PLBs Can Save Your Life

[Steelyeyes]

Light monkey can and will build a custom canister. It’s cheaper it it’s one of the standard battery pack sizes. But still not cheap. Basically it’s the battery canister without a hole drilled in it.

If you need or want a different size they can do that, but will be more.

You need to call them to talk about this. Ideal solution is you send them all the stuff you want in the canister and they choose the smallest stock one they have that will do it.

Their stuff is really well made.

I found this option. $100 AUS is about $81 USD but I don't know what the shipping would cost.

Diver Locator Satellite PLB Canister from HDVSEATEK.

 

[CWK]

In my opinion a VHF radio is not a practical solution for a diver lost at sea situation.
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If someone invented a PLB w/ VHF, that would be nice, but given the option, buy the PLB.

A PLB and a PAB are not substitutes, they are complements - just as a whistle and a torch are complements. Don’t just get one signalling device, get as many different types as you can.

 

[chillyinCanada]

According to prophecy the Dive Alert can be heard up to a mile away. I suppose that's only downwind in a stiff breeze though. I've never had the guts to test mine. I'd like to keep what hearing I have.

It hasn't been my experience but I guess I was always floating down wind. Not giving it up though as it can certainly still be heard and it's far easier than blowing my whistle.

 

[DuTemplar]

I have to admit, I'm still rather surprised by the lack of cohesive products. It's a definite field. I would imagine there should be an easy "one click" shopping to get a reasonably sized PLB with a matching dive case and a built in attachment ability (or at least anchor point.)

The mixture of "this item" in "I found a case on ebay" or "that item" with custom made containers seems interesting, in a complicated and make it far harder, more expensive, and more intimidating for people to get.

Considering the current circumstances, well maybe it's time to approach a manufacturer / group at a trade show and say "This is a product need. There isn't anything exactly like it on the market. By the way, we had this incident and if you develop it reasonably you also get exclusive marketing AND we do a package deal for the following years scuba surge..."

Otherwise, heck.. American, I live in Qatar though. You can't buy squat here (IF you can, it's 10x normal price) and many places don't ship here direcly. I would love love love to go <clickclickclick> and have DHL deliver a package in 2-3 weeks without multiple custom/ special orders or "it might fit..."

 

[letterboy]

They are only $24 on Amazon Prime right now. Baofeng UV-5R.

For 80 bucks I just bought the baofeng 5x and programming cable. I've been wanting to get one and now just seemed like a good time...

This is by no means a solution.

I agree that perhaps getting a few people together and coming up with an idea, a product proposal of sorts and taking it to a manufacturer might not be a bad idea.

Or going to talk to a current manufacturer like acr next time you visit south florida....

What is that emergency product that is orange and square little stuby antenna and can be used to send and recieve basic text messages. A buddy of mine with a boat had one. It had the ability to send your coordinates to a person or to SAR directly.

 

[Dan]

In my opinion a VHF radio is not a practical solution for a diver lost at sea situation. You would pretty much have to be able to see your vessel unless you're in dead flat calm conditions.

With the odds of being in a lost at sea situation fairly low, but still very much possible, I don't see the logic in carrying a VHF when you could carry a PLB. It's like bringing a .22 to hunt a bear.

For a little perspective, here's a decent read on the subject. If Nautilus is claiming 34 miles, I say bs.

https://www.boatingmag.com/marine-vhf-radio-range

Marine VHF Radio Range
The real deal on VHF marine radio range

By Kevin Falvey March 30, 2011

Ask 10 boaters about the range their marine VHF radio achieves and you’ll get 10 different answers. Just how far can you count on your distress call being heard?


View attachment 510721
Marine VHF Radio Range


Earth Is Round
Marine VHF radios operate between 156 and 172 MHz, a sliver of the very high frequency band of radio waves between 30 and 300 MHz. It’s FM radio. We know from taking trips in our cars that we have to change stations more frequently to get good reception when listening to FM (usually while a favorite song is playing).

Power output is often thought to increase range, but really, the difference in range between a 25-watt fixed marine VHF radio and a 5-watt handheld is due to the fixed mount’s antenna being taller, and therefore it can “see” farther. More power will allow you to punch through static and other radio traffic better, but only within the range dictated by antenna height. Marine VHF radios work on a line-of-sight basis. That is, they can transmit and receive to and from another antenna as long as that antenna is above the horizon. How far is that? Standing in the cockpit of a boat, the distance to the horizon for most adults is about three miles.

