Getting lost in the bush

[Keen Ken]

Hi all,
Just something i heard that I though I would pass on with some further input.
I was talking with a property owner I know out west. He was telling me of a geologist that went missing for about 48 hours. he was found only 4 k from camp, alive but suffering from dehydration he was fortunate.
The property owner found him by shear chance, he was under a tree just sitting there. Did not move or wave, just sat there.
He was a smoker, said he could hear the chopper. Property owner said if he had lit a cigarette he would have been easier to spot or even if he wave his hat. being an experienced busy pilot he told me he would have spotted him sooner, he just happened to look in the right spot.
It could have been a lot different.
If you ever go bush please make sure you have some means of signaling.
Apart from a GPS, EPERB you can carry the following.
Signaling mirror
A "V" sheet (as used in boating)
Daytime and night time flare.
Torch
Fire Lighter
Hand held UHF radio and spare batteries.
Let someone know where you are going and stick to the plan
List co-ordinates and way points, leave in you vehicle when prospecting
For your own safety carry a snake bandage or two, first aid kit and more water than you think you need.
Take a companion.
That guy was an experience geologist, just plain stupid.
A few more hours and it would have cost him his life.
The property owner landed near by and assisted him into the chopper, tried to tell him not to drink too much water too soon, didn't listen. threw up all over this guys chopper
Only 4 k from camp educated yes but careless and stupid.
Plan you trips, stick to a plan, take a spot 3 tracked, eperb or radio and at least some of those thing mentioned above.
I bought the spot three tracker, it has some great basic feature. I can send my wife a message "I'm Okay", ask for assistance or send out an emergency distress signal when there is no phone coverage, Peace of mind for all!
Rescues cost plenty and you will pay, don't be stupid if you are going prospecting, fossicking in fact any activity in a remote area, be prepared.

 

[Cherokee]

Very good advice there Ken. Totally agree!
C.

 

[RM Outback]

I like the sound of the Spot 3 Tracker, how much and where did you get it from. Cheers RM

 

[blisters]

Delorme inreach is a good option also allowing two way texting.
Jon

 

[rc62burke]

Within the first 12 hours, light a signal fire plenty of moist stuff on it to create plenty of smoke someone will investigate!!!!!!!!!!!
Lee

 

[Keen Ken]

Spot 3 tracker was the cheapest and most practical option for me between, a sat phone(too expensive) and an EPERB which although cost effective won't give you the ability to send a prearranged text.
The Spot 3 cost about $200 if I remember? and there is a service fee of about $200 per year.
This unit is ideal for me but may not suite others, it was the cheapest and most practical for what I do.
A sat phone was going to cost me in excess of $1500 per year. Where I prospect it is very rugged, get on top of a hill and it all looks the same in places (gps and compass help with that). It's the dingos that worry me and the possibility of a nasty snake bite or falling and injuring one's self.
If I get stuck somewhere I can send a message i'm okay or a prepared message. if I just need some assistance I can press that button too.
There is also a tracking feature that can send a set of co-ordinates every 5 , 10, 20, 30 minutes etc, there is a small cost for that service, you can have yourself a social page so people can track your progress.
I'm not into social media that much but something like that could be helpful in remote W.A. fields.
I'm not trying to sell or promote these things but they are an asset in the bush.
you can look up Spot 3 Tracker on google and i'm sure you will find more and more accurate details than I can give from memory.
Regards from Ken

 

[Keen Ken]

I havn't checked out the Delorme inreach Blisters, that may be a better option.

 

[Wolfy]

Spot 3 tracker was the cheapest and most practical option for me between, a sat phone(too expensive) and an EPERB which although cost effective won't give you the ability to send a prearranged text.
The Spot 3 cost about $200 if I remember? and there is a service fee of about $200 per year.
This unit is ideal for me but may not suite others, it was the cheapest and most practical for what I do.
A sat phone was going to cost me in excess of $1500 per year. Where I prospect it is very rugged, get on top of a hill and it all looks the same in places (gps and compass help with that). It's the dingos that worry me and the possibility of a nasty snake bite or falling and injuring one's self.
If I get stuck somewhere I can send a message i'm okay or a prepared message. if I just need some assistance I can press that button too.
There is also a tracking feature that can send a set of co-ordinates every 5 , 10, 20, 30 minutes etc, there is a small cost for that service, you can have yourself a social page so people can track your progress.
I'm not into social media that much but something like that could be helpful in remote W.A. fields.
I'm not trying to sell or promote these things but they are an asset in the bush.
you can look up Spot 3 Tracker on google and i'm sure you will find more and more accurate details than I can give from memory.
Regards from Ken

Good info Ken thanks. I was not aware of those Spot3 thingamejibs so am doing some research now.

 

[RM Outback]

Thanks for the info Ken I'll check them out. RM

 

[blisters]

I havn't checked out the Delorme inreach Blisters, that may be a better option.

