Off Road Recovery Companies

[GTGallop 63]

I know it's not a good idea but family issues have had me wheeling solo for the headspace recently.  I'm not going anywhere extreme and carry an iPhone 14 (w/ Sat Messaging), Ham Radio w/ APRS Messaging, NoCo Battery Booster, Tool Roll, Straps, Jacks, etc.  So I'm capable of self rescuing for the most part.  I also carry my hiking bag, a flat of water and some MRE's and protein bars when I go so if I have to sit and wait for a few days, I'm good there too.  It's all overkill for the kind of off road driving I do like going the front / easy way to Crown King or going to see the ruins in the Agua Fria National Monument or our to Sheep's Bridge.  But anything worth killing is worth over killing, aye?

 

So I would like to throw in a few numbers into the cell now while I'm not in need so that later if I have a need I'm not trying to squeeze in some bars out on a ridge somewhere to start googling.

 

Does anyone have one they would recommend?  Any you would recommend I avoid so I don't get screwed in the wilderness?

[theksmith 5,879]

sounds like you are well prepared to be traveling solo.

 

add a Garmin InReach or SPOT subscription if you have love ones that worry about you being out. the tracking feature brings peace of mind and i'd trust those more than than the iOS satellite feature personally.

 

no-one for rescue is going to be cheap, especially the further you are from pavement. but these guys are well respected in the 4x4 community:

 

Wild West Offroad Recovery (used to be called AZ 4x4 Recovery) 

https://wildwestoffroadrecovery.com/

602.697.8306

 

also if it's not a full emergency and you can get an internet signal, you can post to this FB group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/4110124292405159

 

 

Edited October 16, 2024 by theksmith

[jgaz 752]

Have you used the Sat messaging on your iPhone very much?   By this I mean non life  threatening usage.

I have quite a bit of experience with the inReach device from my volunteer trail patrols at the Grand Canyon.  

 

I'm often asked by hikers if I carry a device in addition to my issued radio.   

Ive never used mine for an emergency, thankfully.
 It has been used more for peace of mind for my wife when I’m overdue because I’m with a patient on the late evening shift.

 

When I was exploring Native American ruins in the Tonto I used my inReach free messages.  These messages were custom configured to set basic markers.

One message I sent was, “Parking”.  This gave my wife an exact location of where my vehicle was and where I started my hike.

Would you use the iPhone sat message ina similar way?

 

 

 

.

 

  

[Bradywgn71 1,040]

12 hours ago, GTGallop said:

I know it's not a good idea but family issues have had me wheeling solo for the headspace recently.  I'm not going anywhere extreme and carry an iPhone 14 (w/ Sat Messaging), Ham Radio w/ APRS Messaging, NoCo Battery Booster, Tool Roll, Straps, Jacks, etc.  So I'm capable of self rescuing for the most part.  I also carry my hiking bag, a flat of water and some MRE's and protein bars when I go so if I have to sit and wait for a few days, I'm good there too.  It's all overkill for the kind of off road driving I do like going the front / easy way to Crown King or going to see the ruins in the Agua Fria National Monument or our to Sheep's Bridge.  But anything worth killing is worth over killing, aye?

 

So I would like to throw in a few numbers into the cell now while I'm not in need so that later if I have a need I'm not trying to squeeze in some bars out on a ridge somewhere to start googling.

 

Does anyone have one they would recommend?  Any you would recommend I avoid so I don't get screwed in the wilderness?

In Central Az area a company out of Prescott, AZ is Ethan from Underdog Towing and Recovery.  928-533-1909  https://www.facebook.com/p/Underdog-Towing-and-Recovery-100054472719425/  He helped rescue a rolled Jeep for a group member.  He had good communication and thankfully was available.

[4x4tographer 3,668]

12 hours ago, theksmith said:

add a Garmin InReach or SPOT subscription if you have love ones that worry about you being out. the tracking feature brings peace of mind and i'd trust those more than than the iOS satellite feature personally.

 

100% this - I'm very happy with my SPOT X for the 2-3 years I've been running it. The 2-way messaging and location tracking is worth the monthly cost, IMHO.  The SOS feature is also nice. 

 

I like the 2-way SPOT X for a few reasons:

• Allows me to check in / have conversations with my wife with text messages (it can also do pre-programmed generic messages you can set up in advance)
• Allows me to ask for help in non-life threatening situations (ran out of fuel, broken parts, etc) and send my coordinates to anyone I have a text message phone number for
• Allows my family to reach ME when I'm off grid in case of a family emergency or any other issue

 

The SOS feature (while I've never needed it) is a nice bonus. 

 

The SPOT X location tracking works in 15minute increments (at my subscription level) and supports down to 5 minutes intervals. It also has a motion sensor it in. When you come to a stop - the location tracking app will reflect how long I've been stopped at a location and pin it with a "checkered flag" - like when we stop for lunch or camp. 

 

You can set up shared maps, add password protections, and have multiple "viewers" for multiple people, access expirations, each with different levels of permissions/controls. 

