satphone

I suggest you should only use the PLB in a life threatening emergency

I would use only the PLB - that is what it is designed for. And ONLY in a life-threatening emergency.
Same with the satellite phone SOS function - only in a life-threatening emergency.

A communicator such as a SpotX or similar would allow you to summon help in a non-life-threatening situation - perhaps a cheaper option to the satphone, and it also has an SOS capability.

You have to register your PLB. AFAIK it's compulsory, but anyway you'd be mad if you didn't.

You can update your registry entry at any time. If you decide to get the satphone, add the number to your PLB registration details. You can add any other relevant info, like who's with you, medical info, next of kin, trip details, description of vehicle and van/camper, etc. Anything to help SAR in an emergency.

I suggest if you add the satphone number, one of the first things they'd do if the beacon was activated is try to call you. Could be handy.

First of all, great to hear you have a PLB, as they are the cheapest piece of life saving equipment anyone can have.

If you are also concerned about a outside world contact and knowing where you are for others, have you considered a SPOT.?

These give live tracking and those that you give your SPOT URL will be able to follow you in real time tracking, with a refresh rate of just over 2 minutes.

Unlike a PLB that will only transit your location only after it has been activated, your SPOT will continuously update your position as you travel and like a PLB, has an SOS button that does the very same thing once pressed....alerts authorities, plus the are two other buttons that you can pre load with your personal messages.

We also carry a prepaid Satphone, but have not had any credit for a few years, as you do not need credit to dial out on 000

I've always carried a PLB and a satphone when travelling in remote areas.

The PLB is registered with AMSA along with my satphone number and a list of phone numbers of close contacts. If we go on a trip west of the great divide then I upload the trip details (approximate route and dates) to my AMSA profile.

In a life-threatening emergency I (or my wife) would trigger the PLB, switch on the satphone, and wait.

The signal (and location) will be identified by AMSA who checks the profile of the registered owner of the device for additional information. They will (hopefully) check my profile and see my trip note (which will coincide with the PLB signal location) and satphone number and call it to check the nature of the emergency.

The PLB is for triggering a response to a life-threatening emergency. BUT without the ability for AMSA to check what is actually happening in a remote location they may simply ask the local mining company to "go and have a look". This may take a day or more.

If I break a leg, my car catches fire or am bitten by a western brown I'd like the authorities to know pretty much immediately so they can try to arrange a specific response to the emergency. Then I'd wait for instructions.

This may all seem like overkill - my first crossing of the Canning Stock Route in the early 1980's was completed without ANY communications equipment - but times change and I guess we all become a little more cautious.