Best signaling devices from the searcher’s point of view - update

[Celt]

For the sake of your loved ones so that everyone knows to quit searching.

no one is going to have to search ill be at my boat and my boat will be securely anchored. Im tethered to my boat on a shot or reel at all times. I look on wandering off aimlessly alone underwater as courting disaster.

 

[Dan]

New article from Undercurrent about DSMB:
Sending Your Sausage Safely: Undercurrent 04/2018

 

[divinh]

I've taken the Dive Alert inline-inflator whistle to the pool twice now and it's always water-logged after. Water seems to get trapped inside. I'm wondering how much salt water will get inside and if there are any internal parts that will eventually corrode.

 

[Dan]

I've taken the Dive Alert inline-inflator whistle to the pool twice now and it's always water-logged after. Water seems to get trapped inside. I'm wondering how much salt water will get inside and if there are any internal parts that will eventually corrode.

Which version is yours? My old one leaked & caput after 2 years. Well, it’s partly my fault for not rinsing it thoroughly by the end of the diving day.

I bought the version 2 that can quack underwater & has on / off switch to prevent from pressing the alert button accidentally. I haven’t use it, yet. However, I’ll make an effort to rinse it thoroughly by the end of each diving days. Time will tell for how long this version 2 will last.

 

[divinh]

Which version is yours? My old one leaked & caput after 2 years. Well, it’s partly my fault for not rinsing it thoroughly by the end of the diving day.

I bought the version 2 that can quack underwater & has on / off switch to prevent from pressing the alert button accidentally. I haven’t use it, yet. However, I’ll make an effort to rinse it thoroughly by the end of each diving days. Time will tell for how long this version 2 will last.

It's the updated version, with round button instead of square button, but without the underwater quack or on/off switch. I've been rinsing mine after the pool sessions, but water gets trapped inside.

 

[Dan]

It's the updated version, with round button instead of square button, but without the underwater quack or on/off switch. I've been rinsing mine after the pool sessions, but water gets trapped inside.

Doesn’t sound good. You may have bad seal.

After I learned what happened to my old one, Initially I just want to put the version 2 in a waterproof pouch & install it when I need to use it (hoping I would never need to use it). Then, I kept adding safety devices to my BCD pockets & finally decided to install it, as I may need it to use it underwater too. I figure I’ll keep testing it during checkout dive & rinsing it by the end of each diving day to see how long this version 2 would last. If it goes caput one day, I just get another one since it doesn’t cost that much.

 

[divinh]

Doesn’t sound good. You may have bad seal.

After I learned what happened to my old one, Initially I just want to put the version 2 in a waterproof pouch & install it when I need to use it (hoping I would never need to use it). Then, I kept adding safety devices to my BCD pockets & finally decided to install it, as I may need it to use it underwater too. I figure I’ll keep testing it during checkout dive & rinsing it by the end of each diving day to see how long this version 2 would last. If it goes caput one day, I just get another one since it doesn’t cost that much.

That's the thing I'm hoping to find out... if it's common for the Dive Alert to be water logged and it'll eventually corrode.

As far as post installation when you need it, I found it's not so easy to disconnect the inflator hose once pressurized, which may mean turning off the air and purging before installing, which may not be ideal in an emergency situation.

 

[rjack321]

To activate PLB1, after pressing the ON key, the green LED light will flash once during 5 seconds while GPS is turned on and obtaining a fix. Once the fix is obtained, the green LED will flash quickly 3 times. Afterwards repeating alert sequence of 406 & 121.5 MHz transmission begins. I would imagine by repeating this PLB1 activation 18-19 times a day would not last my PLB1 battery life to 3 days.

Besides wasting the activation energy, you would be alerting the SAR Rescue Center every time you activate the PLB and the repetition of 18-19 activations / day might be received as false alert. Apparently PLB false alert transmission is pretty common to the point of NOAA posting a webpage to educate PLB owners on how to avoid sending false alert, NOAA - Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking - Prevent False Alerts

“The following are some suggestions on how you (yes, you) can prevent false alerts. By doing so, you will increase the effectiveness of the very system your life may someday rely on! We can not stress the importance of this enough. Responding to the false alerts can cause large delays in responding to real emergencies. Unnecessary deployments also put the lives of search and rescue personnel at risk. Although Cospas-Sarsat is a high-tech, automated system, large volumes of false alerts can cost valuable minutes to people in real distress. Every little bit does help! So please, read the recommendations below and follow them. Above all, use common sense.

FOR PLB’s:

• Always test your PLB in strict accordance with manufacturers’ recommendations. Most PLB activation switches have a test position. This test position allows the entire unit (electronics, battery and antenna) to be tested without generating a false alert.

• Ensure that your beacon is registered with NOAA. This does nothing to reduce false alert rates, but does have a dramatic effect on the impact of a false alert. If the PLB is properly registered, the situation will be resolved with a phone call most of the time. It will also help speed rescue in an actual distress. It's free, easy, and it's the law, so please register all of your beacons.

• Maintain your PLB. Ensure that the batteries are within their expiration date and that all manufacturer recommendations are followed.”

MRG battery life may not be a problem. According to Ryan of Nautilus Lifeline, the batteriy should last quite a bit longer than one day. Assuming a full battery, the Nautilus GPS can continue transmitting the distress signal up to 80-90 hours. I do have spare CR123 Lithium batteries in my waterproof safety kit pouch anyway.

