The wife says I can't go alone.

Becca

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Feb 26, 2012
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Wasilla, Alaska
I'm not sure what sat phone we have, I will have to check on it, but it is a POS! Getting out on it is challenging, and it drops the call after about 3 min. A quick 10 min. call can take 5 calls. Super frustrating!

We use iridium (I can't speak to globostar in the L48, but here in AK their coverage is notoriously unreliable) and are pleased with the coverage and service for our uses in AK.

That being said, a sat phone isn't like a cell phone. Especially in mountainous terrain, you risk losing signal because the satellites move so even if you have a good connection when you place the call, within 5 or 10 minutes it's common for calls to drop as the satellites move behind terrain features. Best success is to keep calls short and concise (which I imagine is a huge challenge for Mr Avery). When I call out from our sat phone, I start every call with "we are ok" and make sure the person I called responds telling me they heard. Don't ever want there to be an ambiguity about it being an emergency situation if the call gets dropped when I was just calling our folks to tell them we a ok.

Also, I don't know about most users but we don't ever take incoming calls. So people who say it would be nice for people at home to reach them, that's not the way we use the phones. To my knowledge it's very expensive (like $12 a min) for the caller to call a sat phone. Besides, it's far more battery efficient to only power the phone on when you want to use it, and power it off in between calls.

Because we don't take incoming calls, we try to call to check in with some kind of pre-established frequency. When Luke and I backpack or hunt together, we usually call one or the other set of parents weekly or sometimes bi-weekly (and whoever we call lets everyone else know we are safe). When Luke goes on a trip, and I don't go, the usual pattern is to call every other evening. He tells me when he calls when I should expect to hear from him again "I will call again day after tomorrow". Of course he's free to call me more often, and sometimes does, but that way if I don't hear from him on a daily basis I don't worry.
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
16,148
Location
Colorado Springs
I admit the title seems like an ultimatum but that is just because I have been hit too many times in the head and didn't think it through.

I knew there was more to this story than meets the eye. You know.....husband abuse is just as rampant as wife abuse, and there's help for you man. LOL!
 

Mike7

WKR
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
1,305
Location
Northern Idaho
I didn't read the entire thread, but the new $11-12 per month year round basic Delorme InReach plans allow for unlimited preset texts of which your have 3 different personalized preset texts that you can create and set up on the computer at home before you leave for the woods. For more personalized/specific texts created in the field, even after you get to your limit of 10 texts, I think it is only 50 cents per text thereafter for overage. I just leave the thing in my survival kit/backpack year-round with the battery disconnected. It takes 15-30 minutes to get a text out and one back sometimes, but I have been in some deep canyons in old growth timber, and eventually the message seems to get out still.

I find there is a difference when a spouse makes an ultimatum out of concern as opposed to control. Women tend to be a little more emotional than men sometimes and so an "ultimatum" might just be a way to get across the serious nature of their concern. If you aknowledge this concern, then you can come to a compromise typically. If someone just wants to control you, then I agree that this process likely started long before a simple discussion about going to the woods.
 
Joined
Jul 8, 2015
Messages
1,610
Location
Colorado
Just got back from an overnight scouting trip and why wife said I should look into buying a Delorme Inreach. Perfect! Now if I get an animal down solo I can send a text and have buddies meet me at the trail head to help pack out the animal. Works for me!
 

NYSHUNTER

FNG
Joined
Jul 24, 2015
Messages
28
So, many have heard it. The wife is scared if I go into the mountains by myself. I am looking for a partner in Northwest Wyoming. I didn't draw any good tags this year, so I will be hunting general deer and elk. I am new to backpack hunting, but I have to start some time. If anybody has a good tag and just needs help packing stuff out, I can do that too. Anything to get me out away from the roads and learning new stuff.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


I had the same thing happen to me but she has reason after she found out a bunch of border jumpers broke into my rental car in Arizona she was beating the drums for me to go out with a hunting partner. We settle on ONE of those spot sat phones and they suck.. The INREACH is the way to go
 
Joined
Aug 24, 2012
Messages
315
Location
Western OR.
Sometimes we married guys just have to take the set back out of the case and re-install and man up, acknowledge the Mrs. deep concern, tell them it will be alright, take steps to appease them and compromise, and then go hunting.

seriously though, the in-reach is a great product. Im thinking on getting one to replace my SPOT.

SPOT does work well though, I lent it to my pop in law, and his (technolically challenged) friend for an off road race down in mexico. The car broke down, he sent the pre set "car broke pick me up message". About 5 min I get the text, log in to SPOT, I can see right where the car is at. I then get a call from Delorme about the SOS message. (he mistakenly hit that one too)
Told them its not me, its my pop in law in mex and its probably not an issue as the car is now moving. They monitor to make sure and we get no other SOS messages. They call back in 10 min and disregard the SOS.
Then I get a text from pop in law asking where is the race car. I use the satelite image, (and by text) guide them directly to where the car is at.
Car was off race course about 5 SE miles and was being tow'd back to hwy 1 near some small town by some nice locals.

Inreach would have saved time and got the car running again but the tow and repair took to long and we timed out on check points.
 

ChrisS

WKR
Joined
Sep 19, 2013
Messages
860
Location
A fix back east
I just ordered my InReach. If I go elk hunting this season (still kinda up in the air due to work), it's going to be a last minute solo trip. If I don't, I still hunt the Adirondack backcountry for bears and whitetails where there is no cell service. In either case, the wife is much more comfortable knowing that she can get a hold of me in case of an emergency or vice versa.
 

les welch

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Feb 25, 2012
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Central WI
So, many have heard it. The wife is scared if I go into the mountains by myself. I am looking for a partner in Northwest Wyoming. I didn't draw any good tags this year, so I will be hunting general deer and elk. I am new to backpack hunting, but I have to start some time. If anybody has a good tag and just needs help packing stuff out, I can do that too. Anything to get me out away from the roads and learning new stuff.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

I didn't read all of the posts above this, so it may have been covered......The ex-wife wouldn't have had a say :)
 
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