Personal locator beacon, GPS and text messenger.
To stay streamlined, light and mobile I’m always looking for devices that can serve multiple purposes without getting too complicated. The DeLorme 2-way sat communicator looks like it will fill a gap for me while out in the field, overseas or in a disaster situation where local methods of communication may fail.
What you need to know
The Iridium satellite network it’s working from covers 100% of the earth so there’s not a place you’ll find yourself out of communication.
It also has adjustable tracking intervals allowing you to conserve battery power while you’re keeping an eye on the whereabouts of the car you stuck this thing to.
Getting Rescued
The device also comes with a locator beacon which will send an SOS signal to GEOS, which has a worldwide reach should you bounce your ass off a rock and crack your skull. They’re also set up to keep line of communications open to you through the device so that you can transmit your last will and testament while you’re waiting.
1 Device to rule them all
I’ve been taking my iPhone out in the field with me and have had some success with the offline mapping tools, but put these two together and you might have the entire package.
The device will talk to your Apple iOS or Android mobile device and allow you to use it as a GPS or messaging center. Working in concert with the Earthmate app your mobile device can show your GPS location on the digital map making for a simple outdoor solution as well.
I’m going to spend some time testing this app out as well as their downloadable topo maps. It seems like an easy enough thing to do, but I’ve yet to find a program that really makes navigation while off “Grid” simple. Fingers crossed!
I’ll let you know how the testing goes. Does anyone have any experience with this device or the earthmate app?
Eric
