Note To Self: Don’t Do That Again

[Choporoz]

@gimruis,  you can use true GPS on your phone, even when no cell service is available.  You may need to download your map or app prior to leaving cell service; and true GPS can be a battery drain, but the capability exists 

[gim]

 

I have a hand held Lowrance H20C anyways so as long as that is working I really have no need to use my cell phone.  But I will download an app to it as a back up plan.  Thanks

[N Florida Mike]

I went deep sea fishing once in someone else’s boat in the fog. It didn’t lift until around noon. Visibilty was maybe 200 feet most of that time. I wasn’t nervous on our part but I was concerned about other boats not seeing us.

Ive been somewhat lost in the woods before but not desperately lost . 
My dad and me got lost in the woods once for several hours trying to find a lake back in there that he was considering buying land on. No cell phones or gps back then. Just a rough map of the general area…

[Bankc]

I'm usually not too worried about getting lost in the fog, because the fog will lift eventually.  It never lasts long here once the sun comes up.  But I do worry about getting run over by a motorboat in the fog.  I've been out on the lake a few times with heavy fog and power boats cruising at high speeds running around blind.  Dumb people are drawn to dangerous situations like moths to a light bulb.  

 

Either way, I will use my GPS on my fish finder, and have the GPS on my phone, as a backup if need be.  But mostly, I try to stay within sight of the bank unless the fog is too heavy for that or I'm cutting across a small cove.  Also, I can usually use sound to keep myself oriented, as most of our lakes have some kind of industry humming or highway nearby.  They're all man-made, so they were built with a purpose.  

 

You don't need cell service to use the GPS on your phone.  But you do need to have the maps predownloaded if you're going to be out of range of a cell signal.  The GPS will still register your coordinates, but it won't know anything more than that if you don't have the maps downloaded.  When I was vacationing in Europe, where my cell phone wouldn't work without paying exorbitant prices, I used the hotel's wifi to download maps and navigated my way around with the GPS.  I just downloaded the areas for anyplace near where I was planning to go the night before.  I've done that a few times since when traveling in the back country here.  You just have to know you'll lose cell reception ahead of time to plan for that.  

[Bankbeater]

I was fishing in a cove a couple of years ago when a fog bank rolled right across the lake.  It was a little bit unnerving to see how fast it moved across the water.

[Swamp Girl]

I've fished both wilderness lakes in northwestern Ontario and local lakes in heavy fog without a compass or GPS, but with two caveats:

 

I was/am the only one on the water, so no motor boat would have clobbered me.

 

I'm fishing smallish water. The biggest in Ontario might have been 1,000 acres, but I've spent months on that lake, so I know it well.

[Zcoker]

Always best to have ALL SAFE GUARDS in place when out fishing on a kayak (no matter the location) including a simple compass or even a GPS fish finder with some sort of mapping. That little voice that says ''it can't happen to me" should always be frowned upon. Make sure location services on your phone is on and you have someone connected to it. Failsafe's are good. Be smart but fish smarter.

[Swamp Girl]

35 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

Make sure location services on your phone is on and you have someone connected to it.

 

Not an option in the wilderness, where cell phones don't work. However, I do carry a satellite-connected PLB in my ditch kit, which is strapped to me.

 

Heck, I fish a couple bodies of water in Maine where my cell phone doesn't work.

[Zcoker]

Fail Safes should be looked at as a broad term, as in your satellite connected PLB. For most folks phones are doable, so it's wise (when able to use them) to have location services activated and pared up with a buddy or whomever, especially when out solo. 

[A-Jay]

A-Jay

[Swamp Girl]

Yeah, I carry flares too in Ontario, again in my ditch kit, which also has a compass, fire starting aids, a thermal blanket, bug dope, etc. The flares might give me a chance of flagging a passing bush pilot.

 

Why do you carry a PLB in Michigan? Do you not have cell service on Lakes Menderchuck and Little Menderchuck? The mountains in Maine kill my cell phone reception. Is it NASA-grade redundancy? 

 

I don't carry a fire extinguisher, but maybe I should, as the fishing can get hot. 

[A-Jay]

While the cell coverage up here is better than years past and getting better all the time, the PLB is an entirely different animal.

Folks who are tasked with responding to this distress are ready, willing and able to handle it all. Additionally they will not stop until I am located one way or the other.  Aircraft are usually involved.  Satellite signal in my mind is very reliable. Responding to these was part of my job description for a while.  It works.

https://youtu.be/qwd7bFNTKwo?feature=shared&t=681

A-Jay

[KSanford33]

2 hours ago, Bankc said:

Dumb people are drawn to dangerous situations like moths to a light bulb.  

