waterproof PLB

[NateS]

Why is it that all PLBs I've looked at are only waterproof to ~10m? Are there any good to 40m?

I found the Nautilus LifeLine but it doesn't have satellite / EPIRB.

 

[seeker242]

Because they are designed for boaters. And if a boater ends up at 40m...well...a PLB isn't going to help them. I've never seen a PLB that can go to depth like that. But of course people do take them diving, with a dive canister. As for why the PLB companies don't make a dive specific PLB that can go to depth by itself. I would say there just isn't a big enough market for them.

 

[NateS]

Would it be safe to assume that a Nautilus Lifeline is sufficient for recreational divers then?

---------- Post added September 14th, 2015 at 05:35 PM ----------

I might as well cross link this other, nice and related discussion:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ba...y-no-satellite-communication.html#post5787152

 

[seeker242]

I think it depends on where you're diving. If you are diving in a populated area like Miami FL, where there is a Coast Guard station right there, you would probably be fine with just that. If you are in Indonesia in the middle of nowhere, perhaps not so much.

 

[NateS]

Wouldn't the LifeLine remain pretty useful even in Indonesia? It would assist the dive boat in finding you. Failing that it would assist the search party in finding you once the dive boat reports the incident. Those seem like the most likely scenarios. I guess the worst case is if your dive boat abandons you and doesn't tell anyone, then the LifeLine still makes it much more likely that you make contact with a boat. You have 24 hours of battery and radio range of maybe a few miles, plus you have a distress signal going significantly farther (don't know if the claimed 34 miles is reasonable).

 

[tursiops]

The distance for the NLL "distress signal" assumes a very high, very good antenna at the receiving end. It is still just a low-power VHF signal with all the attendant problems of propagation.

There are pros and cons to NLL vs PLB. Carry them both if you are really worried....one does not replace the other.
I carry the NLL....it is the first line of defense, and does not involve big-time Search and Rescue...more a "Hey, I'm over here."

 

[seeker242]

Wouldn't the LifeLine remain pretty useful even in Indonesia? It would assist the dive boat in finding you. Failing that it would assist the search party in finding you once the dive boat reports the incident.

It would certainly be helpful, IF those boats have a DSC VHF radio on board. If they have a normal VHF, without DSC, they could RX your voice communication but not the GPS distress call.

Those seem like the most likely scenarios. I guess the worst case is if your dive boat abandons you and doesn't tell anyone, then the LifeLine still makes it much more likely that you make contact with a boat. You have 24 hours of battery and radio range of maybe a few miles,

I would say definitely more likely that you can contact a boat, a lot better than a whistle, ha!

plus you have a distress signal going significantly farther (don't know if the claimed 34 miles is reasonable.

Not necessarily farther. That 34 miles is probably the maximum distance they they ever got, probably to a cruise ship or something like that, which has an antenna 200 ft above water AND when conditions were great for atmospheric ducting of the radio signal. OR, perhaps to a station on a 500 ft cliff or something. As a marine radio technician myself, I would not count on getting anywhere close to that range, especially if you are trying to contact a small boat. It sounds more like a marketing gimmick than anything else.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing to have. I think it's great! Just don't expect 35 miles from it.

 

[NateS]

They claim 8 miles for VHF (but people say to expect maybe 1-2) and 34 miles for the distress signal only.

I think I'll get a LifeLine for my wife and I. For $299 it seems pretty ok. Better than a whistle and it doubles as an (expensive) strobe.