Best signalling equipment from the searchers point of view

[danpass]

Any idea what the depth rating might be on items like ACR PLBs? On pyrotechnics? How about the strobes like ACR and Streamlight?

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I didn't read this entire thread.......but just curious if you as a rescue pilot monitor emergency VHF channels when searching.... Reason I ask is that I have and carry a Nautilus Lifeline (older model with VHF).. Thanks

 

[Jafo19D]

Here is a very good observation by a friend and instructor about the color of your signal mirror and why it should be something other than silver mirrored ...
"... If you can find one of the mirrors with a red reflective side grab it. In my solo class and the solo classes I taught after that I required them. The reasoning behind this is that there are lots of natural white reflections on the water. Red is rarely natural and attracts more attention."



and

COMMout Signal Mirror Suite | eBay

Communications are impractical. All of the colored mirrors are useful for signaling aircraft. The mirror suite will withstand harsh weather conditions, combat and various temperatures. and green – are used.

www.ebay.com

I thought red light wasn’t as visible. In the Army we used red light at night to avoid giving away our position.

 

[kinoons]

My understanding was more that red light at night is used to preserve night vision when the red light gets turned off.

 

[D_B]

I would think that with the power of sun behind it, red reflector would be plenty bright and easily seen during the daytime, and would certainly stand out in a sea of silver reflections ... using it to reflect a light at night might be less visible, that part I am unsure of

 

[Johnoly]

.. as a rescue pilot monitor emergency VHF channels when searching....

I can tell you that as of 2018, all ocean near shore US coast guard radio stations both scan & record every marine VHF channel transmission and hold it for ~30 days. Not just 16/9. It's done for a number of reasons. Like immediate playback for critical location GPS numbers before loss of signal, criminal evidence, case review, triangulation signal strength, etc. This is for US ocean shorelines, not freshwater shorelines. They also are recording AIS history in just some places. And lastly they can request cell ping location for near shore also. USCG has invested heavily in technology in combination with the other branches of the armed forces. We see and talk to them at events/docks/ramps when diving.

 

[danpass]

How about Aviation frequencies? (AM band, 121.5MHz and so on)

 

[Tom Winters]

Years and years ago diving off Oahu with a bunch of military divers, I had trouble getting the outboard to start since the troops tended to over oil the fuel mixture. While I was tending to this, one of the helpful troops freed the anchor - we were anchored in 100' of water moving a little fast. Since it was dusk and I didn't want to spend the night drifting out to sea, I went forward to try to rehook.
Another helpful troop...this one a Marine , decided that he would get the motor started. He wound up and pulled the starter cord out of the engine, lost his balance, and I watched the cord arc out over the stern.
I went over the side against the current trying to grab that damn cord, but it had a head start and at 35', I couldn't catch up.
So we're sitting in this damn inflatable with a setting sun. I pulled out a signal mirror just for the hell of it and flashed it off into the setting sun.
Son of a gun, five minutes later, some guy comes roaring over the horizon out of nowhere and gives us a tow into the harbor.
Signal mirrors work, and an aircrew will pick up a flash like that easily even after they get eye-numbed from a SAR flight.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Any idea what the depth rating might be on items like ACR PLBs?

I have one. You need a canister for it.

 

[SoCalDiver1]

cool article thanks for sharing