Scuba diver's Personal Locator Beacon - how never to be lost at sea

[Mike]

I have a ResQLink+ coming. As soon as I determine it actually is all going to work I will post the results and the information you are looking for.

Mike,

I was curious if you had any updated information on the ACR PLB and the Custom Divers canister? I am actually in the opposite position (as of your last post in this thread) in that I have the ACR 2881 PLB and I am looking for a canister. As such, I am VERY interested to hear of your results.

I did purchase an OtterBox 8000 (rated to 100ft). The PLB does fit with plenty of room to spare. However, it is rather large and bulky. I am hoping to find a more efficient and streamlined solution for diving with my PLB.

Thanks for any update.

Dustin

Hi Dustin,

I will be posting an update shortly, I have the units now, just need to find some time to take some pictures and post the results.

 

[Mike]

May 1, 2012

On April 10th, I ordered a ACR 2881 ResQLink Plus PLB375 from Hodges Marine for $252.00 which included the shipping costs. It arrived about a week later.

ACR has a Spring 2012 promotion for a $50 rebate so the ResQLink ends up costing $202.00.


Custom Divers

200/210 dive canister $ 107.00
​

ACR 2881 ResQLink Plus PLB375 $252.00
Rebate -$50.00
------------------------------------------------
Total $309.00 X 2 (one for myself and one for my wife)


So after the ResQLink Plus arrives I gently tried fitting it in the 200/210 dive canister. It fits very snuggly. Then I proceeded to screw the two pieces of the dive canister together, I started feeling some resistance, upon closer inspection it appears the very bottom of the nub of the plastic 'lever arm' on the antenna connection on the ResQLink is sticking out just enough to make it difficult to get a good connection of the dive canister.

Examining the plastic lever arm, it looks like this is just some extra plastic on the arm, so I shaved it off with a sharp utility knife and the ResQLink Plus fits perfectly inside the 200/210 dive canister.

Success! I ordered the 2nd one shortly after.

The ResQLink Plus fits very snuggly, no movement, no shaking around.

I have attached pictures that show the ResQLink Plus out of the box, with antenna raised, showing how it fits in the 200/210 canister with and without the modification to the extra plastic on the lever arm and details of the actual modification.

Conclusion - We now have a very affordable, very reliable assurance of rescue. We will be bringing these along on all dive trips and have peace of mind in a worst case scenario situation we will always have the safety of rescue with us.

Next step is registering them....

 

[Hawkwood]

Thanks Mike, the canister could be a good option for my SPOT locator. I've had one of those since they came out a number of years ago - use it on land for off road stuff. They are waterproof to a depth of a metre for about 30 minutes, but are supposed to be fine at the surface.

Bill

 

[Ron Lee]

Thanks Mike. Your combo is much cheaper (and probably smaller) than my McMurdo Fastfind Plus and canister.

 

[nwflyboy]

Mike,

First, thanks for your excellent work and for sharing the info here for others.

Second - can you post some way to contact the US distributor for the canisters?

As luck would have it, I just ordered a ResQLink today, although not intended for scuba use - about an hour before coming to Scubaboard looking for other info - and stumbled on this thread. If I could easily repurpose the ResQLink for diving, that would be awesome.

Thanks again.

 

[Mike]

Second - can you post some way to contact the US distributor for the canisters?

Here you go Quality Diving Equipment by Custom Divers - Custom Divers Ltd About Custom Divers

 

[Cavesdiving]

I have had a large number of customers fitthe ACR Res 406 QLink into the Custom Divers canister without any fitmentproblems.
Here are the complete dimensions. Hope this helps.
Custom Divers Canister Inside Dimensions:55mm x 111mm (2.16” x 4.37&#8221
McMurdo Fast Find 210 dimensions are (D xW x L) 34 x 47 x 106 mm or (1.34" x 1.85" x 4.17")
ACR Res 406 QLink is: (D x W x L) 33 x 48x 99 mm or (1.34" x 1.85" x 4.17")
http://resources.customdivers.com/CUSTOM DIVERS FAST FIND CANISTER.pdf
Quality Diving Equipment by Custom Divers - Custom Divers 200 210 Fast Find PLB Dive Canister
ACR Electronics Inc - ACR and ARTEX BeaconsResQLink PLB / ACR and ARTEX Beacons

