the prospector missing out menzies way

First topic message reminder :

anyone heard anything about this or has he been found.

A little more of the same.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-20/mandatory-epirb/5169298?section=wa

After reading that response about the epirb's and saying that if it were made mandatory then the price would go up, well that's already happened with marine epirbs anyway, and further to that many people already had them and then they decided to go digital and the ones we had were then defunct and ended up in the bin.

The price pretty much doubled after that, so people using them out in boats had no choice but to purchase a new one or face fines when caught without it, while I agree that they are the best way to increase your chances of survival I really feel that price would deter most people from buying one and then also that fact that they are quite big and another item to have to carry.

If they want to introduce it as law then again who would enforce it anyway, and then who would have to bare the cost for the enforcers?, so next thing you know they will introduce another licence and so on, sometimes you have to wonder whether its really about the safety of people or is it about introducing a new way to create revenue.

Further to that why cant a more compact and lightweight epirb designed for a person to more easily carry be developed, something more in the size of a mobile phone or gps with a lesser range capability that could be monitored more locally, or even one that could alert all other epirbs within range also, that would also cut down the response time, having been in a situation where I could have had to use it I know that four or five hours is a bloody long time to have to wait when you are out of water and tonging already, and that's when you would activate the thing when you realise that you are out of options.

Another thing that can be of use to prospectors is to maybe introduce a system of uhf radio logging as you do with boating, where on the way out you log in with the water rescue and then log out when you return, but in the instance of prospectors you call in by uhf or even mobile phone and give your vehicle/camp location co ordinates, reporting in at various times or when you re camp elsewhere, and if you have not reported in on time others in your location can be alerted.

Many places we prospect have other people camped within the vicinity anyway so they could react much quicker being there on the ground than any response team that might be a 100+ klms away, most of us would respond immediately to any calls for help anyway as we all know that time is of the essence and would want the same response if we were in trouble.

au-fever

Many years ago I used to communicate with a ham radio operator in Kal and I was about 100k's away. Used to call in everynight for a chat and all I had was a poxy CB radio. I told him where I was, I'm sure he would have done the right thing if he hadn't heard after a few nights.
Pity there's not more of them around or maybe there is.
Correct about the price of epirbs, I checked them out and gave up on the idea. but then again, I don't like walking more than a couple of K's from camp and I do have a GPS but I've never had to use it yet to find my way home.
And here we are again, the time of year when people get lost out there. I'm damned if I know.

Heh guys i purchased a Spot Tracker,its small lightwieght and has many options .
Not sure if this has been mentioned before,but is a nice bit of kit....
Response time in aus not real sure,check out the website and you be the judge.


Only bout $120 or roughly to register.

has some pretty cool features for you tech heads.....

Ryan

Have been a member of VKS-737 Radio Network for many years, using a HF radio can log into skeds every day and report your position and any updates. Sandstone had the best reception while old Snowie (RIP) was at the helm. Alice Springs boomed in and at times Tasmania base came through.
With later day upgrades they have direct access to the RFD in dire need cases.
Very handy backup while travelling in the out back.

6530 was the prospectors channel as well , haven't listened in for some years , all old fellas , Joe redcastle , English bloke called Mick , Gary from Nullagine , many more , the reception was best just on dusk in summer , was great banter going on as well , albo

At the beginning of last winter I purchase a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon), it cost me $349.00 at the time and is registered with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. All up iIs a little bigger than a packet of cigarettes, comes in a handy pouch that attaches to my harness/belt, I carry it everywhere when in the bush and it works the same way as a marine EPIRB. Cheap insurance in my mind, see "www.fastfindplb.com for further details

Seasons Greetings to all and here's to an "AU" 2014.

Woteva

the only trouble with the subject matter is that a lot of us believe there is more to the disappearance than meets the eye.

so no mater what u r carrying it will not help u if satin is playing god.

If I carry a 45 special and if someone has a go at me from behind I wouldn't have time to set of the trigger. Mind u they would have to b good. so even if I had a epirb they would most probably throw if in a shaft with me.

regards
oneday

And that is the problem with a lot of people who go missing. Far too many old shafts out there where a body can be disposed of.
I'm not saying it is done but why are there times people who go missing in the goldfields can't be found.

Dogs eat them,bones clothes and all ??

G8s

Call me paranoid but I carry two gps with me both with the camp plotted into them and when I do some of the larger salt lakes I drop water half way and plot that too-dragon

I reckon one of two things happened to this bloke, he has either met with foul play or has staged his own disappearance, and the reason that I think this is because when you consider all the known facts what other real conclusion is there.

When you consider that there was such a large effort made to locate him and even with all that going on little or no real evidence was found, firstly that does not make a lot of real sense, even when signs were supposedly found of his movements and some belongings etc., there simply should have been more to be found if he had in fact been in the places where these signs were located, so to me the whole scenario does not add up and smacks of being more likely set up to divert attention way from the real area of interest.

Time was another factor, if either of the two mentioned things occurred then it was carried out well before searchers hit the ground, from what I heard he was missing at least a couple of days before even being reported, in the heat of summer and without water he would have perished within hours and unless hidden his remains should have been located, so I am inclined to believe that this did not happen, and the fact that there was so much lapsed time between him going missing and being reported there was clearly adequate time to set the scene so to speak.

Anyway time will tell, something further on this will turn up eventually.

au-fever