“We have an ever growing range of communications options to call for help if something goes wrong on our adventures. It’s easy to take this for granted and it certainly hasn’t always been that way. Behind this equipment, sits some pretty amazing infrastructure, making sure the emergency services know how and where to respond. This talk is going to cover how PLBs and InReaches work, as well as Google & Apple Satellite SOS services (available for free on newer phones). We’ll also look a little further ahead at some other options that are about to hit the market.

This talk is for you if you’ve always wondered about how these devices work, wondering what to buy, or just want to get your nerd on and understand more about the satellite comms space.

Stu Warren is an electrical engineer who has a deep interest in the intersection of communications and emergency services. He works at the Connectivity Innovation Network (an ESO-facing organisation to improve communications for emergency services), is a Staff Engineer and Director at Acronyms Unlimited (an engineering service operating out of Crows Nest), and is the current Training Coordinator for NSW Bush, Search, and Rescue.”