This may have been corrected later in this thread... Once you activate your PLB (not a test) it continues to transmit your position periodically - usually relayed through the NOAA facility in Virginia. Frequency of 406 MHz pings to the satellite will depend on the model. Keep the antenna deployed and vertical to assist this. Do not turn it off to "save the battery" since it is also transmitting on the 121.5 MHz homing frequency and a helicopter you may not see or hear could be using that signal to home in on you at that time. Turning it off to save the battery defeats that signal.

The battery test protocol is not something you do more than at most monthly - perhaps before a big trip while at home next to your registered contact numbers in case you do inadvertently trigger an alert.

Nautilus ceased making the VHF version of the lifeline because those frequencies were never intended for non-marine use - and they only transmitted on one frequency which is no longer allowed. If you still have one they are really only good for the "we can see the boat but they can't see us scenario" anyway. You can carry a tiny marine VHF in a canister instead. Like the icon m24 M24 VHF Marine Transceiver - Specifications - Icom America

The new Nautilus AIS function is actually misleading to me because so few dive boats actually have AIS at all. So its not functional to activate global SAR like a PLB and not necessarily useful to even notify the dive boat you can see but can't see you. I think those are a false sense

Two last comments, the dive-alerts are totally useless. You cant hear them any further than a whistle - which is already fairly short range over any kind of boat engine noise. Lastly fluorescein dye is harmless.

 

[Dan]

This may have been corrected later in this thread... Once you activate your PLB (not a test) it continues to transmit your position periodically - usually relayed through the NOAA facility in Virginia. Frequency of 406 MHz pings to the satellite will depend on the model. Keep the antenna deployed and vertical to assist this. Do not turn it off to "save the battery" since it is also transmitting on the 121.5 MHz homing frequency and a helicopter you may not see or hear could be using that signal to home in on you at that time. Turning it off to save the battery defeats that signal.

The battery test protocol is not something you do more than at most monthly - perhaps before a big trip while at home next to your registered contact numbers in case you do inadvertently trigger an alert.

Nautilus ceased making the VHF version of the lifeline because those frequencies were never intended for non-marine use - and they only transmitted on one frequency which is no longer allowed. If you still have one they are really only good for the "we can see the boat but they can't see us scenario" anyway. You can carry a tiny marine VHF in a canister instead. Like the icon m24 M24 VHF Marine Transceiver - Specifications - Icom America

The new Nautilus AIS function is actually misleading to me because so few dive boats actually have AIS at all. So its not functional to activate global SAR like a PLB and not necessarily useful to even notify the dive boat you can see but can't see you. I think those are a false sense

Two last comments, the dive-alerts are totally useless. You cant hear them any further than a whistle - which is already fairly short range over any kind of boat engine noise. Lastly fluorescein dye is harmless.

I talked to Ryan Sawatsky of Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS: Official Website via Live Chat and emails about the new version of Nautilus, called Marine Rescue GPS (MRG). According to him, it will still be sending out distress signal in VHF range (156-174 MHz) via DSC (156.525 MHz) & AIS (161.975 and 162.025 MHz) with MID code, similar to MMSI code, where the first 3 digits being of MID are 972, the code for MOB (Man-Over-Board). The alert signal goes out with GPS longitude & latitude coordinates of the distress signal.

The differences between the old generation Nautilus Lifeline (NLL) and MRG are:
1. NLL is 2x bigger than MRG
2. NLL has built-in VHF 2-way radio. MRG has no VHF 2-way radio.
3. NLL has built-in USB rechargeable battery. MRG does not come with batteries. You need to buy & install two CR123 3V Lithium batteries
4. NLL will send out VHF distress signal via DSC with GPS. MRG will send out VHF distress signal via both DSC & AIS + GPS longitude & latitude coordinates.

AIS in liveaboards is more common than what you think.

I was on La Galigo (Raja Ampat, Indonesia) last November. They have AIS.

I was on Palau Aggressor II last December, where they have, not only AIS, but also lend MRG to their guests free of charge (FOC).

This coming December I’ll be in Maldives Aggressor II. They will also lend MRG to their guests FOC.

I’ll be on Nautilus Under Sea (Socorro, Mexico) in late December this year. They’ll lend the MRG to their guests obviously.

I’ll be on Blue Manta (Ring Of Fire, Indonesia) in September 2019. They have AIS.

Ferox (Malpelo, Colombia) has AIS. They lend McMurdo S10 PAB (Personal AIS Beacon) to their guests.

Would you think all of these six liveaboards investing lots of money on AIS & PAB to create a false sense on their guests?

I was on Mike Ball’s Spoilsport (GBR) in November 2016, which at least has DSC since they lend NLL to their guests. So did Galápagos Master in December 2016. I’ll be on Argo (Cocos, Costa Rica) in September this year & they’ll lend NLL to their guests.

 

[CuzzA]

no one is going to have to search ill be at my boat and my boat will be securely anchored. Im tethered to my boat on a shot or reel at all times. I look on wandering off aimlessly alone underwater as courting disaster.

And so is your vessel equipped with an EPIRB? You know, in case you have a through hull fitting fail. Do you have any seacocks? When's the last time you turned them?