Nautilus Lifeline

[Rred]

3.6v accommodates a lithium battery. Either a lithium primary cell, like the Eveready Lithium, or a lithium rechargeable cell, and those come in AA form factor, called a "14500" size battery.

On the Nautilus, IIRC there's also a time out timer (TOT) setting in the menu. That's something many radios have these days. After you've been talking for 2 or 3 or whatever minutes, the transmitter releases so you don't monopolize the channel. Personally I turn those off, because I know how to keep it short. And, that in a real emergency, I may NEED that radio to keep transmitting, timer or not.

Switching to a "just push the freaking button" mode, same as an EPIRB, eliminates all those technical options--and setup questions about them.

I don't remember if it was the Hopi or the Navaho, but a long time ago I was taught that some of the tribal concepts of counting and time keeping (past/present/future) also made for a mindset that made them better than average at complex math and physics. Among other things the tribe in question counted as '1,2,3,many." No larger number than 3 or "many" although you could have "many many". Makes me wonder about the dive boats that sometimes don't quite pick up all their divers before they head in.

"How many divers did we take out?"
Uh, many? Yeah, that's close enough.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

The original Lifeline was a two way radio that required a registration number to work. Boat operators didn't think it was a good idea to let dive folks chat on their channels, so the Lifeline folks had to create an emergency locator instead. Unregistered original units are tough to find, and the owners want more than the original price for them. I was lucky to buy mine before Nautilus was forced into the second gen model.

Why would you NOT want a locator beacon to be known as yours? Or registered in your name? I dont get it.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

I do carry a whistle too as a backup, as you can see in the picture, the orange rectangle piece between the spool & SMB. It’s a small & light thing that you can clip it on to other devices without taking much space.

View attachment 486960

Dan do you take all that equipment with you on dives? Also Im looking at buying a Nautilus lifeline marine rescue gps PLB. Is that the same one you have? Third question, which do you like better the Nautilus or that other PLB I see in your pic?

Im ready to pull the trigger on something and the Nautilus looks good with no charges or monthly fees.The nautilus says its more than a PLB and that it alerts all modern VHF marine radios, ship plotters, and radar.

 

[noj3333]

Make sure you do your research, a Nautilus is NOT a PLB. I carry a Nautilus, but it's my understanding there has to be a ship (or someone else listening) within range for them to hear you and come pick you up. A PLB shoots a signal to a satellite, that someone, somewhere is listening to...

I got my Nautilus cheap, it was 'used' but never actually carried on a dive. I don't think I'd pay full price for one, but I think it was worth the $75 (or so, I don't remember) I paid for it. I think it's well suited for the Caribbean where I dive... if I'm ever lucky enough to dive in the South Pacific I'll invest in a PLB for sure, no doubt about it...

 

[divinh]

Why would you NOT want a locator beacon to be known as yours? Or registered in your name? I dont get it.

The used one I got wasn't registered and I suspect the reason was that it was part of a bunch of Lifeline's deployed by a diving operation. Without it being registered, it couldn't be used as a general emergency beacon, but still could be used to contact the boat. I suspect each diver would be given one and should he/she get in trouble, the Lifeline could be used to contact the boat via Radio and not contact all nearby boats via DSC.

 

[Rred]

"Unregistered original units are tough to find,"
So what? Nautilus are exceptionally flexible and helpful. If you contact them and say you need to change the programming on the unit, they will give you a download link that totally wipes the radio and allows you to restore its virginity. Usually within one or two business days. If you aren't the registered owner, presumably they'd take a little longer to try contacting the original owner, to make sure the transfer was legit.
But unlike marine VHF's, Nautilus didn't lock down the reprogramming on the original units. On the second generation, I have no idea.

PLB's and DSC/VHF are like tractor trailers and motor scooters: They both have wheels, but they aren't at all the same thing. If you push the red button on a PLB or EPIRB, the signal goes up to an international satellite network whizzing by overhead. It MAY take up to 45 minutes before the network can get a lock on your signal, most folks don't realize that. Then network operations shunts off the distress call to the SAR agency in the country you were registered in, and someone tries MANUALLY to contact the beacon owner, running through the contacts you have listed on the registration form. If the beacon owner can't be contacted, or one of the emergency contacts says "Yeah, Bob's in TongaTonga on a diving vacation" then your SAR agency contacts *that* SAR agency, for that locality, if there is one.