 

 

My ONLY complaint with the SPOT X is that it's a little finicky to type on. The dust/water proofing on the keyboard makes it cumbersome to type long messages on. I wish it could use bluetooth and a companion mobile app to allow me to use my iPhone to send long form messages.

[GTGallop 63]

On 10/16/2024 at 6:55 AM, theksmith said:

add a Garmin InReach or SPOT subscription if you have love ones that worry about you being out. the tracking feature brings peace of mind and i'd trust those more than than the iOS satellite feature personally.

In iOS 18+ we all get Sat Messaging - above and beyond SOS.  You just have to have an iPhone 14 Pro Max or newer model.

 

On 10/16/2024 at 7:06 AM, jgaz said:

Have you used the Sat messaging on your iPhone very much?   By this I mean non life  threatening usage. 

 

Yeah - Not much and I'll readily concede that it's at bit more cumbersome of a process than a Garmin InReach.  You stand out in the desert and pirouette like a ballerina until the satellite shows up on your phone - literally looks like you are chasing a Pokemon through the desert.  Then it locks in and you send a message.

 

Honestly, using the Ham Radio, a DigiRig Lite, and my cell phone on APRS to send Text Messages to the wife is still easier or about as easy as using the iPhone Sat Feature.

[jgaz 752]

On 10/16/2024 at 7:21 PM, 4x4tographer said:

 

My ONLY complaint with the SPOT X is that it's a little finicky to type on. The dust/water proofing on the keyboard makes it cumbersome to type long messages on. I wish it could use bluetooth and a companion mobile app to allow me to use my iPhone to send long form messages.

I’m going to throw in a slight thread derail here.
In case anyone isn’t familiar with the Garmin InReach PLB.  

 

There is an app from Garmin called “Earthmate” that allows you to type the message on your phone and send it using your inReach device.  
No cell signal is required, just your phone in close proximity to inReach device.

[SonoranWanderer 720]

It only takes one emergency of the just right situation to go from overkill to underprepared.

 

I second @theksmith's mention of Wild West Offroad Recovery / AZ 4x4 Recovery. I count Carl (the owner) among my friends and he'll go anywhere in Arizona. You can text his number (602.697.8306) using your mobile's satellite txt feature or a traditional satellite communicator. Personally I carry a Garmin Montana 700i and pay for the 150 messages/month plus SOS insurance plan. You can txt to cell with it. I also have an iPhone15 (sat txt, it is a mild pain to send, I recommend practicing with it in a non emergency situation).

 

Having the Garmin, I have shared my tracker URL with friends (it's also in my profile on the forum) and you'll appreciate that LB has reached out before asking if I'm ok because he could see I was actively outrunning a storm on FR24. I also usually have APRS turned on with the ham, but APRS has the limitation of being able to hit a digipeater. There are dark areas, even in the Tonto north of Cave Creek.

 

Even if I don't know where I'm going I usually tell LB and or Kevin I'm heading out (obviously my wife also knows). I run solo a lot. Probably even more once I get my overland trailer.

 

Apendix: 

• If you have a Garmin inReach device with free form texting, you can use the Garmin Explore app to make your phone the keyboard and also use your phone's contacts for txting people.
• I pay the premium fee for APRS.fi iPhone app so I can dig into deeper history and use some extra features
• I use a mobile enabled iPad as my mapping tablet and I pay for the data service. It sometimes gets service sometimes when the iPhone won't (quirks of different antennas).
• If you've been keeping count through this message you might have counted that I have at least four different radios with me at all times. All four of which have GPS capabilities. I usually have a handheld ham or two in my bag incase I hike out.
• Carl / Wild West Offroad Recovery has an active youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@wildwestorr

[GTGallop 63]

^^ Much Truth in that post ^^

Especially about going from Overkill to under prepared.  The thing that got me to thinking about this was a video of guy who was off-roading and had a 3" or 4" diameter pine cutting pop up from the trail and skewer through his engine compartment and then through the firewall into the cab of the truck.  Nobody got hurt, but he went from Overkill to Overdone in a tenth of a second.

 

I forget what kind of radio you are running but I grabbed a Digirig Lite and a spare Android phone (with no SIM - so it's a tiny tablet).  Using it for APRS while I off road has been pretty convenient. I remember subscribing to APRS.fi at one point but I'm 99% sure that I let that sub lapse.  Will have to look at re-upping.  I tested it the other day by driving out to Sycamore Cabin and even down in the low spots it got out just fine.  I'm sure I'll run into some spot somewhere that gets no coverage but it's already outperforming 5G for getting into the nooks and crannies.

 

Adding Carl to my feed and phone at this point.

 

Thanks for the good info!

[SonoranWanderer 720]

5 hours ago, GTGallop said:

I forget what kind of radio you are running

 

I have a Yaesu FTM-400 in all three of my vehicles. Although my wife's Jeep advertises her call sign on APRS.