I am looking to get a handheld radio to hook on my life vest. I’d like to think I could summons help from the radio if I fall off my boat. This is purely for safety. Any ideas on what type make the most sense ? Thanks
Hand held Radio ?
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I got a garmin Inreach mini 2 for exactly this purpose. Waterproof to 3 meters. Works regardless how far out I am. Smaller than a handheld marine radio so easy to clip to my life vest. A bit pricy upfront and then $12 / month but I do lots of ocean single handing so I figure it's worth it just in case.
A better choice is a MOBI, it sends out an AIS signal with the location and can send a DSC message back to the mothership, so the crew can find you.
If you opt for a VHF instead, it should have DSC and GPS to make it easier for someone to find you.
oceansignal.com
If you opt for a VHF instead, it should have DSC and GPS to make it easier for someone to find you.
RescueME MOB1
The Ocean Signal rescueME MOB1 AIS Man Overboard Beacon is the ultimate solution for marine safety, specifically designed to aid in SOS situations.
The problem for the person in the water is that the antenna has to be clear of the water to function at all. So either you or the radio has to be far enough out of the water to have that antenna radiate into the air. Not so easy in a typical Type 3 vest that is barely keeping your head above water. That's why a PLB (or the new strobe distress lights) that velcros to a hat you are wearing are the easiest to use. Take a swim with a chunk of wood to simulate a handheld VHF on a not so calm day, and see what reality might be like.
The time to use the VHF is BEFORE you enter the water. Just like the best way to single hand is to never enter the water involuntarily. And a PFD is useless if you are not wearing it (actually, a floating PFD without a person in it is a good place to start a body search).
As a good former Coastie, I live on a creek where the water is normally less than 6ft deep.
Fred W
Stuart Mariner 19 #4133 Sweet P
Yeopim Creek, Albemarle Sound, NC
The time to use the VHF is BEFORE you enter the water. Just like the best way to single hand is to never enter the water involuntarily. And a PFD is useless if you are not wearing it (actually, a floating PFD without a person in it is a good place to start a body search).
As a good former Coastie, I live on a creek where the water is normally less than 6ft deep.
Fred W
Stuart Mariner 19 #4133 Sweet P
Yeopim Creek, Albemarle Sound, NC
Are you talking in a lake or in the sea? In a lake with little fetch and low wind you might be able to use a VHF radio (voice) in the water while wearing a life jacket, but not without one on! My experience is that not many boaters have their VHF radios turned on to begin with. If they do, it might not be audible enough. You might contact a nearby marina, vessel assist, or CG station, however, if no boaters are listening. Otherwise, it’s only a “feel good” notion at best in my opinion. “Good idea, but doesn’t work.” You’d be lucky to keep from swallowing water even when not trying to talk into the radio, especially in the sea. Have you ever listened in on a rescue call? Few to several questions to answer as respondents attempt to determine your location. Lots of swallowed water there.
Yes, better a non-voice signaling device. Best is to remain on the boat to begin with. Always hold on to the boat when walking on deck. Attach a short tether to a jack line when moving about whenever practical. Wear proper shoes at all times (fully enclosed); watch those shoe strings if any. Rig the boat for single handing; that means Lazy Jacks for the mainsail. If you do get into the water with or without a signaling device, you’ll do much better if wearing the PFD. You may actually survive it.
Yes, better a non-voice signaling device. Best is to remain on the boat to begin with. Always hold on to the boat when walking on deck. Attach a short tether to a jack line when moving about whenever practical. Wear proper shoes at all times (fully enclosed); watch those shoe strings if any. Rig the boat for single handing; that means Lazy Jacks for the mainsail. If you do get into the water with or without a signaling device, you’ll do much better if wearing the PFD. You may actually survive it.
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What about the PLB's from ACR or other brands? I like the feature that after activation by the MOB, there is a return signal to the MOB that the signal was received and location noted. I think that would be a comfort in an already bad situation. The antenna still has to be deployed but you don't have to talk. I haven't compared the different models. But I would want that Resqlink with the RLS feature. I don't know the significance of the 405 Mhtz and the 121.5 Metz signaling. Can anyone splain to me? I know nothing about radio.
I only know the products through their sales literature. Does anyone have real world experience with these PLB's?
I only know the products through their sales literature. Does anyone have real world experience with these PLB's?
