# SPOT device saves man in Wyoming



## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Interesting. I have heard about a couple people being saved by these.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2016/08/12/spot-saves-wyoming-mans-life/



> SPOT, a satellite messaging device for those in remote areas to get their location to help when times get tough, saved a Wyoming man after he was shot in the leg by accident. Phillip Herweyer was riding a horse in a remote area of the South Fork of the Shoshone River scouting for elk in preparation for the upcoming hunting season. While Herweyer and his companion Karinthia Harrison were in the remote area, the lead rope from a pack horse became wrapped around his .45 long Colt pistol causing it to discharge. The fired round entered Herweyer in the back of his right calf and exited around his shin, no word on how extensive the damage is.
> 
> After Herweyer had been shot, he activated his SPOT unit which sent his GPS location and an emergency signal to a central dispatch center. The dispatch center alerted local authorities at about 2:14 pm that there was an emergency beacon activated prompting the center to send out a search plane and a medical helicopter from a nearby town to search for the injured man. Thankfully Herweyer was quickly found and transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for treatment at 5:30 pm.
> 
> You can learn more about SPOT by clicking HERE. It is a pretty cool solution for people who love being in the middle of nowhere but still want to be able to summon help easily. At least for me it would provide some peace of mind that all I have to do is push a button and help is on the way no matter how far out in the boonies I was.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

There are a few of these on the market. They are also known as EPIRB and ELT depending on whether they are designated for boats or planes. 

Usually located in the tail section of an airplane they are set up to activate in a crash but they have a switch to turn them on incase it is not triggered. If the antenna is broken you may have to McGiver it.

On boats they are often stored upside down. When they float free they turn right side up and start transmitting. There are various model and options.

While working on beta testing a land based system like SPOT with the head of the local trooper detachment he told me that he would arrest me if I used my marine system on land. I informed him that he would have to save my life first and that we could duke it out in court afterward. The remote areas of Alaska are used for testing of electronic systems requiring FCC approval as the low population density means fewer problems to and from outside radio wave sources.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

Those are cool. $180 for device + $150 a year for service isn't bad. Another $20 for SAR "insurance" is great for peace of mind while hubby is out hunting.


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