Why Not A Plb For Every Car, Backpack, Divebag, Etc...?

[DandyDon]

Mine goes with me anytime I leave the house, to the farms, parks, hiking, dive trips - for every dive, whatever. We see stories like this Search on for missing Virginia woman after abandoned car found at national park | Fox News plus near misses and body recoveries all of the time. I'll be embarrassed if I ever have to use it, but better than lying on a trail or farm somewhere suffering, or floating for days.

There are different models. I like this one - small, lightweight, floats, etc: ACR 2881 ResQLink+ PLB Personal Locator Beacon Only costs $1/week over the life of the product before you need to have the battery replaced. Bonus! If you ever use it, just return it with a good rescue story and they will send you a new one for free. They have a collection on their trophy wall, and a rescue story page online.

I used to rent aluminum dive canisters for dive trips, but now own my own lighter canister. About $125 including shipping: CANISTER for PLB: SCUBA Diver Emergency Locator Beacon/VHF Marine Radio.

Here are some survivor stories. Check out Autumn, the cute blond in a bikini on her sail boat: Survivor Stories, EPIRB, PLB, ELT by ACR and Artex Products | ACR ARTEX

 

[The Chairman]

I use this:

Nautilus Life Line from DRIS​

 

[kelemvor]

Our Price:249.95

It's expensive. Also, as you noted, you have to pay for a separate canister since it's only rated for 25'.

I do carry a nautilus lifeline when diving. I guess if I did a lot of hiking in remote locations I might reconsider, but certainly just one that I carried with me and not one for every bag.

 

[mmmbelows]

When is somebody going to make one that is waterproof to 150'?????

 

[kelemvor]

The nautilus is rated for 425'.

I did use mine once, when a boat left me in key largo on a night dive. Didn't manage to raise the boat, and dropped/lost my radio. Fortunately, we had bright dive lights and the boat came back for us in short order.

Nautilus gave me a discount on a replacement in exchange for posting the story on their website. I like resqlink's free replacement policy better


If someone made a proper depth capable PLB in that price range I would probably replace the lifeline.

 

[The Chairman]

I really like that can set the channel to the boat's radio.

 

[kelemvor]

I really like that can set the channel to the boat's radio.

Which works great if the captain hasn't turned down his radio so he can hear someone in the water.......

A hybrid plb/vhf that was depth capable would be the ideal solution.

 

[gr8jab]

I have a Nautilus, and would like to have a PLB if they made a convenient waterproof version. However...

Have you ever called 911 and been put on hold? What would happen if every Joe Yokel had a PLB? I doubt the system could handle the false-alarms.

Said with a smile and good intentions for conversation...

Man suspected of calling 911 over 27,000 times
NYC gets over 4 million false 911 calls … made by cell phone users’ butts

 

[seeker242]

When is somebody going to make one that is waterproof to 150'?????

I'm in the PLB business and I can say probably not anytime soon. The PLB market for boaters, hikers, etc. is LARGE. For divers, the market is very small compared to the former.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I have a Nautilus, and would like to have a PLB if they made a convenient waterproof version. However...

Have you ever called 911 and been put on hold? What would happen if every Joe Yokel had a PLB? I doubt the system could handle the false-alarms.

Said with a smile and good intentions for conversation...

Man suspected of calling 911 over 27,000 times
NYC gets over 4 million false 911 calls … made by cell phone users’ butts

PLB uses 406 technology that is different from a 911 call. PLBs and EPIRBs use the 406 satellite system, which is good the world over. Pushing the button on a PLB in a canyon or in the middle of the ocean, both places a cell phone won't work, will get to the proper rescue people in about 10 minutes..
Every boater should have one. The costs have come down in the past few years, the technology has gotten better so the units are smaller and easier to carry. Florida is now offering some sort of reduced boater registration fees if you have a PLB.
good stuff.