 

[Mike]

I have had a large number of customers fitthe ACR Res 406 QLink into the Custom Divers canister without any fitmentproblems.
Here are the complete dimensions. Hope this helps.
Custom Divers Canister Inside Dimensions:55mm x 111mm (2.16” x 4.37&#8221
McMurdo Fast Find 210 dimensions are (D xW x L) 34 x 47 x 106 mm or (1.34" x 1.85" x 4.17")
ACR Res 406 QLink is: (D x W x L) 33 x 48x 99 mm or (1.34" x 1.85" x 4.17")
http://resources.customdivers.com/CUSTOM%20DIVERS%20FAST%20FIND%20CANISTER.pdf
Quality Diving Equipment by Custom Divers - Custom Divers 200 210 Fast Find PLB Dive Canister
ACR Electronics Inc - ACR and ARTEX BeaconsResQLink PLB / ACR and ARTEX Beacons

You haven't had any customers fit the ResQLink + (the version that floats) into a custom diver canister. The non-floating version fits, the floating version doesn't. As a diver, I'm not going to buy a PLB that is going to sink if dropped at the very most dire time of need, that's like going cave diving with a back up cave dive light that likely will short out because it leaks, but only leaks when you turn it on, other than that you can strap it on as a back up an never have a problem with it as long as you don't ever use it.

 

[Mr. Black]

I really, really, am dying to (omg i just jinxed it) get a container that will take a Delorme InReach to 200ft.

Reason I don't just buy a marine PLB is that

1) I do a lot of nasty land-based stuff that I wan't to use the device for as well.
2) I live in a country where I cannot even register a 406Mhz beacon
3) I dive in territories where the local "coast guard", if one exists, has not got the means and resources to pull off the sort of high-tech Hollywood rescues you get in the US
4) I want a device that can also be used in non-emergency situations

For that reason I tested SPOT for the last 2 years. It has tracking, non emergency messaging and the SOS function that goes to a private contractor who will determine the best local authorities or even private contractors to contact and effect a rescue. The issues with SPOT were
1) SPOT coverage is SPOTty. (Globalstar Sat network isn't the best there is).
2) It's strictly simplex. It can take 10 mins for a message to get out and you never, in any case whatsoever, have any indication whether the message has been received.

Last year Delorme brought out the InReach which uses the Iridium network - truly global coverage.

The US State Department and DoD make up the bulk of traffic on Iridium. This network really works. And it's two-way. Meaning I can see when/if an SOS was received!

If used with a companion device you can even have full on text chats to send the rescue center a situation report. Companion device can either be an iphone/android device or a specific Delorme Earthmate GPS.

For diving / adrift-at-sea scenarios you will obviously not carry a companion device and just use the InReach stand-alone which still gives you the option to just be tracked, send a message to the boat or do a full-blown SOS to call the cavalry - and you will know when the message has been received by them. Unless you are in very cold water, that confirmation alone will probably buy you a bunch of extra hours of survival time just psychologically...

I need someone who tinkers and makes custom housings to make me a "bullet" type canister with double o-rings for this baby.

---------- Post Merged at 04:07 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 04:00 PM ----------

Two more considerations in SPOT vs. InReach:

Both devices float, but the SPOT is smaller. Should be easier to make a canister for it and it won't add as much drag as the InReach.

InReach has a monthly plan, SPOT is stricly annual and no pro-rated refunds....

Both use GEOS as the private contractor to take the SOS messages and make initial rescue preparations.

Again if anyone knows of someone who can "make" canisters... and not just volume orders of 200,000+ units I would be very interested to test this baby on a hundred or so dives.

Specs are here.

 

[jeasy]

I just sent an email to the manufacturer for a quote. Hopefully they have gotten setup with a US distributor.