PLBs Can Save Your Life

[Dan]

Around Cozumel with plenty of boat with marine VHF radio, having PAB such as this Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS - Free to use, Diver Rated to 425 ft. | Nautilus LifeLine probably good enough compare to PLB. You don't need case for it, as it is waterproof down to 425 ft. Once you are lost at sea, just open the cap and press the red button. It will send distress signal to VHF radio channel 16 & to AIS receiver plus GPS location where you are floating.

 

[letterboy]

True, but the costs do discourage some or we'd all have one from our first dive trip. So we're getting the costs down some.

BTW, the 5 or 6 battery service is only a little over $100 if you shop around. Chickenfeed.

I fully agree the cost keeps people from purchasing them.

Which is why I mentioned using the reflective panels etc.

I tell the guys at work yeah, it's really uncomfortable to wear some of your PPE, but imagine how much more uncomfortable death is.

Same concept here. I'm not advocating everyone needs one, but that everyone needs to be able to signal and or survive floating for at least a day.

Does that make sense?

 

[Steelyeyes]

Works for $100 less. Looks stupid, but works.


Why would I want that, much less for $50 more?


Generally. I have rolled vehicles with & without seat belts, survived both, but suggest with.


Yeah, and I doubt that most Cozumel boats receive its gps signal. My PLB can do a test to see if the satellites pick it up, and it works within two minutes.

Nautilus Marine GPS broadcasts your GPS coordinates and a man overboard emergency signal via AIS, a radio system required by international maritime law on every vessel over 300 gross tons or that carries passengers. It's range is approximately 34 miles. I just went to the vessel tracker site and zoomed in on the vessels displaying their location via AIS and there is 8 or so just between Cozumel and the mainland, the farther north you travel the more you can see. This is a real time display and if you hover over a vessel symbol you can usually see it's name and intended destination. Even if the battery lasts only 24 hours you'd be in range of a couple dozen vessels in that time.

It's an interesting site.

MarineTraffic: Global Ship Tracking Intelligence | AIS Marine Traffic

 

[tursiops]

It's range is approximately 34 miles.

I think that range is for two highly elevated antennas....the signal itself is still only slightly better than line-of-sight. A diver at sea level has much less range...2-3 miles would be exceptional between a diver and an antenna on a dive boat. For an antenna at 100 ft height (not your average dive boat!), the range to the horizon is only about 12 miles, so the radio range at AIS frequencies (VHF) would be slightly better than that.

 

[DandyDon]

Once you are lost at sea, just open the cap and press the red button. It will send distress signal to VHF radio channel 16 & to AIS receiver plus GPS location where you are floating.

Yeah, yeah - one-watt that might reach 34 miles on a good day, there might be a qualifying ship in range. It's worth a try. My five-watt PLB always hits the satellites, and NOAA is always on call. I think tursiops is right as you'd only hit the ships you could see.

Nautilus Marine GPS broadcasts your GPS coordinates and a man overboard emergency signal via AIS, a radio system required by international maritime law on every vessel over 300 gross tons or that carries passengers. It's range is approximately 34 miles. I just went to the vessel tracker site and zoomed in on the vessels displaying their location via AIS and there is 8 or so just between Cozumel and the mainland, the farther north you travel the more you can see. This is a real time display and if you hover over a vessel symbol you can usually see it's name and intended destination. Even if the battery lasts only 24 hours you'd be in range of a couple dozen vessels in that time.

It's an interesting site.

MarineTraffic: Global Ship Tracking Intelligence | AIS Marine Traffic

 

[MaxE]

The one I don't care for is the only one I have....but I've ordered the one from Custom Divers. We'll see.

Can you share a link?

 

[letterboy]

I think that range is for two highly elevated antennas....the signal itself is still only slightly better than line-of-sight. A diver at sea level has much less range...2-3 miles would be exceptional between a diver and an antenna on a dive boat. For an antenna at 100 ft height (not your average dive boat!), the range to the horizon is only about 12 miles, so the radio range at AIS frequencies (VHF) would be slightly better than that.

I was sitting here wondering if 9ne of those baofang Chinese handheld radios would be a "better" solution. They are what 50 or 60 bucks?

Goes to see what frequencies they work on....

Looks like it covers the marine radio bands as well as the uv-5x is "waterproof" so it would need to live in a dry case until needed... But could give you two comms if needed...

 

[tursiops]

Can you share a link?

Post #36.

 

[FF / EMT]

Here are my signaling devices I carry in my BCD pockets when I dive in bluewater with known current.

View attachment 510603

Cool pictures, other than the DSMb and the reel, can you tell the class what you brought for show and tell?


Also fwiw, everything has limitations, plbs, Epirbs whatever you want to call them, take batteries, batteries don’t last forever, batteries corrode.

Marker dye works great in the daytime when it’s clear out and there’s someone close by looking.

Dsmb
Works great in small chop, but large chop no bueno.

1 watt radio at 34 miles, maybe 5 feet off the surface, what about at the surface?

On every dive, other than some public safety dives, I bring a glow stick, secondary torch and a dsmb w/ reel and knife and shears. For some reason, the dsmb doesn’t do well under the ice...

 

[CWK]

Does anyone know anything about the following plb? It mentions 300m ...

Crewsafe V200