IN Reach or PLB

T

TA Smith

Active member
Was looking to get some type of personal location beacon (PLB) of some sort and was wondering if anyone has any in sight or suggestions. I mostly want it when duck hunting alone in marshes. I know some have plans and so forth but just want to have a a piece of mind if something should happen.
Thanks in advance.
 
TA Smith said:
Was looking to get some type of personal location beacon (PLB) of some sort and was wondering if anyone has any in sight or suggestions. I mostly want it when duck hunting alone in marshes. I know some have plans and so forth but just want to have a a piece of mind if something should happen.
Thanks in advance.
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ACR PLB for me, they are the industry standard and there is no plan, just buy the unit. One button to push in an oh shit moment.

It is especially great now that I can text with satellite with my cell phone - a PLB when you need a rescue and you can text in a lesser situation.
 
TA Smith said:
Was looking to get some type of personal location beacon (PLB) of some sort and was wondering if anyone has any in sight or suggestions. I mostly want it when duck hunting alone in marshes. I know some have plans and so forth but just want to have a a piece of mind if something should happen.
Thanks in advance.
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This post got me thinking and I looked up the ACR PLBs, like everything the cost has gone up. They are over $400 now. I've had a couple, buying new ones when the battery "expired" (really expensive to get the battery replaced). This last time the battery expired I bought a new battery and changed it myself, which was super easy. When I checked the voltage of the new and the "expired" battery, they were identical within a few hundredths of a volt, so the battery was going strong and would for some time.
 
This subject has me thinking about Starlink cell phone service availability. I've seen several articles suggesting that pretty much any cellphone will be able to access Starlink in the near future. I wonder if non-subscribers will have access for emergency use? One would think Starlink would be hard pressed to deny access for emergencies. Just thinking.
 
ACR PLB is the way to go for duck hunting emergency situations. If you venture outside of cell service frequently Garmin InReach is great, or Starlink on a larger scale. For offshore fishing I have both an EPIRB (tied to boat) and PLB (to go in the raft). I also was an early adopter of the inreach when it was owned by Delorme and still use mine as a backup to a starlink mini I installed last summer. The starlink is amazing for full internet access (weather updates) and phone calls 100 miles offshore.
 
SJ Fairbank said:
This subject has me thinking about Starlink cell phone service availability. I've seen several articles suggesting that pretty much any cellphone will be able to access Starlink in the near future. I wonder if non-subscribers will have access for emergency use? One would think Starlink would be hard pressed to deny access for emergencies. Just thinking.
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Depending on the company a lot of cell phones have it now, text, not voice. We switched to iphones on Verizon because of the ability to text using satellite. We used it a ton this summer in the mountains, It works pretty well considering.
 
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I hope Elon Musk improves the satellite phone. I'd be all over it. One of the camps had Starlink and we were all online with 5-6 phones and live streamed the LSU game.

Regarding the price for a PLB or service, one must ask what's your life worth?
 
Paul Taylor said:
I hope Elon Musk improves the satellite phone. I'd be all over it. One of the camps had Starlink and we were all online with 5-6 phones and live streamed the LSU game.

Regarding the price for a PLB or service, one must ask what's your life worth?
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We are on Starlink here in Wyoming since there are no other options, when my son is home we often at 12+ devices attached. I've been really impressed. We have an iridium sat phone that we used to use, but with the PLB and satellite texting, we haven't used it lately. Only a matter of time for sat voice in phones, that will be really nice, but you have to admit that it makes the world a little less wild with each step.
 
SJ Fairbank said:
This subject has me thinking about Starlink cell phone service availability. I've seen several articles suggesting that pretty much any cellphone will be able to access Starlink in the near future. I wonder if non-subscribers will have access for emergency use? One would think Starlink would be hard pressed to deny access for emergencies. Just thinking.
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I do a good amount of offshore fishing as a captain on our boat. The problem with Starlink is 1) It's only an internet service and 2) If your boat goes down, so does your lines of communication. That nice fancy dish and router, gone. You could be floating in a raft with your communication at the bottom of the ocean. It's great for making calls, texts, etc. You could use it in an emergency...if/until it goes under.

