Thinking about purchasing a EPRIB or PLB? This might be for you...
https://www.acrartex.com/info/2018-acr-and-ocean-signal-spring-promotion/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=February+Savings+from+ACR+Electronics+and+Ocean+Signal&utm_campaign=Land+and+Marine+Monthly+Consumer+Email+%28USA+Promotion%29
Just the messenger here. I have no affiliation with the company besides owning some of their products.
I keep this in my life jacket pocket.
https://www.acrartex.com/products/catalog/personal-locator-beacons/resqlinkplus/#sthash.H1WQARKo.dpbs
Very smart, guys. I like Atgep's idea of keeping it on your person. I've had whales surface within feet of my boat while underway. I've also had nightmares of being thrown out of the boat and watching as it disappears over the horizon. These days, if I run up on fast plane for any great distance offshore, I clip that motor kill switch to myself.
Yat
I fish solo a lot inshore out to 30-60 miles. I have to know within a reasonable doubt I can communicate beyond my cell phone reception (40-50 miles) and three VHF/DCS radios on-board. I also carry one ResQLink on my life vest which I wear at all times and one ResQLink in my ditch bag (lg. fanny pack) for crew or as a ditch backup. But this is not enough with respect to safety communications. You also should carry other visual locators, hydration and food. I also have Standard Horizon HX870 w/GPS, DSC & strobe, whistle/compass combo, water proof clip light, strobe, mirror, dye pack, glow sticks, 16oz water and energy bar included with the personal safety gear on me and in the bag. I also wear around my neck lanyard with a whistle/strobe/compass combo.Everything in these packs is reviewed and/or tested prior to each ocean launch series.
Now being "gear" prepared is one thing. However in most cases ocean temp is the killer. You can have all the safety gear on you and at the ready in a moments notice. However if you don't know how to instinctively use your gear or practice MOB type drills with your gear you will probably still will wind up in a world of hurt. Remember at our latitude and water temps you have approx. 5-8 minutes before your hands become unusable bricks. If you cannot moderate and recover from cold water immersion syndrome within the first minute w/o drowning yourself and fully activate you emergency comms within two minutes after being dunked you are already way behind the eight ball.
I have most everything and have done most everything I can think of to prepare for emergency and/or to ditch... I just hope I never have to use any of the items I have taught myself to use. I spend as more or more time on self preservation techniques as I do on trip preparation. If I cantilever over the side or pearl the boat I hope I have done enough to at least notify watchstanders where to find my body...lol. Cuz in this clime you generally only get 45-60 minutes of awareness w/o a proper survival suit donning.
We also wear the ResQLink PLB's when we are on the water. I think they are a great safety device and well work the money.
We often are 10 to 25 miles offshore and even inshore things can happen to fast to not start each trip with life vests on with PLB's attached.
I am mostly in the sound but I figure if you end up in the water for whatever reason, you have about an hour to get out of the water or its all over. It is pretty comforting to know you can send a distress signal from anywhere in the world. I have done a few of the real tests through the satellite and it is awesome to get a text msg and email within 20sec of pressing the test button. When you register, it gives the rescue center a few numbers they will try to call first. I am pretty sure a signal coming from the middle of a body of water will get a quick response and could make the difference between fishing another day or not.
ZARN, I like your approach. :applause:
Stay safe my friends
Looking at the latest Mustang vests the other day, I was pleasantly surprised to see them selling belt pouches now designed to attach to the harness and hold a PLB or hand-held radio. This is a long-overdue feature that more inflatable pfd's need!
3W... I almost pulled the trigger on that but the fanny packs I have a lot more room and still lay close to the body.
A few things to keep in mind. If there is CG resource spinning up on the pad or in the air "normal" incident response time is around 30+ minutes depending on your position from North Bend or Astoria for oregon or SW WA. That time frame becomes exponentially longer if they have to pre-flight and spin up or rely solely on a MLB to facilitate the response call. Then you have the weather and fuel to consider.
Now remember folks a PLB is not just for offshore vessel operations. I have pretty much the same setup as described above and take that with me in my vehicle. It is either on me or within arms reach at all times and a portable GPS is activated at all times when I am driving to the coast or off in the back country. Batteries for the GPS are cheap. Many times I will also carry a HH VHF into the back country. I also purchased and wear locater beacon that most mountain rescue services support. Yes... I know the use of a VHF is generally prohibited on land... I will gladly take that fine... if that is what calls the cavalry to my location.
On the tin can I keep an ACR brand EPIRB mounted to the rear helm station, in easy reach on the back deck. It is registered to the boat, floats right side up, and once activated will run for 48 hours +.
I keep a floating ACR ditch back beside the front helm seat, with an ACR floating PLB (registered to me), hand-held VHF, hand-held GPS, flares, signal mirror, dye packets, etc... I have elastic tethers that keep the electronics connected to the bag (only the PLB floats on its own). Remember that a PLB must be held in ones hand and oriented properly for the antenna to work.
I'd like to replace my inflatable PFD's with units that have pockets to hold a PLB/radio this year, and add a couple of Standard Horizon hand-helds with the built in GPS to my collection.