaper the things are the better, but we still need the deterrent part. What should that be? Unfortunately, at the moment, I do not hold the magic bullet.
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