📡 Be seen: distress signal comparison
From the voice to the satellite, the real range of every signal method — helping you pick the right signal based on what's in your pack and what time it is.
★ A signal mirror weighing 25 g and costing 10 € can potentially reach farther (up to 160 km in ideal conditions) than a parachute flare (45-65 km) — and it never runs out.
★ Calling 112 requires a cellular network, any network: in an area with zero towers within range, your call won't go through, unlike with a satellite beacon.
★ A PLB beacon transmits continuously for at least 24 hours, an EPIRB for 48 hours: twice as long, because it's designed for shipwrecks where rescue takes longer.
★ Three fires, three smoke plumes, or three whistle blasts: the number 3 is the universal language of distress, both on land and at sea.
Daytime range : 99999 = global satellite coverage — higher is better.