Christmas will be here in two days! First, I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and ask you to remember that the holiday is about more than just giving gifts and looking at brightly-lit outdoor lighting displays. There’s a reason why the day is called “Christ”mas. Second, if you’ve waited this long to get a gift for your favorite outdoors person, I might just have a suggestion which will solve your dilemma.

I learned about this product from my family doctor. Her husband is an avid hunter and fisherman who likes to pursue these activities in some rather remote parts of Alaska. Generally, cell phone service does not exist in these far-flung locations, so the only option for them to stay in touch and as a safety factor has been a satellite phone.

Satellite phones are expensive to own and, while they are available to rent for limited periods, the possibility of losing or damaging the rental out in the middle of nowhere is always a concern. Plus the minutes must still be purchased. A trip lasting a week or two could easily cost in the neighborhood of $100 or more between the rental and minutes, and you still have to return the unit at the end of the trip with nothing to show for it afterwards. I carry a portable aviation radio with the FAA aircraft frequencies and my GPS unit on remote trips. I have a list of the primary radio frequencies used in the different areas of the state, so I can broadcast on the proper aviation frequency in the event of a medical emergency or some other life-and-death situation. I can contact any airplane or commercial jet flying overhead and give them my location via GPS coordinates. I can normally expect a rescue in a matter of hours.

The problem with this approach is that the equipment can only be used in a major emergency, and I could probably expect a citation from the FCC because I don’t have the required license to operate an aircraft radio. I carry the equipment, though, because I’d rather pay the fine and live to hunt another day than die for lack of communications ability!

This new product my doctor recommended eliminates several of the shortcomings mentioned concerning communicating with your remote hunter or angler. You own the equipment, so there are no rental fees or need-to-return-the-gear trips. You don’t need a special license to operate it and you can use it anytime you like.

The product is called the SPOT satellite messenger. It’s a small, hand-held unit similar in size to a GPS unit that, when activated, sends a signal containing your specific GPS coordinates and either a pre-programmed “All’s Well” message or an emergency call for help via satellite to e-mail addresses you’ve pre-programmed prior to your departure.

The unit retails for about $170, but I bought mine locally for $150. That’s a one-time purchase cost for the equipment. There is an annual subscription fee for the basic satellite services of about $100 a year. For an additional $50, you can add a tracking service called “Track Progress,” that literally allows your contacts back home to see your current location and trace your movements on Google Maps.

The basic package contains an “Alert 911” feature that automatically contacts both public and pre-programmed private emergency responders with your specific GPS location. There’s a “Check In” feature that lets your contacts know exactly where you are and that everything is fine. The third feature, called “Ask for Help,” lets you seek assistance from friends and/or family from your specific location. This last option allows you to request items or help that is of a non-emergency nature, like an extra food drop off or getting that second pair of socks you forgot to pack.

If you want to take advantage of the whole range of options offered, for another $150 a year you can sign up for the GEOS Search and Rescue Benefit Upgrade, which provides up to $100,000 of additional private search and rescue resources, including helicopter extraction around the world and reimbursement benefits for any emergency service expenses incurred.

My doctor had signed up for the basic package and the tracking service and, at the time she told me about this, her husband was off on a moose hunting trip up north. She showed me a printout she’d made off her computer with the Google Map pinpointing her husband’s exact location in camp next to a lake, with the “All’s Well” message they had developed before he left.

I bought my own unit and only signed up for the basic package. I used the “All’s Well” to my wife while I was gone on our moose hunting trip this past fall. She received the messages and knew everything was fine. Next year, I think I’ll add the tracking feature too because it would be fun to download and print out the maps after getting home, plus my wife can see where I am at any given time during the outing.

Modern technology is amazing!

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by e-mailing sports@frontiersman.com.