[GreenKeys] OT: emergency communications

[epvgk at limpoc.com]

On Sun, Apr 09, 2017 at 11:41:53PM -0500, dmm at lemur.com wrote:
> I have a question primarily for the amateur radio folks on the list.
> It's clearly off-topic, but this is the only venue I know of with
> a deep knowledge of ham radio. 
> 
> Since my wife's recent and unexpected death, I'm now living in our
> rural home alone.  It's 50 acres, and the terrain is complicated.
> To cover it all line-of-sight would take half a dozen positions.
> Adding to this, it's all within a valley in which there
> is basically no cell reception.  We have land-line telephone
> and terrestrial-radio-based Internet (ex-Motorola Canopy) 
> at the house (only).
> 
> This has been made more difficult for me because last year
> I injured my back rather severely.  So a real possibility now exists
> that if I'm out working on something remote from the house and
> re-injure myself so that I can't make it back, it might be too
> late before anyone notices and comes looking.
> 
> What I need to find is some kind of device that I can carry with me
> on foot which can, perhaps with the aid of a base station at the house,
> permit me to make an outgoing emergency call (or at least send a signal).
> It can't require line-of-sight, and it can't depend on the cell network.
> 
> What, if any, are my options?
> 
> Thanks very much for any and all advice.
> 
> Regards,
> David M.
> ===
> Dr. David M. MacMillan  -  dmm at lemur.com
> 

May I suggest the SPOT satellite messaging unit? 

https://www.findmespot.com/en/?cid=102

It's not sexy or exciting, but is intended for limited emergency use and
is priced much more sanely than a full-service satellite phone, and requires
no local infrastructure, just a view of the sky. 

The device is under $200, and the service is under $20/mo. Not free, but 
manageable, I guess. 

eric.