I feel attacked by this. 🤣

[Swamp Girl]

14 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Folks who are tasked with responding to this distress are ready, willing and able to handle it all.

 

In the wilderness paddling community, there is considerable chatter about people who press the distress button way too soon. Many expect those who foray beyond people to extricate themselves from most situations by their pluck and skill.

 

I'd use my PLB if I broke a leg. I might not even use it if I lost my canoe, not if hiking and swimming back to people were possible. 

[A-Jay]

Emergencies can and do take many forms . . . 

https://www.acrartex.com/survivor-stories/

 

A-Jay

[12poundbass]

54 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

A-Jay

How do the PLB’s work? Once it’s triggered does it go to a call center (for lack of a better term). 

[Swamp Girl]

Found online: Once you activate your PLB, it transmits a distress frequency alarm signal. This signal is received by a satellite, which is part of an international search and rescue satellite system. Once this system receives your signal, it notifies your nearest ground station.

[A-Jay]

8 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

How do the PLB’s work? Once it’s triggered does it go to a call center (for lack of a better term). 

My unit is 5 years old - this is how it works.  Newest models advertise the same level of accuracy. 

 

With three levels of integrated signal technology – GPS positioning, a powerful 406 MHz signal, and 121.5 MHz homing capability – the AquaLink™ View quickly and accurately relays your position to a worldwide network of Search and Rescue satellites, reducing search time and increasing your chances of survival. It’s reliable signaling technology that has saved more than 50,000 lives since 1982.

The AquaLink™ View broadcasts a unique registered distress signal that not only tells rescuers where you are, but who you are. The onboard GPS can fix your position to within 100 meters and then utilizes a powerful 406 MHz signal to relay your distress call to orbiting satellites. As local Search and Rescue is deployed, a separate homing signal and integrated LED strobe light guide rescuers to your exact location. The AquaLink™ View sports a digital display that allows you to see all of the beacon’s operational activities. The screen displays GPS LAT/LON, operating instructions, usage tips, transmission bursts as well as battery power. The digital display also makes self-testing your beacon simple and easy to understand by visually walking you through the self-test step-by-step. No more relying on listening to beeps and looking for LEDs. The AquaLink™ View is small enough to be easily carried in a pack or pocket or can be worn on deck, at the helm, in quarters, or on a life vest and will float if accidentally dropped overboard. ACR Exclusive: Built-in GPS acquisition test mode allows you to test GPS functionality up to 60 times over the life of the battery. Tap into the same field-tested rescue technology used by the U.S. Military, U.S. Coast Guard, NATO Special Forces, and Arctic explorers.

 

A-Jay

[Crow Horse]

Lost or disoriented is never a good feeling but I'd be more concerned of a possible collision with a boat. Boats v. kayaks, kayaks always lose.

[Zcoker]

Obviously, if you get hit by a boat or something, then you can't very well use much of anything mentioned here. The only thing that you can do is to always wear a life jacket! 

[WRB]

9 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

He said a compass was how he got back 

Yes he did after 3 hours going in circles. Without cell signal a simple water proof  compass works anywhere.

Tom

[Crow Horse]

2 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

 

Obviously, if you get hit by a boat or something, then you can't very well use much of anything mentioned here. The only thing that you can do is to always wear a life jacket! 

This cannot be overstated. Just having one onboard (for boats) in my opinion is worthless. Things can go sideways really quickly and there's no guarantee that you'll either be able to get to it and put it on or that you'll have enough time to dig it out. WEAR IT, not stow it!!!!!

 

This can happen faster than thought. Towing my buddy back to the launch site wasn't any fun.

[Mobasser]

I'm pretty sure my dad could have found his way back with a compass. He was on a bomber crew in WW2. Compass and navigation skills were mandatory training for all of them. They were expected to grade with a high score in compass training, or you washed out, and couldn't be on a crew.

[Zcoker]

4 minutes ago, Crow Horse said:

This cannot be overstated. Just having one onboard (for boats) in my opinion is worthless. Things can go sideways really quickly and there's no guarantee that you'll either be able to get to it and put it on or that you'll have enough time to dig it out. WEAR IT, not stow it!!!!!

 

This can happen faster than thought. Towing my buddy back to the launch site wasn't any fun.

 

Happens all the time. Recently happen here in Florida, a 47 y/o fitness and wellness instructor went out with a kayak club, of all things, and ended up DOA, no life jacket. 

[Crow Horse]

It happened to a former co-worker. He apparently had a cardiac event in his canoe. Apparently not wearing his PFD because it took 5 hours for divers to recover his body. The PFD might not have saved his life but it probably would have saved the recovery divers a lot of time and reduced their risk.