locating by cell phone

A lot of people tramping in nz now are tourists. A lot of them wouldnt understand completely the differene befween a plb and a cell phone or would neved have thought much about plbs seriously enough to bother getting one, or understand the limitations of cell phones, im amazed there is any coverage in some places its being reported cell coverage, such as near angelus hut. People are so wedded to their mobike phones and si used to regular connectivity, they dont thinkmuch about what happens when there is no coverage when you need it

@berniq fair enough, maybe compelled is a bit strong. There does seem to be a theme though of the media highlighting the role cellphones have played in rescues without strongly emphasizing they are a bad first option for rescue. My point is, and I'm sure we all agree, that the media need to play a role in not dramatising the use of cellphones. While the sad case mentioned is not an example of a rescue there have been more a few recently where rescue by cellphone is dramatised. Taking a cellphone as a rescue aid should be frowned on as much as not wearing a seatbelt is.

Thoroughly agree, strider. Traditional media are (still) an effective communications channel. At the risk of starting a new discussion, there's a lot wrong with commercial media and it does need (imo) greater regulation but single issue compulsion isn't the answer. Wayno, I suspect the general population has little understanding of PLBs, not just tourists. I imagine, though - as you say, that the patchy cell coverage might be of more surprise to tourists than kiwis. But, it's their responsibility to inform themselves. Similarly, many tourists, every year, go O/S without informing themselves of cultural and legal differences that could lead them into serious trouble. This is a role for Gov - to educate their citizens and in-bound tourists. There have been countless examples on this forum of people seeking to inform themselves about NZ-specific issues - don't lose sight of those who **are** responsible. *edit to correct a typo.

The media mainly just report the facts, it would help if the police asked the media to point out how to practice safety better. Just mentioning that a cell ph was used to get help is distorting cell phones capabilities in the mountains.

PLBs also are not a replacement for some of the most basic stuff like telling a trusted person where you're going and when to expect you back, so that someone with info will actually care if you don't turn up when you're meant to. It's also just one of the many measures that can be taken to reduce the likeliness of swiss cheese problems. IMHO having a decent understanding of risk management is at least as important as any specific measure.

Berneiq has a handle on it! My comment is don`t rely on your shoe-phone to broadcast your position as they have low battery life & coverage is spurious (often) where we do our outdoor thing.A beacon,a mate,shelter & where in/when you`re expected out will help.I`m a phoneaholic like the rest of the planet but you can`t eat `em & they won`t keep you warm.And they add 150g to your pack!

"The media mainly just report the facts ..." Not sure I agree with that statement, wayno ! The 'leader of the free world' doesn't seem to agree, either 🤔

They do report the facts. How they do it though certainly can be questionable.

24 hours of "news" means that facts possibly get reported at the same rate they might have before, but now it tends to be delivered between swathes of never-ending low-cost opinion. That opinion frequently comes from people who never had an opportunity to broadcast what they thought to such a scale in the past.