Can You Hear Me Now?
Mount an 8-foot antenna so that it’s 12 feet above sea level, and the horizon increases to about 4.5 miles. Of course, we’ve all communicated farther than that with a VHF radio. That’s because the height of the other antenna also comes into play.

Say your buddy has an antenna mounted atop his large cruiser at 18 feet above sea level. Combined with the 12-foot height of your antenna, the two of you could converse while about 6.7 miles apart. If the Coast Guard’s antenna is 100 feet tall, you can expect a reliable range of about 13 miles. Your buddy’s 18-foot antenna would net him a range of about 13.3 miles.

The actual distances are a bit farther, due to atmospheric refraction, but these are the distances you can count on, making satellite phones, EPIRBs (emergency position indicating radio beacons) and PLBs [(personal locator beacons)](personal locator beacons very wise for anyone cruising open waters. To see a chart of the Coast Guard’s VHF coverage in your area, visit navcen.uscg.gov.


View attachment 510722
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Now, think about your tiny antenna on a handheld VHF, bobbing in 2-3's and the angle is all over the place as you try to talk into the mic, hoping someone has turned their VHF on, which most recreational boaters carelessly don't. Not to mention I believe the DSC feature was phased out on the Nautilus.

If someone invented a PLB w/ VHF, that would be nice, but given the option, buy the PLB.

​

I see your point. That how I started diving with PLB1. Then so many liveaboards that I have been on (6 out of 12, e.g., Spoilsport, Palau Aggressor, Argo, Maldives Aggressor, Galapagos Master, Nautilus Undersea) issued PAB to their guests, not PLB. Hmm, I wonder why? So, now I have both.

It boils down to timing. For quick rescue (within minutes) PAB is useful.

 

[tursiops]

What is that emergency product that is orange and square little stuby antenna and can be used to send and recieve basic text messages. A buddy of mine with a boat had one. It had the ability to send your coordinates to a person or to SAR directly.

SPOT

 

[letterboy]

SPOT

Yup. I couldn't remember the downside, but it's the monthly or yearly fees that get you on that one.

250 for the device and anywhere from 20/month to 200/year.

In the long run its cheaper than getting lost in the ocean.

I thought there was a range issue with these though. Something about not worldwide coverage.

 

[Dan]

Yup. I couldn't remember the downside, but it's the monthly or yearly fees that get you on that one.

250 for the device and anywhere from 20/month to 200/year.

In the long run its cheaper than getting lost in the ocean.

I thought there was a range issue with these though. Something about not worldwide coverage.

PLB has $0/year service fee. We already spend $$$$/year tax for NOAA, US Coast Guard, US Navy to SAR US citizens lost at sea anywhere in the world.

 

[seeker242]

Here is the new model, the ACR 2921: ACR ResQLink 400 Personal Locator Beacon w/o Display [2921]
It may or may not be available yet, but you could phone that place and ask. Also try these others: Landfall Navigation, The GPS Store, and Gps4us. .

Or, you can send me a PM and I'll give you a good price on it. My company is an ACR Dealer and Battery Center.

I was sitting here wondering if 9ne of those baofang Chinese handheld radios would be a "better" solution. They are what 50 or 60 bucks?

Goes to see what frequencies they work on....

Looks like it covers the marine radio bands as well as the uv-5x is "waterproof" so it would need to live in a dry case until needed... But could give you two comms if needed...

I have a couple UV-6R for land based UHF use. They are good little radios for the price. However, importers of that radio have been cited by the FCC, if you are in the US, because it's only authorized Private Land Mobile Radio Service. Programming it to marine frequencies, technically not legal. At least not in the US. Indonesia, probably doesn't matter.

So what is the transmit power for the VHF? Maybe I overlooked it, but that is one specification that I would want to know. Especially transmitting from the ocean surface. I’m just not sure that you are getting significant increase in discovery likelihood over SMB with mirror and whistle with 1 watt VHF on the ocean surface. Just to play Devils Advocate.

Handhelds are typically 1-5 Watts. Range from the water surface, 2-4 miles perhaps, assuming you are transmitting to a dive boat, etc. Although, it really depends on where you are and who you are transmitting to. The Nautilus for example, IIRC they got 34 miles out of it by transmitting in a place that has a receiver on top of an oceanside cliff.