Rescue aids

[Ron Lee]

cvchief, lots of info on the 406 MHZ beacon system are here:

NOAA - Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking - Emergency Beacons

It would be nice to hear from a SAR smart person if the system works as designed in Mexico. I would assume that it does but would like confirmation.

One useful diagram is below. My smart opinion: get a PLB or similar beacon with GPS. That way your position is transmitted to SAR assets. From the NOAA site:

"There is a significant advantage with a GEOSAR satellite detection of a beacon with encoded location. Here’s how it works: specially made emergency beacons determine their location using a GPS receiver that is either integrated into the beacon (called a location protocol beacon) or fed by an external GPS receiver. This accurate location information (generally around a football field in size for positional accuracy) is then encoded into the 406 MHz signal that is transmitted by the beacon. The USMCC then receives that signal with the location and notifies the RCC accordingly. This information can often be derived in a matter of minutes! Since every second counts in reaching the scene of a distress this means that there is an increased chance of survival."

Editorial: Your GPS provided position may be close to 30 feet or so. Regardless, the rescuers can go directly to your location....no time-consuming search needed.

http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/sys-diag.html

 

[DandyDon]

Edit: I was posting while oerentals was. Hello! How did you find me on this thread...?

You'll need a case for any PLB for taking it diving.

If anybody is interested the smallest PLB right now is this one, it's freak'n tiny! About the size of a cigarette pack but with no limitation on features. Weighs 4 oz.

AND get this - you can buy it at SEARS for about $250!!!!!

Ocean Navigator | The magazine for long-distance offshore sailing and power voyaging


Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more

I found you your new PLB, now somebody find us a case that is waterproof to 130 ft please.

I'm going to be buying 2 of these before our next dive trip, unless somebody knows of one better. For $250.00 that's next to nothing for the safety factor having one of these will give me. As far as I can tell this unit has every feature you could want, it operates off the right satelites, it sends out GPS signals to the rescuers once they get closer so they can pin point you, it has a built in strobe and you can self test it to your smart phone.

That one is also available to rent: $25 for 7 days plus shipping. They deliver is a couple days before your trip and allow you a couple days after return to ship back. See ACR ResQlink Rental

Or buy one and take it everywhere. Seems like every week we read about searchers looking for lost travelers, hikers, hunters, mushroom gathers, etc. A family found with their dog recently admitted that they were getting ready to eat the dog. I can see the appeal for one that can be used on any trip and all Rescue agencies, not just radio a boat. Hell, I carry my Pocket CO monitor in my car and have carried it into many restaurants and meeting places.

Now, while this is smaller, I wonder how good it is while you are floating at sea? One wave and dead? And the other one floats.

Hey Cenote glad you got what ever it was cleared up. BTW how do you people know he didn't forget his user id or some other thing and they let him create another account? Here we go with the personal attacks again.

That would be because when I asked him about being new here, he said no - but he wanted to post on an anonymous ID rather than his usual one. If the Mods are happy tho, ok - fine. With no profile info or history, he's an unknown source like you still, but words are words.

Speaking of personal attacks the mods said to stay on subject so stop trying to draw me into an argument.

Sorry, some of us thought you were the one drawing.

I am not personally attacking this op or the island or anyone else and I am really sick of people accusing me or others of doing so. As I said before I am tired of posters standing behind any business who so obviously has very questionable business practices and who IMO endangers people's lives.

Sure seems that way. If what you mean is different from how you seem to many, then you might want to change something. I have omitted the part that seemed otherwise in that post and will ignore it in the desire for peace.