An Epirb is a must for offshore boats and the PLB (which some use as well), is what would get the nod for duck hunting. The PLB would be used in a situation like if you fell overboard in open water and lost your boat. It's happened to folks, believe it or not. In cold water, cell phone may or may not work (some are pretty water resistant now) or might still be in the boat, you would then activate your PLB and pray. You could also have a situation where you lose the rig, get to shore, and may need a way to signal for rescue if you don't have your phone.

With regards to no cell-service, check with your carrier. iPhone with Verizon uses Globalstar for satellite texting. It's a bit clunky. I've used it before and it works, you just have to be under open sky and follow the guide on the phone.

Another key piece of hardware you should have: A waterproof handheld VHF. You would be surprised how many guys are hunting solo and have a phone fall in out of their wader pocket.

The ACR PLB is really the way to go for duck hunting. This thread is timely as I just ordered one after seeing a guy on social media with one clipped to his life jacket.
 
In regards to Jay's comment about offshore fishing, just had an incident down here, right around Christmas, where two guys were overdue from an offshore fishing trip.
Their boat was found 20+ miles out, in gear, at idle speed, empty.
It appears neither had a PFD on or a PLB.
They have never been found.
It is assumed they somehow both went overboard.
PFDs and/or a waterproof VHF or PLB might have changed the outcomes.
 
Carl said:
In regards to Jay's comment about offshore fishing, just had an incident down here, right around Christmas, where two guys were overdue from an offshore fishing trip.
Their boat was found 20+ miles out, in gear, at idle speed, empty.
It appears neither had a PFD on or a PLB.
They have never been found.
It is assumed they somehow both went overboard.
PFDs and/or a waterproof VHF or PLB might have changed the outcomes.
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Carl,

You're right. It's a tough one to think about. Had either of them had the PLB, things might have been different. Up here we do a lot of trolling. It has and continues to happen where someone goes over and no one notices for 5-10 minutes. PLB's save lives in these cases.
 
Jay K said:
Carl,

You're right. It's a tough one to think about. Had either of them had the PLB, things might have been different. Up here we do a lot of trolling. It has and continues to happen where someone goes over and no one notices for 5-10 minutes. PLB's save lives in these cases.
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For duck hunting, I keep my PLB in a pocket of my float coat, so it is always on me
 
My buddies and I have this debate frequently actually. You hear stories of spearfishers getting lost at sea …happens to someone else until it happens to you

Happened to us on my step kids graduation trip.
Captain was circle jerking and not paying attention on a drift dive .
We surfaced and literally not a boat in sight anywhere. We drifted for about 45 min preparing for a long long day . We can laugh about it now but not at the time.

We were 40-50 miles out off the Florida keys … had a guy spot us in a 14 foot Jon boat- refused to let us in the boat .. but said I see boat on radar…. I see boat on radar . He left us … thought “fudge we lost again”. Sure as 💩 he showed our captain back to our spot and high tailed it out of there. Captain was 5 miles away

Then last year one of the tech dive instructors… a very good one - same deal Captain wasn’t paying attention and he was adrift for 13 hours before being found

I don’t think it really matters as long as you have one or the other . I purchased my step kid the in reach and I am getting a PLB for myself that way we double covered
 
I sold my offshore boat some years ago. When EPIRBs first became affordable, we had a passive one that activated automatically when the boat sunk. Which it didn't, fortunately. Prior to that, canyon trips in the 70's were pretty much the wild west. You told the family you were gonna be 80-120 miles south or southeast of The Point. If you didn't return within a day or so of expected port, the USCG would get a call. Luckily none of that for me.

The fun part was navigating by RDF, which was pretty Mickey Mouse. On my old chart I drew a little sea serpent just off the edge (100 fathom line) with the caption "Beyond here, there be monsters". First timers got a little nervous as the nav fixes approached The Beast. When we got LORAN we were masters of the high seas. I'll always remember the TD's of favorite spots. GPS took some of the fun out of it.
 
