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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.But will the Phone coverage not be good enough? We thought as long as the phone was charged and switched on, it could be located, or is that oversimplifying the thing?
They're excellent radios!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
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!)
Sorry I haven’t really looked into the Iridium coverage subs in any great detail.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.
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.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/
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,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.
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 .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.