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DryFob XL: Affordable Canister for PLB
- Thread starter tmassey
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Seems to me like it's about time for the PLB folks to make a diveable unit that uses the same basic very compact housing system as the Nautilus Lifeline... Or...... that the Nautilus folks start making their own PLB as an option to their current Lifeline.
They should at least easily be able to make a simple hard cover over the primary distress button so that soft cases cannot inadvertently "pressure press" the button...
Just seems like the Lifeline has the overall right idea.....but they just need an actual Satellite option like the PLB's.
I really like the Lifeline. It's never flooded, it's very compact, it floats and everything is tethered so no real chance of losing anything. Mine is the older model with the VHF radio.
They should at least easily be able to make a simple hard cover over the primary distress button so that soft cases cannot inadvertently "pressure press" the button...
Just seems like the Lifeline has the overall right idea.....but they just need an actual Satellite option like the PLB's.
I really like the Lifeline. It's never flooded, it's very compact, it floats and everything is tethered so no real chance of losing anything. Mine is the older model with the VHF radio.
lairdb
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(We've hashed out the differences between PLBs and satcomm devices elsewhere; let's not do that here, please.)
@Jaan I'd be interested in fit checks for some of the satellite communicators -- e.g. Zoleo, ACR BivyStick, the new Motorola Defy, etc. Though they aren't PLBs, people have these for other uses already, or are shopping for something multi-mission.
(I threw your dimensions up in CAD; some seem straightforward, some will require actual fit checks. The Defy looks like an easy fit in the XL, with a ton of room. The Zoleo looks to be just a millimeter too big -- but the official Zoleo measurements are squared off, and as a practical matter, it has some taper and some corner radius, so it might juuuuust fit. The BivyStick might actually fit in your L cannister.)
That’s great @lairdb, we know some ship captains using marine radios in the XL also.
Did a quick check myself and the Zoleo at 66mm x 27mm does look to be a bit big suggesting a 71.31 diameter requirement if square. It does seem to have rounded corners which makes a big difference.
Assuming there are a couple of MM rounding of the corners it would fit in a 68mm diameter fitting easily in the XL giving it 2mm to spare. From the pictures that even looks quite likely.
The Bivy is also a little too big for the L but an easy fit in the XL.
I’ll see what I can do about expanding the list in the FAQ with a radio section too. Would love to hear from others that have used the XL for radios. Anyone have a Zoleo? Feel free to DM me directly or write back on the forum here too.
Did a quick check myself and the Zoleo at 66mm x 27mm does look to be a bit big suggesting a 71.31 diameter requirement if square. It does seem to have rounded corners which makes a big difference.
Assuming there are a couple of MM rounding of the corners it would fit in a 68mm diameter fitting easily in the XL giving it 2mm to spare. From the pictures that even looks quite likely.
The Bivy is also a little too big for the L but an easy fit in the XL.
I’ll see what I can do about expanding the list in the FAQ with a radio section too. Would love to hear from others that have used the XL for radios. Anyone have a Zoleo? Feel free to DM me directly or write back on the forum here too.
We've also had interest from some of the Inreach messenger users, and even rugged flip phone users. Cool. I know there is a lot of discussion about the suitability of various devices in diving emergencies (and would prefer not to replicate that in this thread) but I did want to post that we've updated the FAQ to include some of the devices people have been using in their DRYFOB-XLs.
The DRYFOB-XLs interior measures 4.80″ (122 mm) height and 2.75″ (70 mm) diameter:
PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) that fit in the DRYFOB-XL
- ACR ResQLink (Various Models) 4.25 x 2.03 x 1.49 inches
- ACR PLB-375 ResQLink 3.9 x 1.9 x 1.3 inches
- ACR Artex 3 x 2.1 x 1.3 inches
- McMurdo PLB Fast Find 220 4.17 x 1.85 x 1.34 inches
- Micro PLB 4.75 x 2.3 x 1.1 inches
- PLB OCEAN SIGNAL PLB1 2 x 3 x 1.32 inches
- PLB Rescue Me 3 x 2.1 x 1.3 inches
Marine Radios / Satellite Communicators that fit in the DRYFOB-XL
- Horizon HX 40 marine radio 3.74″ x 2.05″ x 1.3″
- ZOLEO Satellite Communicator 3.58″ x 2.6″ x 1.06″
- Motorola defy satellite link 3.35″ x 2.45″ x .45″
- ACR BIVY global Satellite Communicator 4.47″ x 1.85″ x.83″
- Garmin Inreach Messenger 3.1″ x 2.5″ x 0.9″
- Garmin Inreach Mini2 3.9″ x 2.4″ x 1.03″
- Garmin Inreach Mini 4″ x 2″ x 1.3″
- Sonim XP3plus rugged flip phone 4.57″ x 2.36″ x 1.10″
- Kyocera Dura X2 Extreme flip phone 4.26″ x 2.22″ x 1.07″
Hey, some pretty cool news to share.
First off, DRYFOB-XLs are finally also available on Amazon in Red and Blue and enabled in international marketplaces. I know it has been a challenge for us to ship in a cost effective manner worldwide. As we continue to look for distributors, at least this is an economical/efficient way of getting an XL on Amazon internationally and getting it fast locally with Prime too.
The coolest news is that some deep reef researchers took our DRYFOB-XL down to 700 ft on a manned submersible. If anyone was worried about the 330 ft official rating, basically we had to specify a depth for the lab as a parameter so we picked 100m(330ft). Field tests such as these should inspire confidence that the limits are well beyond the rated limits.
First off, DRYFOB-XLs are finally also available on Amazon in Red and Blue and enabled in international marketplaces. I know it has been a challenge for us to ship in a cost effective manner worldwide. As we continue to look for distributors, at least this is an economical/efficient way of getting an XL on Amazon internationally and getting it fast locally with Prime too.
The coolest news is that some deep reef researchers took our DRYFOB-XL down to 700 ft on a manned submersible. If anyone was worried about the 330 ft official rating, basically we had to specify a depth for the lab as a parameter so we picked 100m(330ft). Field tests such as these should inspire confidence that the limits are well beyond the rated limits.
OP
tmassey
Contributor
Hey, that’s cool. The Amazon thing is probably the bigger deal, both for you and for prospective customers. But I’m much more curious about the canister on a DSV. Was that like a stunt to see if the canister would work, or is that some scientist needing to store something outside of the DSV and coming up with a cheap and clever solution that happened to include your canister?
Either way, really cool to see it in action way deeper than I will ever, ever dive.
Still waiting for a size in between key fob and prepper disaster storage size.
Thanks for that, yes, some rather prestigious research teams are collaborating on reef repopulation monitoring and purchased a dozen to use at depth for instruments. The work is not published yet so details are vague but it is indeed an economical way to provide a solution for custom electronics which we hope will allow existing funding to go further. Some more highlights here: I wasn't sure if this belonged more on a thread that might reach deep reef explorers/researchers .. if such a thread existed here.I’m much more curious about the canister on a DSV. Was that like a stunt to see if the canister would work, or is that some scientist needing to store something outside of the DSV and coming up with a cheap and clever solution that happened to include your canister?
How DRYFOB-XL Is Being Used to Help Monitor the Repopulation of Deep-Water Reefs - DRYFOB
Our DRYFOB-XLs are keeping good company! We are honored to see our DRYFOB-XL waterproof containers being used in a deep reef research project with the Yang Center at the Cornell Lab and the Smithsonian DROP project and Curaçao Sea Aquarium and Substation. The goal of the project was to set up...
dryfob.com
Please do DM me on that, we are working on other sizes activelyStill waiting for a size in between key fob and prepper disaster storage size.
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