 

[Ron Lee]

Don, oerantals can correct me if I am wrong, but if a PLB is waterproof to the values shown below and is buoyant, I would not worry about a wave ruining the unit:

"16.40 ft (5 m) @ 1 hr., 33 ft (10 m) @ 10 min. Factory tested @ 70°F, exceeds RTCM waterproof requirements"

Source:

Personal Locator Beacon Comparison Chart / Cobham - Beacon Solutions

 

[oerentals]

Thanks for the info. Could you tell me how tripping the thing would work in Mexican waters? Like from me floating on the water, where does the signal go and who gets it?(And of course DD emailed you..... )

Here is some further info on the PLB process: A PLB is just an EPRIB, just smaller and portable.Each PLB is registered with the country of orgin's relevant authoristy, in the case of the US its the NOAA. There is also an international registry Cospas-Sarsat for registering internationally (there are a handful of countries that don't participate, and must be registered individually. When a PLB is activated it sends a satellite and radio signal that is picked up by a series of low and high earth orbit satellites as well as ground radio receivers. These recognize the unique registered id of the PLB as well as calculate approx location and automatcially alert the appropriate S&R. So where you are depends on who exactly gets it. In the US, the NOAA would receive, see about where you are and alert as appropriate (Coast Guard near Maine, near California, S&R near Mt. Ranier, etc). Same applies for another country.Our rental process - our PLB's are registred with the NOAA our company as owners. When we rent one, we gather contact info (emerg contact, name, phone, etc) which we update the NOAA online registration secondary contact info section with your info, so that they know who you are and who your emergency contact is. If you are travelling internationally we would do the same with Cospas-Sarsat as well.

 

[oerentals]

Edit: I was posting while oerentals was. Hello! How did you find me on this thread...? That one is also available to rent: $25 for 7 days plus shipping. They deliver is a couple days before your trip and allow you a couple days after return to ship back. See ACR ResQlink Rental

Funny thing that! I got your email this morning, and since I hadn't thought of them for diving did some googling to see if anyone else was using them for that. Brought me to this thread and I saw your post with a link to my site!!

 

[DandyDon]

Don, oerantals can correct me if I am wrong, but if a PLB is waterproof to the values shown below and is buoyant, I would not worry about a wave ruining the unit:

"16.40 ft (5 m) @ 1 hr., 33 ft (10 m) @ 10 min. Factory tested @ 70°F, exceeds RTCM waterproof requirements"

Source:

Personal Locator Beacon Comparison Chart / Cobham - Beacon Solutions

So are both rental units waterproof, but the larger one also floats...?

 

[oerentals]

Don, oerantals can correct me if I am wrong, but if a PLB is waterproof to the values shown below and is buoyant, I would not worry about a wave ruining the unit:"16.40 ft (5 m) @ 1 hr., 33 ft (10 m) @ 10 min. Factory tested @ 70°F, exceeds RTCM waterproof requirements"Source:Personal Locator Beacon Comparison Chart / Cobham - Beacon Solutions

That is correct. These are waterproof, can be submerged, etc, just not intended for great depths or pressure really. The are made to be able to fall in the water, etc. The ResQlink is virtually the same as the Aqualink, except the Aqualink floats, while the ResQlink does not, and is much much smaller and lighter. ACR recently released a floating version of the ResQlink as well, that is only slightly larger/heavier. I'm thinking we may start stocking those instead of the Aqualink in the future.

 

[DandyDon]

That is correct. These are waterproof, can be submerged, etc, just not intended for great depths or pressure really. The are made to be able to fall in the water, etc. The ResQlink is virtually the same as the Aqualink, except the Aqualink floats, while the ResQlink does not, and is much much smaller and lighter. ACR recently released a floating version of the ResQlink as well, that is only slightly larger/heavier. I'm thinking we may start stocking those instead of the Aqualink in the future.

Since you are agreeable to renting the canisters, what about also renting the Nautalis unit that is approved for diving?

 

[oerentals]

So are both rental units waterproof, but the larger one also floats...?

Correct. The Aqualink also comes with a belt clip/holster thing and has a slightly higher rated activated battery life (35 vs 30 hours)

 

[oerentals]

Since you are agreeable to renting the canisters, what about also renting the Nautalis unit that is approved for diving?

I would surely be interested, provided there is enough of a market. This business is pretty new, and I am adding items and inventory as demand and funding is appropriate. If there is enough of a market for canisters or Nautalis rentals I would love to add them to our selection.