To Some, Beacon Signals End to Outdoor Spirit

It is the personal locator beacon, a device that promises to take the search out of "search and rescue" and, for some, the wild out of wilderness. Flip it on, and it sends a signal by satellite that allows you to be found anywhere on the planet.

"They're miraculous," concedes Bob Burns, who's been climbing the peaks of the Northwest for more than 30 years. But he says he won't buy one. "Electronic gadgets can't replace map and compass -- and the skill of knowing how to use them."

Besides that, he says, such a device takes away "from the spirit of outdoor adventure."

Anyone who's ever been lost in the woods might respectfully disagree. In Washington last year, there were 658 search-and-rescue operations conducted, a large number involving lost hikers or mountain climbers. A locator beacon might have helped many of them.

It's roughly the size of a thick paperback book, and weighs just more than a pound. Northwest-based Recreational Equipment Inc., the first nationwide retailer to carry the product, sells two models: One is $599, and the other runs $699.

The technology has been around for a couple of decades, and is routinely used by aviators and mariners. But a ruling by the Federal Communications Commission on July 1 opened the door for the personal locator beacons to be sold to the general public. The Northwest has been especially targeted by REI.

The beacons are being marketed to hikers, campers and every other kind of outdoor enthusiast who ventures into the wilderness, of whom there are many in this part of the country. Because the gadgets are new and relatively expensive, they haven't exactly been flying off the shelves. A spokesman for REI said that in the first 13 days after the FCC ruling, the chain sold only four units.

But many search-and-rescue experts predict that as word spreads, the product may become as commonplace as walkie-talkies or cellphones. Especially as technology makes the devices smaller and cheaper.

When activated, the beacon emits a signal that can be tracked by a worldwide satellite system operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The alert is then routed to the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, which contacts the appropriate local search-and-rescue agency.