PLB does the job

We did the Gary late last week and it was bone dry but the day latter we were hit with a large thunderstorm on the Gunbarrel

Thought it might have been Gary Hwy, haven't been over there (yet) but Google Earth sat view looked very similar and about the reported 300km NW of Warburton.

Yes, it can turn to a shipstorm when you're out there too, doesn't have to be pre trip weather . . . you just have to cope if it rains when travelling, and appears this is just a situation that simply developed.

The updated news pics shows a lot of digging around the vehicle, so looks like a decent chassis deep mud bogging, and the missus is pregnant apparently, so the PLB was well worth reaching for.

They were taken by the long range chopper to Broome Hospital yesterday (Saturday), released last night.
Now, how to get back there and recover the vehicle ??

Same here Peter, it is not a complete link.



Cheers


Stephen

Try Copying the whole link and paste it into your browser. Sorry but there's a glitch somewhere

Here's the guts of the story

A search plane has spotted a couple’s vehicle just hours after an emergency beacon was activated in WA’s far north-east.
The personal locator beacon (PBL) was activated in the Gibson Desert on Friday afternoon, with a search plane deployed from Kalgoorlie.
According to police, the plane spotted what’s believed to be a Toyota LandCruiser heavily bogged in a remote area more than 300 kilometres north-west of Warburton.

“A man and a woman were seen with the vehicle and they have set up a camp,” a police spokesperson said.
“Both appear to be in good health.”
A recovery plan is being put in place by police, using information provided by the pilot.
Rescue teams aren’t expected to reach the stranded couple until at least Saturday.

Usually I highlight those incomplete links, right click on them and select "open in new tab" and it works. Your link does not. If you use the link button below the text insertion box the links usually work properly.

My apologies

Yes the old farts are correct you should have used the link menu at the bottom - but then you did say in the original post to copy the entire link which I did and it works fine.

Hahaha this old fart did exactly what the OP instructed and agree with garrycol. It worked perfectly.

Regards

Me Three!

Perhaps the pedantic ones could spend time writing an article on how to do it, rather than berating everyone.

Cheers

Anthony

Try this

WA Rescue - PLB activated

Works for me using Firefox

Michael, try loading AdBlock Plus

Indeed a good PLB story, as was this Gibson Desert one.

The $150 cost in the ABC story link is a little outdated now . . . the best compact unit PLB I could find when purchasing mine about a year ago was from Arnolds Boat shop, the KTI PLB for $244 now.

EPIRBS (usually used for boating) are larger in size, but may be cheaper
What one you buy depends on what you want to use it for . . . I like taking mine bushwalking, and then it lives in the Ranger glovebox for trips.

1.8 K up the Eagle. Now you cant go there as that road is a Private Access road

I guess it's times like this you find out who your friends are.

Imagine the phone call: "Maaaaate ... fancy an Outback trip next week?"

Hopefully they can sort something .

Peter,
If you are looking at the same image as I am on the AMSA FB page, it shows two sets of coordinates. The first (on the left) is the position of the aircraft (which flew SE, down the line of the Eagle Highway). The second (on the right) is the position of the "target" - presumably the PLB. The coordinates you have reported are those of the aircraft. The target was about 1km SE of the intersection.
Perhaps they were looking for a campsite?
Barry

There must be some sort of rounding errors in there - the photo clearly shows them on some sort of a track but there is nothing at the "target" location (or, mind you, the aircraft location).

I'm also not sure that the "target" is the vehicle because it is 1.4NM away - that's 2.6km which is a long way to get such a clear/zoomed in photo from a helicopter.

Looking at the photo I feel a bit sorry for them - the spot they are bogged in doesn't look at all special compared to the area around them.

Bit more info from Mr 4X4 here - they were on the Gary Highway.

The funniest article award goes to myexpress.com.au - looks like they ran The Mercury article through Google Translate a few times. It starts off:

A 27-YEAR-OLD profound lady and her partner were plucked from a remote partial of a Gibson Desert in a supernatural Outback rescue after a integrate became stranded.

It's really really funny to read...

