P.L.B (personal locator beacon) for lone working.
- Thread starter Pilatus
- Start date
Watty
Member
- Location
- North Devon, UK
I don't, but I have supplied numerous units to our clients of different types. Mainly the Kannad Solo GPS unit or the AIS unit (which wouldn't apply to you on land).
Komatsu
Member
- Location
- Thurso caithness
Currently using one of these supplied by main contractor for lone working, sends email to their office when press button to check in at arranged times as per lone working procedure or has a help button which will alert them that I need non urgent assistance(vehicle broken down no phone signal sort of thing ) or SOS button to alert emergency services etc tells exact grid reference. Bit of a box ticking exercise as regards check ins, but is handy to know could call emergency service at touch of button.
TheTallGuy
Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire
Detecting location from phone coverage can be hit and miss. In an urban environment, it's easier as there are more cells/towers that can be interrogated to allow for triangulation, typically to within around a 50m radius (not down to 1m as often portrayed in movies/on TV). In a rural environment there are fewer cells within range so the level of triangulation is much poorer. Then there is also the issue of the emergency services getting access to the data - it can take time for the network operator to authenticate and authorise access to the necessary data & there is no legal compulsion for a competing network to allow their cells to be used to help find a phone; whilst they probably would accede to the request it all takes time.
PLB units with GPS provide accurate information (subject to satellite lock) near instantly & it's possible to get rough location without a full sat-lock, better units also transmit a "homing" signal that can be used by search and rescue units to pinpoint the unit when the location information is poor.
Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
Worlds smallest personal locator beacon apparently. No subscription, 7 year warranty and battery life. About £180 online.
http://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/
http://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/
Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
Just updating this thread.
These Garmin InReach Mini units are now about £250 inc.
Might be a literal lifesaver for Christmas for someone (or yourself!)
These Garmin InReach Mini units are now about £250 inc.
Might be a literal lifesaver for Christmas for someone (or yourself!)
A local company supply communication networks to wind farms.
IIRC, for individual employees they use the likes of Motorola DP4801e radios with an emergency button that transmits the GPS location. The boss mentioned that he'd been involved with tracking 2 missing workers trapped out in snow overnight during the 'beast from the east'.
From memory these are the radios he recommends (link not his company):
https://www.radiotrader.co.uk/shop/...JxC2_7fgAaj1cmbIpyWxcFKnFLEQzQUMaAtUgEALw_wcB
IIRC, for individual employees they use the likes of Motorola DP4801e radios with an emergency button that transmits the GPS location. The boss mentioned that he'd been involved with tracking 2 missing workers trapped out in snow overnight during the 'beast from the east'.
From memory these are the radios he recommends (link not his company):
https://www.radiotrader.co.uk/shop/...JxC2_7fgAaj1cmbIpyWxcFKnFLEQzQUMaAtUgEALw_wcB
Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
capfits
Member
These systems are only truly worthwhile if they utilise trackings if you have an incident you may not be able to deploy the SOS systems
While you cannot put a value on a life, it is the subscription that adds up though. The lowest I could find was £19/month and had very limited tracking while the more worthwhile is tracking 10 mins for a working week is £58/month.
It certainly is a more robust system than Spot in terms of coverage and data capabilities and makes a PLB look rather pointless.
If you know a cheaper data deal would be great if you could share it.
Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
Sorry I haven’t really looked into the Iridium coverage subs in any great detail.
From what I understand they offer various packages either commercial or personal and on an annual basis or 30-day. I was under the impression all subs were centrally sourced via Garmin and denominated in USD rather than local currencies, but could be wrong.
I’ll need to check it out.
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
Are these any good (below)? Seem a lot cheaper and I don't think I'd need an automatic SOS signal when immersed in water, though I supppse I might fall in the water trough! They don't say a lot about costs though.
https://www.trackershop-uk.com/product-category/personal-gps-trackers/lone-worker/
https://www.trackershop-uk.com/product-category/personal-gps-trackers/lone-worker/
Pheasant Surprise
Member
- Location
- Woodbridge, Suffolk
As these trackers above all depend on the mobile network to get comms, they are not really good enough for “safety of life” or anywhere you can’t 100% depend on a mobile phone signal for communications.
The reason why “proper” global PLB and two-way satellite trackers are generally expensive to buy and operate is because they exclusively use global satellites for position AND communications.
The best ones use the Iridium network of low earth orbiting satellites. This gives practically unlimited coverage and comms because these satellites, like GPS type satellites rotate continuously around the world, rather than being geo-stationary and having a fixed “beam” pattern for 2-way communications - downside is it’s expensive.
- Location
- Holderness
Just to pull this thread back to life, does anyone use an app on the phone for lone working? Just trying to find a simple reliable solution that people will actually use.
As @Pheasant Surprise says above , I think in the really serious life and death situation one needs a “plb” that uses satellites. I have a “McMurdo Fast Find 220 plb” ( probably superseded by now) for lone forestry work,
not cheap but you can’t put a price on something that if used in an emergency it may have saved one’s life.
- Location
- Holderness
I can understand the need for something more technical when you are truly remote in situations such as forestry, but we are an arable farm and am more thinking about when someone is out all day spraying or working in an off lying yard. They may not be that far from others but can work all day and not see anyone for most of it.
I quite understand that situation, but there are areas not farm from me that have a very poor mobile phone signal, even though the area is high and good line of sight for miles, and it is not just my phone network. I would certainly not be wanting to rely on it , in a life and death situation .
There's an Alerter app from GoodSAM here. Various different versions. It has the ability to get your position, find local defibrillators (why I downloaded it after my 1st aid course) and call someone for emergency medical advice and an ambulance. Best to click the link and see for yourself. No good without phone signal though.
I have a Spot locater device for lone working. Not a G Spot - no bloke would ever find that...!
I have a Spot locater device for lone working. Not a G Spot - no bloke would ever find that...!
- Tags
- gps