Stranded, no cellular, what ya gonna do?

[Neal]

This has now happened to our beloved @ARD twice so maybe others can learn from this situation which I believe I've covered on this forum before. Survival is something you have to think about even in an apartment on wheels so let's discuss several things I've learned from others from various scenarios from members on this site:

Fuel management: For those that pull a TOAD, it is your escape vehicle, pay attention to how much fuel is in it before you leave for your next leg as it may be what you have to use to get to civilization. This lesson comes from @NWIP's Alaska adventure when his coach got stranded. No clue on TOAD status but I learned a lesson from his getting stranded in a less than ideal location.

Tank management: If you pull out of a campground like I did in Breckenridge, CO last Labor day holiday and now you're camping in a parking lot for an undetermined amount of time or you get towed and you're living in a service lot, how long can this work before you have full gray/black tanks or an empty fresh? In my case I had a sink full of dishes waiting for the next stop, probably had empty gray/black, can't remember, but now I'm in a situation where the clock is ticking and I have to consider options, with dog. Fortunately that situation got rectified early so it worked out, but lessons learned. I try to always travel full fresh and empty black/gray. Some people think they are managing their weight by only traveling with 1/2 or 1/4 fresh. Well, do the math at 8 lbs per gallon for water and see what percentage of your total weight that comes out to and you'll see it doesn't help much in total weight savings.

Communications: Two times now @ARD has had a TOAD flat and no cellular coverage. Naturally panic ensues and we forget some resource we have available which I want to remind us all about. First off, if you have a Pepwave router it may pickup cellular signals when your phone may not, and it may have alternate carriers from your phone such as with @ARD she has AT&T in the Pepwave and Verizon in the phone. So multiple carriers can help. Starlink is a great communication backup to have. You can setup your Starlink about anywhere assuming sky coverage and this will enable Wi-Fi calling and messaging for someone to help you get assistance as needed. Finally, I fly with a Garmin inReach Mini and this comes with me when I'm traveling in my RV. It remains in the TOAD glove box with USB charger cable as if I'm away from my RV stranded with my TOAD having the inReach in the RV does me no good. It is a satellite communicator that pairs with your phone to enable messaging. It also has a SOS button so if you are hurt and don't have time or know how to get messages out you can use this to call for help. It doesn't mean helicopters are going to come, the response center will communicate with you and see what you need for your situation. But there are options and we need to think about scenarios such as this and do a little preparedness should it happen to anyone.

The other obvious ones are food and first aid. Check the tire pressure in your TOAD's spare tire or have your dealership check it for you at oil changes, services, etc.

Learn from others, share your stories, think about it before it happens to you. We can and often travel in very remote locations going between points A and B and in mountainous regions where cellular is not available including National Parks so a Garmin inReach is an important item to have. The subscription costs around $10/month but different plans are available.

Safe travels to all...

Amazon product ASIN B09PSKG7C3 Amazon product ASIN B07JCLL891 Amazon product ASIN B00CHEJP6C Amazon product ASIN B0012MLJTQ

 

[sheridany]

You forgot the helicopter part…..

 

[Diesel Pusher]

Dual band VHF/UHF mobile radios programmed with the appropriate frequencies in the coach and the Jeep plus a couple of solar chargeable dual band HTs for back up

 

[ADR1RU]

Communications: ...Finally, I fly with a Garmin inReach Mini and this comes with me when I'm traveling in my RV. It remains in the TOAD glove box with USB charger cable as if I'm away from my RV stranded with my TOAD having the inReach in the RV does me no good. It is a satellite communicator that pairs with your phone to enable messaging.

Amazon product ASIN B09PSKG7C3

I love Amazon reviews and typically go to the 1 Star reviews to see “What’s the worst thing(s) about this item?” In the Garmin Mini 2 I saw this...

Garmin, in its infinite wisdom, does not allow you to change the text of your preset messages anymore. The current "selection" is 1) I'm checking in. Everything is okay. 2) I'm starting my trip., 3) I'm ending my trip.
Given that each of these messages has your GPS coordinates attached, these messages are uninformative. You might as well replace it with, "I am alive enough to hit an OK button to send you my GPS coordinates."
Yes, you can still customize your quick text messages, but those are limited by your plan. So, now inReach essentially becomes a personal locator beacon with an SOS button and no preset messages. Basically, to have anything informative, you have to pay for it or have a paid plan that pays for messaging.

So I was curious, does your $10/mo plan allow for editing your preset msgs?

 

[Neal]

Using either of the Garmin apps that work with the inReach Mini 2 you can send text messages just like you do on your phone. Take a look at Garmin Messenger

 

[Rich W.]

Don’t know what the current tech or pricing is but back in my sailing days when I went to sea with “other souls on board”, especialy those with children, I would rent a sat phone. You could receive calls and text free, and of course make calls for whatever rate they were charging. So you could text someone, say “call me at *** *** **** ” and wait for a call for no additional fee above the rental. If this type of service still exists (and I’d be surprised if it didnt) it might be a good short term communications option if going to Alaska or other remote areas with no cell service.

 

[LMHS]

I don't go that far off the beaten path. But I spent decades in an area where radio & cellphone coverage was iffy (got it, then go around a curve and it's gone). Then I moved to a desert in NM and there is just miles of major roads with zero cellphone coverage. A handheld CB that I can move from vehicle to vehicle plus stuff in my backpack when hiking suits me. The cops still monitor CH 9. It's old school and not high end like a sat phone, but it works for me.

 

[GypsyR]

My grandkids were astounded to learn I rode motorcycles and drove old cars across country without the benefit of a cell phone at all back in the dinosaur and caveman 1980's. (I carried tools.)

 

[Rich W.]

My grandkids were astounded to learn I rode motorcycles and drove old cars across country without the benefit of a cell phone at all back in the dinosaur and caveman 1980's. (I carried tools.)

and paper maps!

 

[mjeds]

hmm, I would think that most people with RVs would also be Ham Radio operators.

maybe I am just old school but I would rather have my Ham than a cell phone any day.