I have no direct experience, but a friend does solo kayak trips in Labrador and northern Quebec every year, sometimes on the coast. He uses a Garmin in-reach, as do many in northern Maine where cell service is very spotty. The version he has allows some limited text message capacity so he can check in with his wife every few days. Off shore is a different story, and I'd want something that would work automatically in case I was unconscious or so hypothermic I couldn't work buttons.
 
A year ago I went offshore fishing with some buddies. We were 70-80 miles out and my phone was in "airplane mode" to save
battery from constantly searching for towers or wifi. I turn off location services on my phone too. After I got home a buddy explained to me Iphones are always being tracked and had me open my photos on my Iphone. Scrolled to "pinned collections" and had me open a file called "Map". Low and behold all my photos and video were showing exactly where we were fishing when pictures were taken. It blew my mind. I'm sure some young folks understand how this works. IF my Iphone is in constant reach like a gps, could a search and rescue search narrow my location based off the phones gps?

Of course this is no replacement for Epirb or PLB but possibly an extra option to locate someone?

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Paul Taylor said:
A year ago I went offshore fishing with some buddies. We were 70-80 miles out and my phone was in "airplane mode" to save
battery from constantly searching for towers or wifi. I turn off location services on my phone too. After I got home a buddy explained to me Iphones are always being tracked and had me open my photos on my Iphone. Scrolled to "pinned collections" and had me open a file called "Map". Low and behold all my photos and video were showing exactly where we were fishing when pictures were taken. It blew my mind. I'm sure some young folks understand how this works. IF my Iphone is in constant reach like a gps, could a search and rescue search narrow my location based off the phones gps?

Of course this is no replacement for Epirb or PLB but possibly an extra option to locate someone?
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iPhones do track via GPS even offshore. The peculiar piece of the puzzle is:

To satellite text, you have to follow the guide on the phone and point it towards the satellite. Yet, they still track you offshore/out of the service area. It begs to wonder why texting via satellite isn't just "on-demand" like the GPS tracking?

They probably can and do use them for SAR cases. The problem is it probably takes them forever to subpoena the records from Apple and/or the carrier and it may only give last known location.
 
Jay K said:
iPhones do track via GPS even offshore. The peculiar piece of the puzzle is:

To satellite text, you have to follow the guide on the phone and point it towards the satellite. Yet, they still track you offshore/out of the service area. It begs to wonder why texting via satellite isn't just "on-demand" like the GPS tracking?

They probably can and do use them for SAR cases. The problem is it probably takes them forever to subpoena the records from Apple and/or the carrier and it may only give last known location.
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Again, I wouldn't be my life on this service but this might save someone's life one day on the open ocean or remote marsh. Of course I have an old Iphone12 so I don't have the satellite to mobile capability. LOL

"T-Mobile has officially launched its T-Satellite service, a satellite-to-mobile connectivity solution powered by Starlink, enabling text messaging and emergency services in areas without cellular coverage As of January 10, 2026, the service is available to T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon customers with compatible devices, with most users paying $10 per month, though subscribers on T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond and Go5G Next plans receive it at no additional cost"
 
Paul Taylor said:
"T-Mobile has officially launched its T-Satellite service, a satellite-to-mobile connectivity solution powered by Starlink, enabling text messaging and emergency services in areas without cellular coverage As of January 10, 2026, the service is available to T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon customers with compatible devices, with most users paying $10 per month, though subscribers on T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond and Go5G Next plans receive it at no additional cost"
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This is interesting. Doing a little research, it seems like for the extra cost (with Verizon), it's seamless. Apple gives you the Skylo/Spacemobile service for free. It works but you have to go through a process every single time to text AND receive.

Looks like with the Starlink upgrade for $10 a month (free with T-Mobile) it works like regular texting, sending to the satellites in the background.
 
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