WA Couple bogged 24 hrs-had EPIRB

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Hats off to the rescue crews.

But i think that article really missed an opportunity to highlight the fact that the couple who got bogged were smart enough to have an EPIRB and stay with the 4WD and make camp until rescued.
Well done i say to the couple for setting an example.
 
I'm only in Central Victoria detecting but always have carried GME PLB GPS on my person at all times whether 1 metre or further from my vehicle. I mainly detect alone and for $350 over 7 years is a cheap investment for my safety and my family's peace of mind. I cannot recommend having the surety of rescue, no matter where and what situation Australia wide, that it gives me to tackle the tasks of detecting in the bush. Chris
 
It is a good thing they had the personal locator beacon.
Didn't say what type though, would have been helpful.
Here is what happened to me September last year. A long story but hope some can learn from it, I did.
I got stuck last year for 2 weeks in South West Queensland due to an unexpected rain event of over 100 mm, after that 2 weeksI left early in the morning 5 am traveling through rain effected tracks till I got to a creek crossing I thought I knew.
Unbeknownst to me the last time it was graded the grader driver had lazily levelled it with dirt instead of just touching up the approaches. I knew it had a rock bottom, there was no water but I didn't know there was 250mm to 400mm of mud over it.
The crossing was around a blind bend and after a quick look committed to the crossing and charged in, it was still just before dawn, went through 2 boggy sections i didn't remember before I well and truly bellied out at the edge of the creek within the next 15 meters.
For the next 3 hours I tried to winch out and only managed to get back 1 meter, no chance of going forward, mud was filling the tracks faster than I could shovel (and they were heavy wet shovels full).
And you guessed it, an unpredicted heavy thunder storm dumped another 50mm of rain. After winching and trying as I may with the close lightning and rain I was in near panicked by this stage and was almost at the point of not caring if I was struck by lightning or not as the creek was starting to rise. By 9 am I was stuffed, started to re-asses the situation. I had plenty of tucker and fresh water on board the 4x4, UHF radio, my tracking device and GPS. Camp was an estimated 7 kilometres away a straight line.
I decided to walk back and drive the D4 dozer back to pull me out, If worse came to worse there was a phone there, plenty of emergency tucker and rain water tank, good shelter and a hot shower that by this time I was looking forward to.
After trying over the previous several hours to reach one of the surrounding properties by UHF radio in vain, I left a note in the car with my intentions, what I was wearing, time of departure, intended travel rout and ETA.
I took the precaution of packing the backpack with first aid gear 4 litres of water some fruit and what biscuits I had in the car, and extra medication and raincoat.
I started up my Spot 3 tracker, first I sent an "I'm okay" message then started the track function which sent my wife a co-ordinate every 30 minutes, I resent the "I'm Okay" message every hour for her peace of mind. Set off and paced myself due to the heavy conditions and still raining planned a stop every hour, refresh with something to nibble and off again. (being over 50 it's just better to do these things).

As I walked the rain became heaver and I found myself slugging through ankle deep water that lay on the track, had to leave the track several times to negotiate deeper sections. 3 hours later I was in the home stretch, last obstacle was a slow flowing creek that was almost knee deep. The phone was like gold, and the shower reviving.

The idea of taking the dozer to pull the car out was out the window.
So Im stuck at camp, no chance of getting out for at least 4 days.
When I went back to the vehicle to recover it with the assistance of Glen the property caretaker who kindly offered his assistance, he said to "me you must attract these things" as he pointed to hundreds of wild dog tracks I hadn't taken note of around my bogged 4x4. He informed me by phone he had visited the spot on his rounds, "I just assumed they were your dogs" I replied, "No", he said" I left mine at home"!
It took three attempts to snatch the 4x4 out with 16 meters of snatch strap joined. Property owner flew in and landed in his chopper as he was in the area and informed me that the graded driver had filled in the crossing. (Would have been nice to know the week before:-/)

Even with 30 years experience in that country it did not help my judgement in this case, the events that unfolded and things that had been done by others unbeknown to me caught me out. As I am sure you can understand this miss-adventure could have taken a nasty turn at any point.
The Spot 3 tracker was an invaluable asset that I can highly recommend. I'm not trying to sell these things, I don't get paid in any form, These are true events that could have caused undue concern to others and harm to my self
I often travel in remote locations and carry a Spot 3 tracker.
I love the thing as it has multiple functions , you have two messages that you can program yourself through the internet before you leave.
I have one that says "I'm okay" a second that is " I'm okay but running late".
There is the track button that will send co-orinates every 10, 15, 30 minutes what ever you desire to preset and this function can be turned on or off depending on your needs. I think this is great as if you become unsure of the terrain you can start this feature, you can also set up Facebook or the like to follow your progress(not into that)

There is also the all important "S.O.S." feature that works the same as an EPIRB
Also there is the "I NEED ASSISTANCE" function.

Only thing is there as an annual subscription of about US $200 Signal goes through the USA system and they guarantee it only takes about 10 second longer.

Moral of the story is, if you are going bush, away from others carry an EPIRB or other personal locator beacon. It could be the difference between life and death.
 
Occasional_panner said:
That area didn't look too bad, why not bury a wheel and winch off that?

I have a plb in the glove box, gme brand, I think it was $300 or so.

Did they have a winch?

Just had a look at the pic, definitely drove into a wash zone and deeper than the surrounding area. Cap could be a couple of feet or more away and with the rain the area has copped lately the surface may look fine but underneath might be a whole different story.
 
Here's another option for general chat I use this Delorme (now Garmin) pictured for two way GPS text communication and SOS which I carry with me. It is tough and waterproof. I pair this to my phone and use the phone to text using my phone contacts but you can also text directly using the device. You can send/receive text to mobile, email even publish on social media. My missus can see where I am at any time on a web site as it drops GPS positions at configurable intervals so if something is not right and I'm not responding she can give authorities my position to 3 metres.

The beauty about this device is you can relay to the authorities exactly what the problem is and get advice. Great if you need a particular snake antivenom on their arrival :Y:

For convenience and redundancy I also use HF radio for comms, phone calls and GPS polling but you should have something on your person like this if isolated.

1493036345_1-device.jpg


Jon
 
Looks better Jon,
I did look into something like that, but where I go there are not too many Gidgee trees that I can plug my phone into to recharge. Cost was a factor for me at the time.

Can you please list the features of the unit itself?
Also what is the purchase price and the ongoing cost?

I chose my spot 3 for ease of use and low cost (under $300 from memory), 30 to 45 day battery life in tracking depending on which mode you chose and what batteries are used.

Maybe I should change one of my messages to "Bitten by snake".

I encounter two, a king brown and a brown in the same day just around camp.
 
You don't need the phone and it will cost more and with the features turned on it will not last as long about 4 days. I'll start a thread in the safety section rather than side track this post. But on the post it would have given them an opportunity to get some advice to how to unbog their vehicle - plenty of shrubs and spinnifex around there ;)
Jon
 
True Jon,
Sticks, rocks, good winch and a good tree were no help to me, suction of the mud was too great.
Two way communication would have defiantly been an advantage. At least they are safe and sound.
 
A lot of people these times head off bush with no bush experience. They have no knowledge of vehicle maintenance or how to retrieve it from a difficult situation. The ignorant should seek some training before placing their lives in danger. A couple of training days with a good 4WD club may make all the difference to keeping them safe.
 
Epirbs should be essential equipment for all of us who venture into remote areas. Saves a lot of money for the community and just maybe your life. You choose.

cheers

stephen.
 

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