+1 on everything you just said. A dedicated radio (FRS, GMRS, MURS, or amateur VHF) -- along with GPS and other survival gear -- is essential in the backcountry. Carry a cell phone, but don't rely on it. I see folks doing that far too often.
That said: Having just done some research on distress beacons, I just want to point out that there's some better options than SPOT beacons out there.
The problem with SPOT is that they're entirely reliant on GPS and having a clear view of the southern sky. If either of those aren't met, your SOS message might not go through properly. Since folks often buy these for life-and-death situations, this is a problem.
I'd recommend an actual 406 MHz PLB (personal locator beacon). The big benefit is that these are triply redundant: GPS via geostationary satellites, doppler shift triangulation via low-earth orbit satellites, and old-fashioned direction finding on the 121.5 aircraft distress frequency.
As an added bonus, since the PLB network is run by an international government organization (COSPAS-SARSAT), there's no subscription fees either. It would be unfortunate if you didn't get rescued because you forgot to pay a bill.
The only downside is that you don't get breadcrumbs or non-emergency text messaging. I think SPOT (and the Iridium-based InReach devices -- which seem to have better coverage btw) make great satellite communicators for this purpose. I just don't think they're good emergency beacon replacements.
Your comment reminded me of a video I saw on Youtube which highlights the utility of having a reliable beacon for rescue services to track your location:
They were flying a Cessna 170B into a remote part of Alaska in August 1989 when they encountered an engine failure. They survived, and the plane was recovered shortly thereafter (performing an engine swap in the field no less!), but I think it illustrates pretty well the sorts of circumstances where you want something reliable for search and rescue teams to follow. (The video and its description are light on details regarding the type of device used.)
From the video, it looks like they activated the aircraft's ELT, which is the aircraft version of a PLB. Same system, just integrated into the aircraft and designed to automatically activate in a crash.
At the time that video was recorded (1989), ELTs were analog-only... nowhere near as accurate, and very prone to false alarms.
The new 406 MHz digital beacons are much more accurate. :)
Good point! Though, for being two decades and some change prior, being "only" 5 miles off isn't awful. It's not great either but certainly better than the alternative.
In this case, I'd assume they activated it manually since it wasn't a crash (nor was there an accident report on it that I could find)?
I'm fairly certain it's the same here in the US. However, being as the video was from August 1989, I'm not sure what the regulations were. For instance, it wasn't until ASA flight 2311's crash in 1991 [1] when the regulations were changed to require CVRs and FDRs on small commuter aircraft, and general aviation has AFAIK traditionally lagged a bit behind. This may be one area where it hasn't.
That said: Having just done some research on distress beacons, I just want to point out that there's some better options than SPOT beacons out there.
The problem with SPOT is that they're entirely reliant on GPS and having a clear view of the southern sky. If either of those aren't met, your SOS message might not go through properly. Since folks often buy these for life-and-death situations, this is a problem.
I'd recommend an actual 406 MHz PLB (personal locator beacon). The big benefit is that these are triply redundant: GPS via geostationary satellites, doppler shift triangulation via low-earth orbit satellites, and old-fashioned direction finding on the 121.5 aircraft distress frequency.
As an added bonus, since the PLB network is run by an international government organization (COSPAS-SARSAT), there's no subscription fees either. It would be unfortunate if you didn't get rescued because you forgot to pay a bill.
The only downside is that you don't get breadcrumbs or non-emergency text messaging. I think SPOT (and the Iridium-based InReach devices -- which seem to have better coverage btw) make great satellite communicators for this purpose. I just don't think they're good emergency beacon replacements.