What is the best/simplest/cheapest transponder tracker satellite phone setup?

[wayne49]

Hopefully, one can still go forwards or backwards, when they have the need to make that call.

Recently, near Pahrump, maybe two miles past the cattle guard on NV-160 heading towards US-95, but about four miles outside of the limits, I had to walk a ways to get cell signal to make call. I could see much of the east side of Pahrump, but not "see" the Verizon tower on the west side of Pahrump, because of a rock outcropping.

Some areas that are holes on the major carriers' maps may have coverage with a local carrier. Some are indicated as such on the map.

For example, Belmont, Nevada is not covered by ATT, Verizon, Sprint, nor T-Mobile, but somebody, other than those four, provides 2G (no 4G data) coverage in Belmont. Manhattan, Nevada is the closest (in a wide definition of close) municipality to Belmont, and is covered by two or more of the Big Four. Both small towns, revived ghost towns. Maybe Manhattan has a large commercial operation close by that is worthy of investment in network infrastructure.

 

[highdesertranger]

hahaha last time I was in Manhattan they had a brand new Verizon tower that had no electricity to it. the town people told us that there was some kind of dispute over the power lines and it was holding everything up for quite awhile from what they were saying. so as a result there was no cell service in town. you had to go out into the valley to get service. yes there is a huge open pit gold mine at Round Mountain just north of the town of Manhattan. highdesertranger

 

[wayne49]

Hadley and Round Mountain get cell service from a tower in that area along NV-376, serving signal along NV-376 up to somewhere past Carvers. Then service is picked up again closer to US-50. I didn't mention Round Mountain Gold when talking about Manhattan for that reason.

On Belmont Road off of NV-376, cell service is non-existent before having gone one mile. Then no service until near Belmont and no service shortly after leaving Belmont on the other side.

Manhattan is far off of NV-376 and thus needs its own tower. I was there in 2019, I don't remember whether it had service then. They did have a working pay phone by the Fire Dept. Currently, Verizon says Manhattan is being served.

BTW Carvers has cheaper fuel prices than Tonopah. I am guessing that Round Mountain Gold makes a deal with their fuel supplier to sell fuel to Shoshone Market at below market rates as a benefit to their employees.

Rural Nevada, away from the Interstates, may only have isolated islands of cell coverage, and when there is a signal it may be only enough to make a basic voice call on an analog phone. HDR has mentioned this previously, his older analog phone could make a call, while those around him with smart phones could not make calls.

 

[B and C]

I thought analog cell service was discontinued years ago and only digital now?! I remember making a call on a bag phone through a cell tower 90 miles away. It had the range for sure. Not enough bandwidth for analog so they went digital to get more calls through the same radio spectrum.

Gotta go look now but will probably be really expensive if still available.

 

[Treknik]

While Hiking/Backpacking I carried a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) for years as I hike in areas that never have cell service. I have switched to an InReach Mini. For me it is worth the high expense for those SHTF scenarios. You broke you leg, your truck won’t start and you are 43 miles from anyone, you are unconscious.

As others have said activating a PLB is like saying “Please send a Helicopter even if I may be paying for it.”

I also like the ability to easily send checking in, here I am, I’m ok, I’ll be delayed type messages. Message receivers can view your location via a Garmin website and respond with message if you want them to.

The InReach can automatically periodically send your location signal so others you allow can track your location. Handy if you drive off a remote road and are injured.

You can also communicate with another InReach user. Useful when hiking/traveling with groups and you get separated without cell phone coverage.

I have also used it as an email substitute in small towns without wifi.

 

[Axel]

I use two methods, and neither requires any kind of monthly payment, subscription, or cost after buying and setting up the equipment.

1) Ham radio APRS tracker in the van (you must have a ham radio license). It's a terminal node controller connected to a VHF (2 meter band) transmitter and GPS, and configured to transmit my location about every two minutes. Friends and family can track my location online, almost real-time. Some dead spots if you're not in range of a digital repeater or gateway.

2) Personal locator beacon that I carry on hikes etc. Once you buy the device it's on a service run by a government agency/tax dollars, so no additional cost (in the US it's run by NOAA and the Air Force). Transmits a more powerful satellite signal than the commercial offerings (better than SPOT, etc.) and there are no dead spots anywhere on the planet. Only used for an emergency, so you can't send happy messages while on your way, but it's free.

 

[highdesertranger]

Axel can you give us some more details on both of those? highdesertranger

 

[RVTravel]

Personal locator beacons are electronics that signal for help by satellite. PLB's do not have messaging. There are other signaling devices that have messaging and those include one-way messaging (SPOT, though they came out with two-way messaging device recently) and two-way messaging (InReach products and others).

There are differences between PLB's and Messaging devices in signal detection and handling (government vs private companies), subscription costs, etc. PLB signals are detected by NOAA and the messaging devices use private companies. PLB's don't cost anything after purchase (except for battery replacement at the end of battery life). Messaging devices have subscription costs after purchasing the device.

I like to go backpacking so have had two PLB's, a McMurdo FastFind and an Ocean Signal (bought by ACR Electronics) PLB-1. I may spring for a satellite messenger (InReach Mini) if it goes on sale over the upcoming holidays.

https://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/emerbcns.html
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-personal-locator-beacon
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/personal-locator-beacons.html

 

[Axel]

Axel can you give us some more details on both of those?  highdesertranger

Looks like RVtravel covered the PLB details. The APRS tracker is something that only licensed ham radio operators can use; for info on getting a license go to www.arrl.org 

It's not hard - takes a little study and a multiple choice test for the Technician class license which is all you need for APRS on VHF. The license is good for ten years and can be renewed indefinitely at no cost. Once you have it, in my opinion the easiest way to go, if all you want is a tracker, is to purchase a Byonics Microtrak RTG - plug it together, put the mag mount antenna somewhere on the van, and plug into the cig lighter plug and it starts transmitting your position. https://www.byonics.com/rtg

In my case, since I wanted a high power VHF radio for direct (simplex) and repeater (duplex) voice communication, APRS tracker, Winlink email, and weather radio capability I went with a separate VHF radio, terminal node controller, and GPS. Mine is more complex to configure, but it's more capable. I use it as an APRS tracker 90% of the time, but having a really good radio that's capable of transmitting with 80 watts and/or using repeaters appeals to me. I've been a ham radio guy since the mid-1970s and use it off and on as a hobby, and volunteer for backup communication for county emergency management.

 

[LERCA]

Have to agree. I don’t wander off into the wilderness that I’m unfamiliar with. Even where I am now and grew up these idiots are always falling off the cliffs and getting killed or having to be rescued or other idiots hiking local trails and disturbing rattlesnakes. If you don’t know any area or aren’t an experienced camper who has done your research (I’m talking to you Europeans on trip advisor who want to go to Death Valley in August in a rental Ford Focus and a bottle of water)  then stay within cell tower range of the beaten path. Seriously.

 

[nature lover]

I useD the spot locator for many years but canceled the subscription because of my physical disability I’m not able to get out where I can’t be found anymore. I would consider using it again so that at least family and friends could see where I’m at but don’t feel it’s necessary for my safety. I occasionally go out of phone range but not for very long. As I grow older it’s getting to the point where I might have to have a spot so I can find out where I’m at.