The only real world experience I have is the egress training from downed helicopters that both the Navy and Coast Guard came up with to save pilots' lives. As a result of the training and experimentation, the recommendations that came out based on having successfully gotten out of the helicopter before it sank:
I've been out of it for 20 years now. Devices which automatically report a GPS position would be the biggest improvement.
Fred W
- life raft was the best piece of gear you could have. Life raft gave you 2-4 times the success rate of being found compared to floating in the water in your PFD. All signaling devices work much better floating while bored in your life raft.
- if floating in the water, the only part visible to the search party is your head/helmet. Helicopter crew keep their helmets when they egress. Helmets are covered with at least 25% reflective tape. Velcro patches used for night vision goggles, battery packs, and other equipment were valuable places to slap on PLB or strobe light where they would be out of the water.
I've been out of it for 20 years now. Devices which automatically report a GPS position would be the biggest improvement.
Fred W
“DF”?
From the literature I had reason to read I understand that some of the PLB’s use AIS to direct potential rescue (Recreational) to the emergency site. It seems to be a victim’s best chance is the nearest craft.
So, the better ones have GPS to sent the location to profession rescue organizations. And transmit on a "Civilian Aviation Distress Freq.” , and the 406 Mhtz freq. What info do those transmissions give rescuers?
Thank you for your service!
There is triangulation going on. Otherwise, all you have is a bearing to the received signal.
The RF signal provided one line of position. A second LOP is needed to narrow down the precise location. Often this could be from a commercial AM radio station, which RF direction finders could receive in addition to the USCG maintained stations.
I purchased a Standard Horizon HX890 that I use for the purpose of attaching it to my PFD. When you are in the water, it is unlikely that you will be able to transmit your voice legibly. But, the advantage of this handheld is it has a built in GPS and will transmit a Mayday with your coordinates when you press the "panic button." That is assuming you preprogrammed it with your MMSI number. The way I envision it is that I would hold it above the water and press the button if it was needed.
Personally I think this is a better solution than a PLB that is designed to only transmit a low powered signal to the boat you fell off of. ...and you can also use it as a radio.
Personally I think this is a better solution than a PLB that is designed to only transmit a low powered signal to the boat you fell off of. ...and you can also use it as a radio.
There are no well defined standards for the world of personal locator beacons. It really pays to delve into the details. For years, PLBs were simply smaller, lower powered EPIRBs which transmitted a signal to the International Cospas-SARSAT system. The downside to this is the time delay between notification and response which can be measured in a hours.
There are also devices which notify crew on the boat you fell off of but no one else.
The device I referenced earlier, Ocean Signal MOB1 sends a DSC emergency signal and GPS location to the mother ship's VHF which sets off a loud alarm and transmits an emergency AIS signal to all boats within the reception area (about a 5 mile radius) with the GPS coordinates.
Ocean Signal also has device that sends a SARSAT signal and an AIS signal but not a DCS back to the mothership.
Back in the day, a bearing to the received distress signal was all we had - and was surprisingly effective. I simply flew the line of bearing to the subject we were looking for. Actually I liked to deliberately offset about 5 degrees, and then observe when the line of bearing changed significantly. That gave us self-produced triangulation.
If 2 or more entities received the distress signal, triangulation was used to get an approximate position. We used everything available to get the best starting position possible for the search. Even the fisherman's wife who only knows her husband goes 20 miles offshore from Ft Lauderdale. Most fishermen in center console powerboats don't really like to get out of sight of land. The condos of Ft Lauderdale are easily seen at 10nm offshore, but not at 20. So we knew our best bet starting point was 10-15 miles offshore.
Fred W
Clearly the MOB1 device has advantages over the DSC handheld (such as battery life and possible automatic activation) but at the risk of asking someone else to do my research, what is the difference between the range of a handheld DSC signal from just above the water's surface to the range of an MOB1 AIS signal (assuming the same receiving antenna height)? Aren't they both VHF signals subject to the same limitations?
Yes, they both broadcast in the VHF range, however, transmitting data is more efficient than transmitting voice. Additionally the MOB1 is designed to have the antenna more or less vertical while floating in an inflatable, the handheld requires a conscious effort to hold the antenna vertical. The AIS signal will continue to broadcast until the battery runs out or it is shut off. The DCS signal only broadcasts until someone aknowledges (I think.) The MOB1 will work if the COB is unconscious or otherwise impaired.
(I have no financial interest in Ocean Signal. It is just a good safety product.)