On Tue, 26 Aug 2003 09:33:53 +1200, "Fred"
wrote:


In practical terms, what do you suggest that conscientious Kiwi trampers
should take with them when they spend a few days in the bush?

A few first aid bits.
All the other safety stuff, pocket knife, strong cord, razor blades,
pen, paper, etc, etc
A very loud whistle
A CD (signal mirror)
A cellphone (If you are remotely near coverage)
Perhaps a day/night flare
A space blanket (Aluminized mylar)
Several options for fire-lighting, don't rely on just one. A fire is
one of the greatest life-savers. Not only does it give you warmth, but
it's also a signaling mechanism, as well as keeping your spirits
up.Just be careful not to set off the greatest bush fire ever known!
Some sort of beacon or MRS set, see below.


Are these
locator beacons available in NZ and for what price?

Yes, anywhere from about $350-400 upwards

Who sells them?

Most of the safety/camping/map shops

Do
these beacons put out a strong signal?

Yes, quite strong enough.

What battery power do they require?

Sometimes a special pack, manufacturer provided, but some have 4 or 6
alkaline AA cells in a battery pack

How long does the beacon transmit for after it is turned on?

Varies with the battery type and temp, often 20-50 hours, with the
transmitted power falling off towards the end

Can the signal
from one of these beacons be obstructed by a heavy bush canopy in the
same way that GPS and cell phone signals can?

Yes, it can, but the satellites are well above you, so they have a
better chance.


Is the signal from a locator beacon monitored 24
hours a day?

Yes.

How is the information passed on to the authorities and by whom?

Through the COSPAS/SARSAT organisation. Bear in mind that it takes two
satellite passes to resolve the position ambiguity, and the
positioning accuracy is quite poor with the low-cost beacons, often
around 20Km, a huge area. The 406 MHz ones are much better, during
some trials, we managed to set one off accidentally. The first pass
put our position 67 miles out, the second pass was 380 feet.

Bear in mind that over 90% of all such beacon activations are false
alarms. If I was taking one out, I'd leave notice with friends, etc
that I would activate the beacon for say, 111 minutes, then turn it
off for exactly, say 47 minutes, then back on for 4 hours, or some
"coded sequence" like that. This is not an approved system or method,
but it would pretty much eliminate it as just another damm false
alarm. They would have to pass it on to police and the SAR center
after hearing of a beacon activation, or suspecting a problem.


Incidentally, I can't see why the signal from a 5-watt UHF radio
would not be picked up by someone listening to the emergency channel,
particularly when it was known that a person was lost. A helicopter search
for example would probably pick up such a signal, as would someone
on the top of a nearby high hill.

Sure they would, 5 watts will typically go 80-120 miles in an good
air-ground link. BUT, you must be transmitting on the same freq they
were receiving on. And how would they know you were lost in the first
place?

An MRS, Mountain Radio Set would also be a good option to hire, they
do require a bit of messing about to setup and some limited skill to
operate. The big thing about them, is there is a regular monitoring
watch with probably a large number of operators each night. So there
is a good chance you will get through to somebody, somewhere in NZ.

Best of luck, be careful.