> Are there any inexpensive devices that would send a gps fix to
> international
> emergency satalite
> the allow searches to home in on sone lost / stranded in the westy
> wilderness ?

any sort of radio transmitter (ELT or EPIRB)
is gonna cost money. several hundreds of dollars.
even the ELT detector is like $140 (tells a pilot that someone nearby
has triggered
their emergency beacon).

but ...

there are some things that are cheap (less than $40) that might help.

personal strobe lights. horribly brillantly bright little strobe
lights that can be seen by aircraft or anybody in direct line of sight
for about two miles. usually capable of lasting about 8 hours or more,
depending on the model and the batteries.
downsides are ... this thing is BRIGHT. you're NOT gonna want to stand
there holding it.
which brings up downside number two: battery life in cold weather. not
good. :(
and you have to carry spare batteries for it.
but if anybody is around, they're gonna notice it. even in the
daytime.
$15 to $40 each. standard household batteries.

cyalume sticks. chemical light sticks. about $2 each. available online
or sometimes in wal-mart, in the hunting section. stores almost
indefinitely (fits nicely in the glove box). bend it in the middle
time the inner tube of chemicals cracks and the two chemicals mix,
shake it a bit, and you've got light. some colors (yellow) last 12
hours.
downside ... isn't really bright, especially in daytime. but at night,
it shows up maybe 100 yards. if you tie a string around it and swing
it around your head in a circle, it attracts a LOT of attention. but
then, you've outside in the cold doing this. :(
$2 each. yellow, green, red. blue and white are available, but are
considerably dimmer than yellow or green.

12gauge flare guns for airplanes and boats.
downside, limited ammunition.
but it does attract attention, even in daytime. also fits nicely into
glove box.
attracts cops if/when searching your bus, and Officer Opie might not
know the difference between a flare gun and a SuperWhoopie CIA
Ass-Sassing Pistol, model 12 Guage. :)
about $40.

me, i chose the cyalume sticks. they can also be used to entertain
children at campouts.
:)  or used to work under your bus in the middle of the
dark-as-the-inside-of-a-cow nights.

unca joel