Meanwhile the clock is ticking, and if you are lucky there are SAR assets that can be dispatched according to whatever the local protocols are. The USCG has a wide reach, but they are not omipresent.

If you use a private service like a Garmin InReach or Spot Messenger, those send a message to a private monitoring company, who will try to text you back (if you've got a two-way device) otherwise they go through their protocols and THEN contact your home SAR agency, or the agency in the area where they got the distress call from. More flexible--but one more set of hands that can make mistakes.

This is as opposed to a device with a DSC button on it. Press the DCS panic button, and a LOCAL signal goes out to marine radios basically within eye-sight range of your radio. In some areas, there are coastal stations that will pick up the station and relay the signal. In some areas, there are few or no boats with DSC marine radios. So, inside of two minutes local boaters are alerted that someone nearby is in distress. Or, no one hears the call.

Two very different systems.

As George Carlin (RIP) said, "Too much stuff!"

 

[Dan]

Dan do you take all that equipment with you on dives? Also Im looking at buying a Nautilus lifeline marine rescue gps PLB. Is that the same one you have? Third question, which do you like better the Nautilus or that other PLB I see in your pic?

Im ready to pull the trigger on something and the Nautilus looks good with no charges or monthly fees.The nautilus says its more than a PLB and that it alerts all modern VHF marine radios, ship plotters, and radar.

Yep. I have 2 huge BCD waist pockets (Cressi Travelight)

Yep, I carry both Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS (MRG) & http://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/.
So I can send out distress signal via DSC, VHF & 406 MHz and get rescued by whomever finds me first.

If I have to carry just 1 of them, I’ll choose PLB1. It’s also has no monthly charges and it is registered to me through NOAA. I got it at about the same price as the MRG. PLB1 can also be used for distress signal when you are lost in the woods / mountain (skiing, hiking, etc.) while MRG is only good for lost at sea situation.

In the last 4 liveaboards I was in (Spoilsport in GBR, Galápagos Master, Palau Aggressor II, Argos in Cocos), they provided me with MRG. So would the next 2 liveaboards (Maldives Aggressors & Nautilus Undersea in Socorro). So my MRG has been sitting in my drawer.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

Yep. I have 2 huge BCD waist pockets (Cressi Travelight)

View attachment 492868

Yep, I carry both Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS (MRG) & PLB1, http://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/. So I can send out distress signal via DSC, VHF & 406 MHz.

If I have to carry just 1 of them, I’ll choose PLB1. It’s also has no monthly charges and it is registered to me through NOAA. I got it at about the same price as the MRG. PLB1 can also be used for distress signal when you are lost in the woods / mountain (skiing, hiking, etc.) while MRG is only good for lost at sea situation.

Marine rescue wont work on mtns? dang coast guard and their limited range!

Ok so THE plb works on different frequencies than the Nautilus....didnt realize that. I will only be carrying one and only for scuba so you still think the PLB1 is best eh.

 

[NAUI Wowie]

Yep. I have 2 huge BCD waist pockets (Cressi Travelight)

View attachment 492868

Yep, I carry both Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS (MRG) & http://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/.
So I can send out distress signal via DSC, VHF & 406 MHz and get rescued by whomever finds me first.

If I have to carry just 1 of them, I’ll choose PLB1. It’s also has no monthly charges and it is registered to me through NOAA. I got it at about the same price as the MRG. PLB1 can also be used for distress signal when you are lost in the woods / mountain (skiing, hiking, etc.) while MRG is only good for lost at sea situation.

In the last 4 liveaboards I was in (Spoilsport in GBR, Galápagos Master, Palau Aggressor II, Argos in Cocos), they provided me with MRG. So would the next 2 liveaboards (Maldives Aggressors & Nautilus Undersea in Socorro). So my MRG has been sitting in my drawer.

just realized the MRG nautilus does not need a canister or case. its waterproof to 425 ft and attaches right to a belt so a little easier to work with.

 

[Dan]

Marine rescue wont work on mtns? dang coast guard and their limited range!

Ok so THE plb works on different frequencies than the Nautilus....didnt realize that. I will only be carrying one and only for scuba so you still think the PLB1 is best eh.

Yep. 406MHz signal straight up to the SAR satellites, while the DSC & VHF might get received IF a boat happens to sail near by you within a mile.

Also as I mentioned before, many liveaboards are now provide MRG for free loan to their guests.