Location Equipment

good example of why a gps back traker of some sort would be handy

artrix wrote:good example of why a gps back traker of some sort would be handy

GPS is a good option but personal EPIRB's are really good for when things go wrong. Activate the EPIRB and the search process will commence with reasonable starting co-ordinates. So if you suffer an injury/sickness or just lost you can raise the alarm. They can be a bit pricey but I have found to carry both gives good piece of mind. Who knows when and if I find my first piece of gold a will probably need rescuing due to shock.

Not trying to make light of the poor blokes plight, I hope he is found safe and well.



Geehi

Every prospector should carry at least 1 (preferably two) PLBs (Personal Locator Beacon), particularly if they are prospecting alone or have a medical condition.

A PLB is the equivalent of an EPIRB, the difference being is that a EPIRB is for marine use (floats) and transmits for a min 48 hours. The PLB is usually more compact and only transmits for 24 hours. Always choose a model with a built-in GPS, as this will transmit a more precise position and speed up any recue. They are cheap as chips nowadays, starting at around $300.

Or carry a small satellite phone. That way they ( authorities know what is wrong with you from the beginning) and how urgent the situation really is eg lost or worse a bad snake bite or medical problems). In some places in western australia and the territory and SA it could take them up to 2 or 3 days to get to you for help.
satellite phones can be hired out for the sorter trips carried out by some.

Well he's been found Safe and well so the nxt big question is Did he find any Yellow??

When using GPS equipment also have some backup batteries as well. Many a prospector hiker and geo and drilling crew have come to a little grief by having a gps go flat on them and no back up batteries handy.

evan2010 wrote:Well he's been found Safe and well so the nxt big question is Did he find any Yellow??

have they? reports this afternoon is he's still missing??

as of 7.30 am today they are still searching for him according to web based news reports

On the 4.30 news, they said he had been found. Has a leg injury and will take a couple of hours to get him out.

The missing prospector has been found alive and well and no he didn't find any gold.

Hope to find out more info later today when my detector is returned. Yes it was almost on the lost list too. It is vital that all prospectors carry a UHF CB radio, spare batteries and also know how to use it. We have had issues in that same region previously and these were solved with the aid of the CB's. Every person in the party should carry a radio a compass and a whistle. It is impossible to tell where the radio signal comes from but a LOUD whistle will give a direction if the source is within range.

I will post more when I have more concrete information about what happened.

Cheers
Steve D

Ladies and gents,
The chap was found injured yesterday about 3 pm in a watercourse in really tight country. He'd taken a tumble, resulting in his injury and location. He didn't have any equipment on him at all which was of any use safety wise and was pretty lucky the weather was kind to him over the period he spent in the bush . CB radio may have been of use dependant upon the battery life and knowing what channel he would have been on. Lets face it, we don't want others listening to what we say amongst ourselves and may pick obscure channels at times....even obscure frequencies . The time it takes to report someone missing and then get a search happening could well mean no-one is in the search area until after the batteries have flattened themselves out . Without any doubt at all, a personal epirb or spot would have had him found on day 1. Spot systems were used without any issues at all during the search process. The area was impacted by heavy cloud cover for much of the search time, limiting the effectiveness of satellite phones (makes you think a bit!). He didn't know the area all that well and unfortunately, nope, no colour at all

Good thing is, he's out and now in good care.