Scott Hersha
Well Known Member
Want an ELT-type device that's cheap? - I mean free? How about this:
RE: A Phone service you probably have, but not activated.
Full time "LOCATION ON".
Most new phones have a GPS chip imbedded inside. The reason for this was in days past when you called 911 the police could not locate earlier phones. By default most phones are set to ONLY respond to the GPS "ping" when you are on the 911 line. That is good but what's below I think is better.
You can and probably should set your locator to ON full time.
Here are a few good reasons why:
1. It will not cost any money including decreased battery
Charge.
2. It will allow you to "generally" locate a lost phone
3. It will allow loved ones to locate your phone (and hopefully you) if you run into trouble.
A. Think about a fall from a tree in the woods,
B. Your car wreck in a rural hidden ravine
C. Trapped on an ice flow in lake Erie after a whole day
Catching walleye
D. An encounter with some bad hombres (most famous eg. Is girl taken from a MO. Target. The police traced her abductor path
and found the phone and her but got there too late).
E. A health issue just about anywhere.
F. And tons of other reasons why locating you in a hurry
Could be important.
G. Off airport landing - for whatever reason....
Doesn't it raise a security risk? In my view not a credible one. Generally a bad guy has to know the Mobile number to conduct a search. I give mine out to a relatively small circle. If it is a big brother issue of large companies tracking my phones where-abouts, I am not concerned if they know I shop at WalMart.
Further, most bad guys already have easy access to your address, workplace, and therefore you. Not likely they would somehow come across your mobile number and then use it in some way to locate you. So none of these so called risks really bother me. What does bother me is not knowing where a loved is when there is trouble. If you have youngins then, you may wish to look into Sprint's Family Finder or Verizon's Chaperone.
How do you activate?
1. In most phones use your MENU to select TOOL Icon > phone settings > location
Select "LOCATION ON" it will work now full time.
All service providers have a version of this service that allows YOU to have the software on your own computer to track your loved ones phones.
Verizon = Chaperone (free for adult phones)
Sprint = Family Finder
Two important tips:
1. Always take phone with, and
2. Don't turn it off, just silence it when necessary.
I know - there are a lot of places this may not work, but in most places it will a long as you didn't damage/loose the phone in the crash - plus it's free!!! Sweet words to any pilot.
Scott
________________________________________________________
RE: A Phone service you probably have, but not activated.
Full time "LOCATION ON".
Most new phones have a GPS chip imbedded inside. The reason for this was in days past when you called 911 the police could not locate earlier phones. By default most phones are set to ONLY respond to the GPS "ping" when you are on the 911 line. That is good but what's below I think is better.
You can and probably should set your locator to ON full time.
Here are a few good reasons why:
1. It will not cost any money including decreased battery
Charge.
2. It will allow you to "generally" locate a lost phone
3. It will allow loved ones to locate your phone (and hopefully you) if you run into trouble.
A. Think about a fall from a tree in the woods,
B. Your car wreck in a rural hidden ravine
C. Trapped on an ice flow in lake Erie after a whole day
Catching walleye
D. An encounter with some bad hombres (most famous eg. Is girl taken from a MO. Target. The police traced her abductor path
and found the phone and her but got there too late).
E. A health issue just about anywhere.
F. And tons of other reasons why locating you in a hurry
Could be important.
G. Off airport landing - for whatever reason....
Doesn't it raise a security risk? In my view not a credible one. Generally a bad guy has to know the Mobile number to conduct a search. I give mine out to a relatively small circle. If it is a big brother issue of large companies tracking my phones where-abouts, I am not concerned if they know I shop at WalMart.
Further, most bad guys already have easy access to your address, workplace, and therefore you. Not likely they would somehow come across your mobile number and then use it in some way to locate you. So none of these so called risks really bother me. What does bother me is not knowing where a loved is when there is trouble. If you have youngins then, you may wish to look into Sprint's Family Finder or Verizon's Chaperone.
How do you activate?
1. In most phones use your MENU to select TOOL Icon > phone settings > location
Select "LOCATION ON" it will work now full time.
All service providers have a version of this service that allows YOU to have the software on your own computer to track your loved ones phones.
Verizon = Chaperone (free for adult phones)
Sprint = Family Finder
Two important tips:
1. Always take phone with, and
2. Don't turn it off, just silence it when necessary.
I know - there are a lot of places this may not work, but in most places it will a long as you didn't damage/loose the phone in the crash - plus it's free!!! Sweet words to any pilot.
Scott
________________________________________________________