RomeoMike wrote:
Is it possible that Les was dramatizing his situation for
the show?

Possibly. However, he rarely talks about the backup plan during the
show, except when it seems to be not as usable as he expected. G In
another episode (Adrift), he was pointing out how the radio he expected
to use to communicate with his "babysitter" boat failed, and they were
unable to make contact on the open seas. His solid backup plans are
described on his web site.

The episode where he mentioned the sat phone issues took plane in the
Costa Rican jungle, with high, heavy foliage coverage. He pointed out
the the phone was plenty usable on the coast and in rare clearings. The
issue came up when he was in an area with solid square miles of canopy,
pointing out the lack of signal on the phone and the inability of an
airborne rescue crew to find him if he was injured. He didn't mention
having any kind of ELT, and he doesn't normally hide such things.

Part of the show's purpose is to demonstrate survival techniques
available when you've got very little. It's less of "Isn't Les great
and amazing" and more of "You could do this if you had to", and "You
will die if you DON'T do THIS." He usually carries only a few very
basic and likely to be carried items, like a Leatherman tool, and is
allowed to use whatever the situation might normally include. One of
the episodes was an Arctic plane crash, where he used broken airplane
parts, wiring, and small quantities of fuel to survive in winter Arctic
wilderness.

While the show includes _some_ drama, as it _is_ TeeVee G, I've still
found every show genuinely interesting from an outdoorsman's
perspective. Someone with military survival training might find it silly.

And again, I'd personally still carry the phone... G