EPIRB personal satellite beacon locator

[Cacia]

yes, I hear thats a good one. We bought acr on sale at West Marine. How much was yours? And the canister? I don't have mine housed, they guy who is building the housing asked me if I wanted it on the tank or my waist. I said my tank.??

I think it would be hard to set it off, accidently, no?

I have had the same comments. "oh...just summon the entire Navy!!" uh..yea, I think I will.

Congratulations! It's 600 bucks that is hard to part with.

 

[String]

Worth noting with the satellite based EPIRBs setting them off will trigger a full scale search and rescue operation not just alert the boat that something is there.

Chances are the first thing the boat would know is when a GMDSS or voice broadcast alerts to a distress in their area on the radio.

There is no half-way solution with an epirb - you either mobiles the entire SAR services of the area or nothing.

 

[Bill51]

As for accidentally activating them, G activated ELTs are much worse and we’ve had plenty of false alarms over the years. I had to chase one half way across Missouri from the air before we figured out which pickup truck to have stopped after he’d accidentally tossed it in the back turned on. That was fun trying to figure out the culprit among 50 cars in traffic.

I would love to see a 406 + 121.5 unit where you could turn on just the 121.5 or both. Then we need to get more reasonably priced VHF locators that boat operators would actually use. Another option I’d like to explore is a GPS/VHF/DSC unit with a low power 1 watt DSC setting for divers. All this would require is a dive boat that has their DSC VHF coupled to a chart plotter and they should be able to find you pretty quickly without activating the entire SARSAT system if not needed.

 

[String]

Only problem is im not sure GMDSS/DSC is actually that commonly used in lots of parts of the world, especially the more remote areas.

Certainly some sort of VHF DSC with voice made water proof would be useful even if its extracted from the container on the surface, antenna extended and so on. Range wont be great at 1ft above sea level but if the boat is in the general area should be ok.

Unless its changed recently the rescue services here were recommending small boat owners NOT to get beacons due entirely to the enourmous number of false activations and chasing boats on trailers down motorways etc.

 

[Fordan]

"Whoops, boat isnt here and ive been up 10 minutes. I'll press this button to get it here fast".

So what would be an appropriate amount of time to wait to activate one? As you said, activating it should trigger a full-blown SAR response. A couple of hours after coming up and seeing no boat? Longer?

 

[Cacia]

Worth noting with the satellite based EPIRBs setting them off will trigger a full scale search and rescue operation not just alert the boat that something is there.

Are you sure? ...cause a Coast Guard guy sold me mine and he said that it is registered to me (on-line registration) and they try and contact you first by my cell, plus...you give a family member's contact number. So..if they call mine, and get my daughter and she says "no, unfortunately she is sitting right here" then I doubt they would launch the Navy and the Coast Guard.

I think I would wait an hour unless conditions were deteriorating or I had some reason to think the boat wouldn't find us...

I have waited 45 minutes a few times in swells.

Whose life IS worthy of an EPIRB then? .. Cause I am using it, my kids throw parties when I don't come home.

 

[String]

So what would be an appropriate amount of time to wait to activate one? As you said, activating it should trigger a full-blown SAR response. A couple of hours after coming up and seeing no boat? Longer?

Would depend entirely on where you are and what the conditions are.

If i was already borderline hypothermic in cold waters id activate a lot quicker than for example drifting in a calm sea in the tropics.

If suffering from sun stroke, dehydration or whatever then again, activate sooner.

However, if it was just a case of the boat not being there when i surfaced id wait quite a while in good conditions, certainly more than an a few hours. If i could SEE the boat id be tempted not to activate one at all until it had vanished. The boat knows you're missing and would have started searching itself probably with local boats.

*IF* i saw an SAR helicopter in the distance id assume full scale SAR had already started so would be happy to activate then.

EPIRB activation really is a last resort option and will cost a substantial amount of money for the services once used so trivial use should be discouraged to the extreme.

 

[tonka97]

Are you sure? ...cause a Coast Guard guy sold me mine and he said that it is registered to me (on-line registration) and they try and contact you first by my cell, plus...you give a family member's contact number. So..if they call mine, and get my daughter and she says "no, unfortunately she is sitting right here" then I doubt they would launch the Navy and the Coast Guard.

I think I would wait an hour unless conditions were deteriorating or I had some reason to think the boat wouldn't find us...

I have waited 45 minutes a few times in swells.

Whose life IS worthy of an EPIRB then? .. Cause I am using it, my kids throw parties when I don't come home.

Cost is about $550.00 (free batteries for life from mfg), and cannister is about 300 (good to 400 ft.) per the OP link posted. Catherine, you are correct about the registration, and contact numbers. It activates not only the satellite (global) response, but also the local VHF emergency/location system. Your cellular and home phone numbers are available to confirm emergency.

I agree with your criteria for activation of the EPIRB. Perhaps this information should be reviewed in OW certification classes, to make divers aware of this resource, and the do's and don'ts associated with activation.

 

[String]

Are you sure? ...cause a Coast Guard guy sold me mine and he said that it is registered to me (on-line registration) and they try and contact you first by my cell, plus...you give a family member's contact number. So..if they call mine, and get my daughter and she says "no, unfortunately she is sitting right here" then I doubt they would launch the Navy and the Coast Guard.

PLB vs EPIRB.

And any of the devices using satellite are going to start an international response. In lots of cases the receiving station isnt in the same country as the transmitter.

 

[tonka97]

PLB vs EPIRB.

And any of the devices using satellite are going to start an international response. In lots of cases the receiving station isnt in the same country as the transmitter.

"It activates not only the satellite (global) response, but also the local VHF emergency/location system. Your cellular and home phone numbers are available to confirm emergency."