Nautilus Lifeline Radio

[Dan]

Setting the MMSI just identifies the radio as belonging to you and tells folks who they're looking for. It won't discrimate when sending out an emergency signal and will in fact go to any boats in the area. Upon receiving the distress signal, the radios on board these boats will automatically switch to the international marine emergency radio channel, which is 16, and compatible radios will display your MMSI identifier and your GPS coordinates.

Thanks for the clarification. I feel much better about getting Nautilus Lifeline Marine Rescue GPS (MRG), the new generation of Nautilus Lifeline w/o 2-way radio now.

In the past I have been in liveaboards that loan MRGs to their guesses (SpoilSport in GBR, Galápagos Master in Galápagos, and Palau Aggressor II in Palau). I even contacted 3 other liveaboards that I’ll be on board this year (Argo in Cocos, Maldives Aggressor II in Maldives & Nautilus Under Sea in Socorro), they all would loan MRGs to their guests. So, this MRG would be the best option for the boats to locate their lost at sea guests.

I’ll still carry my own PLB1 as my last resort if the MRG fails to reach the liveaboard or any other boats in vicinity.

 

[Dogbowl]

Thanks for the clarification. I feel much better about getting MRG now.

@Dan_T , I think @ScubaSteve85 was referring to the first generation radio. You have the second generation Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS. What he said does not apply to your unit.

 

[Dan]

@Dan_T , I think @ScubaSteve85 was referring to the first generation radio. You have the second generation Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS. What he said does not apply to your unit.

Thanks for catching that.

 

[Dan]

I browsed over the MRG manual and confirmed what @Dogbowl said, below.

 

[Dan]

I still like the idea that those liveaboards care enough to their guests safety by issuing MRG free of charge to make sure that if their guests were lost at sea, they would be searched and rescued ASAP, while they were still within the VHF signal range.

 

[ScubaSteve85]

I browsed over the MRG manual and confirmed what @Dogbowl said, below.

View attachment 448364

Thanks for catching that! Yes, I was referencing the Gen 1 units. I wasn't aware they had put that limitation into the second gen. Another reason to buy a refurb gen 1 if you can!

 

[Dogbowl]

Thanks for catching that! Yes, I was referencing the Gen 1 units. I wasn't aware they had put that limitation into the second gen. Another reason to buy a refurb gen 1 if you can!

I don’t know if the 1st generation is better but some people think so, so I got a new 1st generation one for a very good price to play with and test out. There are still new 1st generations floating around some dive shops’ forgotten inventory.

 

[divinh]

I don’t know if the 1st generation is better but some people think so, so I got a new 1st generation one for a very good price to play with and test out. There are still new 1st generations floating around some dive shops’ forgotten inventory.

Were you the one that snagged the Body Glove version from eBay? I was eyeing it over the weekend, read the manual yesterday and returned to buy it last night, only to find it sold!

The liveaboard I signed up for doesn't have AIS or DSC, so I thought the best way I could contact them in an emergency would be via VHF. The main thing that concerned me about the 1st gen Lifeline was whether the radio channels were selectable on the device or whether you needed the laptop/USB combo to preset it. The manual says selectable on the device, so it would have been ideal. I'll keep a look-out for another reasonably priced one, but regarding the MRG...

I read that most modern VHF radios have DSC and since the liveaboard is a custom built boat that started operations in 2015, you would think they would have a fairly modern radio. My question is: Is it likely that they do have DSC and don't know it's there or not have it at all? (I did email them and ask about AIS and DSC and they said no, but I'm not 100% if they understood, which is why I question whether they know it's there.) If they do have a VHF with DSC, then wouldn't the MRG be enough? They would see the distress call with GPS coordinates, correct?

 

[Dan]

The old model (NLL) is a bit pain in the rear to me:
1. It’s huge like a brick.
2. It’s only use DSC, no AIS
3. USB connection is susceptible to leak.
4. Some liveaboards in Indonesia don’t even have DSC, nor AIS & rely more on cellphone / satellite phone for communication. Luckily I speak fluent Bahasa Indonesia. So, that is not my problem.
5. Rechargeable Li-ion batteries needs to be replaced every 2 years by OEM.

We don’t need to worry too much about the battery in new model (MRG). We just get a couple of CR123 Lithium batteries, stick them into the MRG and forget about it for 5 years or until when we need to launch it. Just like what I'll do with my PLB1.

I just need to be more selective in which liveaboards to go on in Indonesia. My plan is to:
1. Make sure that they have DSC & AIS (for my next trip there in September 2019, KM. Blue Manta have them).
2. Load the boat MMSI to the MRG.
3. Discuss about what to do with the boat crew in case of I’m lost at sea.
4. Launch the PLB1 as the last resort after a couple hours floating on the sea without any boat visible in the horizon.

Hopefully I’ll never be lost at sea, but it’s good to be prepared.

 

[Dogbowl]

Were you the one that snagged the Body Glove version from eBay? I was eyeing it over the weekend, read the manual yesterday and returned to buy it last night, only to find it sold!

The liveaboard I signed up for doesn't have AIS or DSC, so I thought the best way I could contact them in an emergency would be via VHF. The main thing that concerned me about the 1st gen Lifeline was whether the radio channels were selectable on the device or whether you needed the laptop/USB combo to preset it. The manual says selectable on the device, so it would have been ideal. I'll keep a look-out for another reasonably priced one, but regarding the MRG...

I read that most modern VHF radios have DSC and since the liveaboard is a custom built boat that started operations in 2015, you would think they would have a fairly modern radio. My question is: Is it likely that they do have DSC and don't know it's there or not have it at all? (I did email them and ask about AIS and DSC and they said no, but I'm not 100% if they understood, which is why I question whether they know it's there.) If they do have a VHF with DSC, then wouldn't the MRG be enough? They would see the distress call with GPS coordinates, correct?

Hahaha, no that wasn’t me. I got mine locally. Apparently, they’re still sought after by some people, so if one’s for sale, grab it while you can!

As to your last question, yes, that is my understanding. If the ship is equipped with VHF and either DSC or AIS, the 2nd generation MRG would be compatible. Having said that, since this is your life we’re talking about, I’d suggest you contact Nautilus to confirm.

With respect to getting answers about what technology they have on the ship, I too had some trouble getting a clear answer at first. I don’t know which liveaboard you’re going on, but mine is the Belize Aggressor IV. I first emailed head office and got one answer, which later turned out to be “somewhat” incorrect. At the time, I was considering the 2nd generation MRG, so wanted to know the ship’s MMSI, but that person from head office either didn’t want to give it to me or was not familiar with what I was talking about. I suspect the latter. I persisted and later got back an email from Larry Speaker (Vice President, Operations), who did provide me with the MMSI and corrected the first answer I was given. He also advised not to enter the MMSI because he didn’t think delaying a distress call by 30 minutes was a smart move, which I now agree with. At the end, I did get the correct answer from someone who knew the ship, but it wasn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be!

After all that, I chose to buy the 1st generation radio, and will be renting another one for my husband from the ship. The reason why I chose the 1st generation is for several reasons: my liveaboard and captain is familiar with the 1st generation but not the 2nd generation; the ship’s technology was set up for the 1st generation; I got it at a pretty ridiculous price and it was new; the Belize itinerary is not particularly rough in terms of currents and sea conditions; I wanted to find out what the fuss about the “radio” was all about; and I will be getting the 2nd generation and a PLB for my next trip(s).