I was looking a while ago at various options. What I liked about the Delorme was the ability to send messages bidirectionally to have a conversation but also you could pair up your smartphone over bluetooth and use that. It has the same tracking and sos capabilities as the spot. I never got one though but that is what I was going to choose if I did. It's about $400-500.
Jon

 

[nuggetino]

Great info. Planning the trip is one it seems a lot of people in these situations miss. Knowing where your car is parked isn't good enough. Chances of wlaking back to such a small landmark are slim. A lot easier to walk to large landmarks like roads and tracks, salt lakes etc. Having a walkout plan if shit hits the fan

 

[Keen Ken]

Thanks for that Blisters, the Delorme inreach must be the next step up. And idea what the annual service fees are?
At any rate you can't put a price on personal safety.

 

[Keen Ken]

Hi rc62burke,
That's also good advice but where some people go there is no one to see the smoke, In a situation as soon as you knew you were definitely lost I would light a fire then. Keep as you say moist or green stuff handy so you can make some smoke now and then.
This property owner (chopper pilot) said he would have noticed a puff of smoke from him smoking when he was in the process of looking for him. The lost guy was a smoker, heard several search aircraft, didn't even think of it, you can get so out of your mind very fast when you run out of water in the hotter months.

Some places I go you can stand on a hill and not see a dwelling in any direction. You could be there for days. That's why I think these trackers are great. The only draw back is they take 4 x AAA Lithium batteries, they last up to 45 days depending on what tracking options you select on their web site. The more signals you send the shorter the battery life, I chose the 30 minute option as I spend quite some time in one location at a time, I send a message "gone prospecting" (preset in my case) to let my wife know i'm on the move again. messages can be sent to a mobile phone or computer via email, every message sends co-ordinates. If I'm late getting back just press "I'm Okay" button.
You can't beat that kind of peace of mind. I used to prospect with just a GPS and being alone, it creates worry for others if you are late back or have to spend a night out. That could spark an unnecessary search.

 

[Goldhound]

Hi Keen Ken,
This may help.


SAFETY PLAN RECREATION PLAN EXPEDITION PLAN ADVENTURER PLAN
INREACH SE/EXPLORER ONLY
MONTHLY ACCESS FEE
$19.95 $34.95 $59.95 $89.95
SOS Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
SATELLITE TEXT MSGS
INREACH MSGS 10 included 100 included 200 included 500 included
85c per msg 55c per msg 55c per msg 45c per msg
SATELLITE
TRACKING POINTS Pay as you go 300 included 1,000 included Unlimited
30c per track point 18c per track point 18c per track point
ONCE OFF
ACTIVATION FEE $29.95 $29.95 $29.95 $29.95
MONTHLY PLAN SUSPENSION FEE $5.95 $5.95 $5.95 $5.95
CRITICAL INFORMATION
SUMMARY download the Safety Plan Critical Information Summary. download the Recreation Plan Critical Information Summary. download the Expedition Plan Critical Information Summary. download the Expedition Plan Critical Information Summary.
Minimum cost is $49.90 on the inReach Safety Plan, $64.90 on the inReach Recreation Plan, $89.90 on the inReach Expedition Plan and $119.90 on the inReach Adventurer Plan.
Sorry if it is a bit hard to read my bad.
More information at the delorme website.

 

[Nightjar]

We have carried some out of date marine smoke flares in our van for years, I know this doesn't help you if you're out walking but if you're bogged or broken down and you see or hear chopper/plane/vehicle in distance this may help. Also have a HF Barrett Radio in the ute.
Last year the "Ant man" was found near death out Laverton way, if he had lit a fire he may have been rescued earlier? (You should always have a box of waterproof matches in your pocket.)
For this season and coming years have purchased a GPS/EPIRB and it is registered for both marine and land use, accurate within 50 metres, no on going or annual fees, no messaging.
The unit we purchased; GME MT600G - Manually activated class 2 406 MHz EPIRB.
**Note** It is a little known fact that in WA (can't quote for other states) A SINGLE EPIRB can be used for both marine & land use.**

http://www.transport.wa.gov.au/imarine/epirbs.asp

 

[Kai]

Sounds like the geo lacked some basic survival skills, very lucky in the end.
I'm out in the bush alot hunting alone, I always carry a PLB plus a few other items like pressure bandages for snake bites, torch and batteries, a gps, its more used for maps so I know where I can legally hunt rather than use it because I have no idea how to get back to camp.

 

[sand surfer]

a item i carry in the first aide kit is a silver zippo lighter signal fire and signal mirror in one item

 

[nicko61]

Spot 3 Satellite GPS Messenger vs KTI Safety Alert PLB with GPS, spot 3 is 199 plus ongoing fee;s and KTI Safety Alert PLB with GPS,$239 ,,,i have no idea whats best and most usefull as im on a budget and can not afford both,any help would be appreciated as im not very tech savy