The SPOT Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)

I recently attended the Denver Sportmen's Exposition, and tucked in between all of the fishing/hunting lodges, wonder glass cleaners, and knife sharpeners was a booth for the SPOT Personal Locator Beacon, also known as a PLB.

PLBs are small Blackberry-sized devices that allow you to either notify the authorities that you need help (also known as "911" mode, named after the U.S. emergency phone number), or to "check in" to let your loved ones know where you are and that you're OK. These are NOT satellite phones--you can can't use them to communicate via voice--but they are capable of transmitting your GPS fix to orbiting satellites from many places on the earth. The "check in" service allows your friends and loved ones to access a Google map that shows all of the places that you checked in, along with the date/time. The device weighs 8 ounces and will run 14 days in "SPOTcast" mode (using the check-in feature) and 7 days in 911 "emergency tracking" mode. It also has replaceable AA batteries, in case the original batteries fail.

I've seen PLBs for a number of years, but they were always really expensive (like $500+). What struck me about the SPOT is the price: $149, plus a $99 annual fee for the service. The coverage is also pretty good: virtually everywhere in the U.S., Canada and Europe, plus portions of South America, Australia, Asia and Northern Africa--click here for a complete coverage map.

This could be an invaluable, potentially life-saving device for outdoors types, especially since it works in areas where mobile phones do not. It also gives the outdoors types' loved ones peace of mind. Either of these advantages would be easily worth the $150 price tag!