SOS units for Africa
 

Hi All

Any recommendations for a unit that would cover Africa?

Most info seems to relate to US coverage.

Ones that I have seen so far are:
Spot gen 3
Garming in Reach
PLB
ACR

Thanks

Inreach costs more than SPOT, but is infinitely better due to its world-wide - including high latitudes - two-way messaging capability.
Either can be teamed up with Spotwalla to produce travel maps

A PLB has the same feature as one function of spot and inreach BUT it is not possible to fine-tune the nature of the emergency like you can with the Delorme. Press the button and hope like hell that the message gets through and then wait for the full emergency response to come - maybe. With inreach you get acknowledgement back straight away and then the opportunity to tell them that you are merely broken down and running out of options so just need a ground response rather than a helicopter

I have a SPOT 2 but don't use it now, do have a properly registered PLB which I carry as a backup and have been using the Delorme for several years now. Travel map via Spotwalla is viewable via my signature

I'm not alarmist by nature, but I recently read a report by a backcountry snowmobiler who described trying to summon a rescue using his own Spot3, then his partner's Spot3, both of which failed completely. He went on to describe his difficulties dealing with the manufacturer.

The report is on a Facebook group, so I assume (but am not positive) that anyone can read it and decide for themselves. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...&theater&ifg=1

The skier's name is Kirk LeDoux, and his page appears to be fully public, so maybe try checking there if the above link doesn't work. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...&id=1618504090

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Julio,

My Delorme Inreach worked really well in Africa. You can also check the weather directly from your device if needed.

When you send a text, the receiver will get the gps coordinates of where you are. Also, they will receive a link where they can see a detailed picture of your location. My relatives liked that feature.


Patrick

I can’t seem to find a delorme inreaches dealer in the UK? Have they been discontinued now that Garmin has bought them and is Garmin reach now the equivalent?

Yes, Delorme products are now all branded Garmin.

De Lorme InReach is a rescue device, but much more. When you don't have a mobile signal you can send and receive texts to friends and family and even post directly to email or Facebook. So you can see that part of it working any time you choose. Similarly got requesting a weather forecast.