Has anyone successfully used a Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS nexGen in rough waters?

[TT_Vert]

The more I think about this the more I feel this isn't going to be very useful. It's 1W and uses VHF which is line of site. In perfect conditions they say rescue range is 34 miles. I have to assume this is a radius and means 17 miles each direction in perfect conditions which you will likely never see when it's needed. With that said, with 1'+ waves I feel you've diminished range significantly. I feel range is could be reduces to less than 1nm unless I am able to get ABOVE the waves (Not likely). I would love to hear your stories of using these successfully to get rescued and at what distance do you think the rescue craft was?
Opinions and also success story's to make me feel better please

BTW, I carry a ResQlink and my wife carries the nautilus.

Dave

 

[tursiops]

uses UHF which is line of site

It uses VHF, which is slightly better than line-of-sight.

In perfect conditions they say rescue range is 34 miles.

What they actually say is:
"The range of the LifeLine depends on environmental conditions, how high it is held, and the height of the receiving antenna. At sea level, the range to a skiff can reach up to 5.5 miles (~9 km). The maximum demonstrated range is 34 miles (~55 km), achieved when transmitting to a hilltop Canadian Coast Guard transceiver."

I have to assume this is a radius and means 17 miles each direction in perfect conditions which you will likely never see when it's needed

No. See above.

With some saying range is reduced SIGNIFICANLY (Less than 1nm) unless you are able to get ABOVE the waves.

The usual line-of-sight range formula to the horizon is 1.23 x (root(h1) + root(h2)) in n.miles, where h1 and h2 are the height in feet of the transmitting and the receiving antennas. So for h1 = (say) 50 ft on a liveaboard, and h2 = 0, the range is about 8.7 n.miles. Even if the receiver is on a dingy the antenna is still maybe 6 ft above the water, so you get maybe 3 n.miles. Yes, being down in the trough of a wave does not help, but if there are waves you are also sometimes at the crest, which helps a lot.

The Nautilus is MUCH better than a DSMB or waving your hand.

 

[TT_Vert]

It uses VHF, which is slightly better than line-of-sight.

What they actually say is:
"The range of the LifeLine depends on environmental conditions, how high it is held, and the height of the receiving antenna. At sea level, the range to a skiff can reach up to 5.5 miles (~9 km). The maximum demonstrated range is 34 miles (~55 km), achieved when transmitting to a hilltop Canadian Coast Guard transceiver."

No. See above.

The usual line-of-sight range formula to the horizon is 1.23 x (root(h1) + root(h2)) in n.miles, where h1 and h2 are the height in feet of the transmitting and the receiving antennas. So for h1 = (say) 50 ft on a liveaboard, and h2 = 0, the range is about 8.7 n.miles. Even if the receiver is on a dingy the antenna is still maybe 6 ft above the water, so you get maybe 3 n.miles. Yes, being down in the trough of a wave does not help, but if there are waves you are also sometimes at the crest, which helps a lot.

The Nautilus is MUCH better than a DSMB or waving your hand.

Thanks for the specs. Not sure where you found better details but I was going by what Nautilus advertised on scubaboard. No doubt it's better but I would love to know if anyone has actually successfully used one. I will correct the frequency bands in my post.

 

[tursiops]

Thanks for the specs. Not sure where you found better details but I was going by what Nautilus advertised on scubaboard. No doubt it's better but I would love to know if anyone has actually successfully used one. I will correct the frequency bands in my post.

View attachment 918187

It wasn't hard info to find. Go to the Nautilus website.

 

[TT_Vert]

It wasn't hard info to find. Go to the Nautilus website.

Their site is confusing at best. Is the Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS the same as the Marine Rescue GPS nexGen? If not, what is the difference? If so, why different names? What you quoted is for the Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS which looks different than the Marine Rescue GPS nexGen as shown below. Different names printed on them also

Nautilus GPS Features and Specifications - Nautilus LifeLine

The Nautilus GPS has a number of features to the benefit of anyone on the water! It's more than a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon). It's a LifeLine!

www.nautiluslifeline.com

This is what their amazon store shows.

 

[tursiops]

Is the Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS the same as the Marine Rescue GPS nexGen? If not, what is the difference?

There have been three Nautilus Lifelines.

The first generation had a vhf voice radio and DSC but ran afoul of some FCC regulations and was big and bulky. The next generation was the Rescue, small, with AIS and DSC but no VHF voice channels. The next (3rd) gen is similar to the Rescue but improved: faster GPS acquisition and increased GPS accuracy, better battery life, and some component improvements. Nautilus says:

Electronic components
​

Upgraded to state-of-the-art electronic components.​

​

GPS acquisition time
​

Locks on 40% faster, now acquiring GPS in just 25-40 seconds.​

​

GPS accuracy
​

GPS accuracy has improved by over 60%, now providing pinpoint precision of less than 1 meter. Even in poor weather conditions, nexGen offers much better accuracy.​

​

Battery life when transmitting
​

Battery life has increased nearly fourfold, now offering up to 100 hours of transmit time with full batteries.​

​

Improved range at sea level
​

Range depends on how high the antenna is held, but nexGen's range, even at sea level, has increased significantly, now reaching up to 5.5 miles.​

I do not know where you intend to use the Lifeline, but Nautilus says DSC is not allowed in Canada nor Europe, and some European countries have an issue with some of the next gen functions except in a verifiable emergency. Most of the specs and features and restriction can be found at Nautilus GPS Features and Specifications - Nautilus LifeLine.

 

[TT_Vert]

Ok thanks. If anyone cares, amazon has a 40% off sale going on on these right now. $148
Do you know if you enter an MSSI # for your boat if it'll still broadcast to all other boats in the area? I read this.

• Input your boat's MMSI number: if available, or leave it blank for the international setting to broadcast to all vessels. ""

which makes me feel it doesn't but I have to assume I'm wrong in this interpretation. Perhaps there is a second button just to broadcast to the boat?


Still would like to hear from anyone who actually had to use one of these and it worked for them.

Dave

 

[tursiops]

Ok thanks. If anyone cares, amazon has a 40% off sale going on on these right now. $148
Do you know if you enter an MSSI # for your boat if it'll still broadcast to all other boats in the area? I read this.

• Input your boat's MMSI number: if available, or leave it blank for the international setting to broadcast to all vessels. ""

which makes me feel it doesn't but I have to assume I'm wrong in this interpretation. Perhaps there is a second button just to broadcast to the boat?


Still would like to hear from anyone who actually had to use one of these and it worked for them.

Dave

Look at

Functionality and Compliance​

at the bottom of the last link in my previous message.

 

[TT_Vert]

Look at

Functionality and Compliance​

at the bottom of the last link in my previous message.

I can only find the 2nd gen manual on their site, not the next gen, any idea if they are the same?

Would it be safe to assume that if you are not in the US, Europe or Canada that international functionality applies?

 

[tursiops]

The manual is the same. None of the next gen improvements affect the manual.
Your questions are answered on page 7 of the manual; you tell it what region you are in.