While it's difficult to judge the terrain from the aerial photos, the vehicle may well be in a slight depression that has held water for some time, and become saturated. There's a clearer area to one side that would run water off, probably straight onto the track.

I don't know that country, but have worked in similar country and once well saturated it becomes "bottomless" and it's a heart breaking task to extricate one's vehicle, even with a winch.

Perhaps next time they'll take a friend, or two?

Bob

peter_mcc that article is truly a very funny example of chinglish :)
Well Worth a click and read.

It's hard to pick a funniest translation, almost every sentence / para, but . . .

"Their PLB was registered, that meant we were means to hit a family member and settle how many people were on a trip, that is intensely critical in assessing a coercion of a situation."

Bob Y., yes it looked pretty good track in general before and after the boghole, perhaps just a moments lapse in concentration on the track ahead, and boom they're in.
One thing's for sure, that isn't simple sand as just about all reports state, definitely nasty mud / clay.

Agree, we were taught that EPIRBs are for life threatening situations, not inconvenience!

"Great to see a PLB actually work"

Have they ever not worked??

I don't agree with your point about making them pay. What is the determinant of what is irresponsible - I dont think travelling alone is but I do agree it is all subjective.

If people thought they would have to pay for their rescue many would be reluctant to call for help and the result would be increased fatalities. I am not sure their are too many deliberate PLB activations that are not considered to be inappropriate though there are many accidental activations that waste far more resources than actual rescues.

The AMSA system is government funded and is a service like police, the SES and fire - recipients of these other services are not charged and I dont see why recues in remote locations should also be charged.

I would like to see 10 false or no required searches fully paid for by our Taxes rather than one search that did not occur because of the cost to those in trouble and they die.

The system is not perfect but it does work well.

Garry

Agree Garry...

Rule number one from the AMSA - do not delay activating a beacon if you believe you are potentially in a life threatening situation or that your situation could deteriorate into one.

Getting bogged may not be life-threatening, but getting bogged and running out of water with a pregnant partner probably is. Apparently they had a supply of water to last a few days, but what about after that?

The last thing the AMSA want is to turn a straight forward "rescue" into a "body recovery" because someone sat around debating whether to activate or not...

Charging for rescues, regardless of how someone found themselves in a predicament where one was required, will eventually lead to "body recoveries" rather than life-saving rescues...

Besides, taxpayer money gets "wasted" on many things, saving a life might be one of the better ways to expend taxpayer money.

But I'll let the authorities have the last word...

"Police have praised them for having the correct safety equipment and staying with the vehicle after running into problems..."

And the AMSA...

"If two-way communications are not available, then a distress beacon should be activated in situations of grave and imminent danger. This equates to when you feel you are facing a life threatening situation.

This is a personal decision that is different for everybody."

It is worth reflecting on that last sentence...

Cheers, Baz - The Landy

Agree what you posted Garry, these rescues are in fact what our emergency services train for, get paid for on standby, etc.
If people were setting them off too incorrectly, too often, I'm sure there would be some sort of extra measures brought in to help counter this.

As a bushwalker of over 25 years I have read of some shocking cases of people setting PLBs off in non critical circumstances, but really recall only 2 bad cases (one was blisters, another fatigue !!).

As PLBs and Epirbs need to be registered with AMSA, what people SHOULD do before trips is login and upload your trip details to the AMSA website, so that all relevant info is at hand for their needs should you have a situation requiring you to activate a beacon.

I usually make a concise, simple one page document (pdf) and upload before any major trip, bushwalking or 4WDing.
Trip dates, route plan with estimated daily stops, number in party, any group vehicle details you care to add, your emergency contacts.

As they get a PLB activation, they check your particular file there for any info uploaded, and can check faster with contacts, see instantly that yes you planned to be somewhere, etc.

You can even upload pics of your vehicle there so they know what they are looking for !!

It is really a great site if used in the best way for peoples travels.
We even used it for a recent NZ bushwalking trip where we spent a month doing various walks on the south island, it will work in Australia and NZ as effectively through AMSA.