Advice epirb plb whats everyone using

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

We have an ACR EPIRB, requires new battery, which means taking it in to a designated repair facility (fortunately one is local). Given the expected cost of a new battery (TBD), we are thinking of getting a new EPIRB, with user-replaceable battrry AND 10-year life (old EPIRB only 5 yrs).

We are planning some walking/hiking (off the boat) in very isolated areas, no boats or anything anywhere nearby. So we are also considering a PLB.

I have the same issue, my ACR EPIRB battery is due for replacement but it makes more sense to replace the entire unit not just the battery. I’m waiting for the big spring sales (COVID has curtailed most boat shows) to see if there are any financial incentives. I am very fond of my ACR unit, great piece of kit.

[KadeyKrogen38]

ACR units are likely not to pass testing when submitting for battery replacement. A local reputable service provider told me the majority of ACR’s he sees will not pass testing as one of the frequencies will fail to transmit. This was the my situation. Replaced with an alternative brand highly recommended to last past battery replacement.

[madsb]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Does it seem like overkill? If the S ever hits the Fan in some of the places I sail, like the Arctic Ocean, I would not like to take any chances.

What is the scenario where the PLB on your person gets timely rescue in arctic waters before you die of hypothermia? Of course it would aid in body retrieval. I would think everything on your person would be meant for MOB and that the PLB in the liferaft would be meant for abandoning ship. Are you wearing a dry suit on deck? I guess that might buy you some time if going overboard.

To be clear: I am a Northern and Southern Europe "summer sailor", so I have nowhere near your experience (I seem to remember you went to Greenland some years ago), so this should not be understood as questioning your reasoning - more a question to learn from your reflections.

[Moana Bella]

When packing life rafts and life jackets don't forget a good loud whistle. I did a delivery with a former navy sailing instructor. He has heard from a lot of the navy rescue sailors that they often hear the whistles before they see the person in the water. So I ditched the useless whistle that came with my life jacket and bought the most super-loud whistle I could find, from a safety supplies company. It cost $20 and will probably outlast me. And no batteries required!
BTW, news of a crew member who fell off a commercial ship near the Pitcairn Islands with no life jacket or anything, and survived 16 hours clinging to a floating fishing buoy. The ship came back to search for him and found him because they heard him shouting.

[Atcowboy]

The ARC PLB I have has distinct advantages for coastal sailing. Assuming you wear your PFD harness, it's designed to auto deploy on inflation. Then the advantage is that this PLB also transmits man over board AIS signal. This puts a beacon on most AIS receivers which costally have a very good chance of being on private vessels much closer than any SAR. If you're on a boat with crew, they'll have a beacon too help guide them back to you.

It's been discontinued but I found some "crew watcher" (name of product) that I've sewn to the dogs collars for a little more peace of mind.

- AT

[sv_pelagia]

Interestingly, ACR has a new EPIRB that is competitively priced, has a user-replaceable battery, AND the battery is advertised to last 10 years!

[Pandor]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

Interestingly, ACR has a new EPIRB that is competitively priced, has a user-replaceable battery, AND the battery is advertised to last 10 years!

Aren’t all EPIRB batteries required to last 10 years now? I thought that was a standard and 5 years for the PLB.

What is the link for the new ACR?

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Pandor

Aren’t all EPIRB batteries required to last 10 years now? I thought that was a standard and 5 years for the PLB.

What is the link for the new ACR?

https://www.acrartex.com/products/globalfix-v4-epirb

https://ca.binnacle.com/Safety-EPIRB...duct_info.html

USA regs, probably differ from Canada and Australia. Interestingly, beginning 2022, new Epirbs must have AIS.

[lockie]

I might have missed it, but don't recall any mention of inbuilt GPS for PLB & EPIRB's.

Although most on the market by now would have this feature, newbies and others might not appreciate that older and still working EPIRB's may not have GPS. Hence these might not provide a position fix for some hours, depending on their position relative to visible satellites, versus transmission of position within a few minutes by GPS-equipped units. A very good idea to replace them.

Also, an earlier poster questioned the value of wearing PLB's on-person due to overly long time elapsed till rescue. Naturally it depends on how far away the chopper/p[lane/boat sets out from, but here in Oz we've had two incidents in the news recently where timely rescue due to PLB's saved lives.

Cheers, Graeme

[sv_pelagia]

At least in the USA, all new Epirbs must have GPS.

[Zzmeyer]

I can’t find more than one case where a plb was successful in a MOB situation. Looking at the ACR site it looks like only about 5 percent are even boating related and every incident report was either on board distress or boat sinking. In which case an EPIRB is the way to go. Pack a second epirb in the life raft. If you are worried about MOB get a personal AIS for the crew. The boat from whence you departed is by far your best rescue source and the plb is useless for that.

[lockie]

Originally Posted by Zzmeyer

I can’t find more than one case where a plb was successful in a MOB situation. Looking at the ACR site it looks like only about 5 percent are even boating related and every incident report was either on board distress or boat sinking. In which case an EPIRB is the way to go. Pack a second epirb in the life raft. If you are worried about MOB get a personal AIS for the crew. The boat from whence you departed is by far your best rescue source and the plb is useless for that.

You obviously didn't look in Oz where, as I stated, we've had two PLB-initiated MOB rescues in recent weeks.

Personal AIS MOB devices have a range of only a few miles (line-of-sight at sea level). They are useful where there are other boats close by, but useless for a solo sailor out on the blue.

[CarlF]

Although many won't agree with me - for the OP's plans for COASTAL sailing I would carry an InReach and a PLB for backup.

First, it is astonishingly rare for a EPIRB or PLB to be activated in the water. The boat is almost always afloat when activation occurs.

1) Most emergencies on a boat do not justify the MayDay issued by an EPIRB/PLB. Medical problems, mechanical issues, overdue are not things where we should usually ask SAR to risk their lives launching a helicopter. Nor do you always want to be taken off your boat and abandon it (which is what usually happens when a CG helicopter shows up). An InReach is perfect for this as it allows two way communication as to the nature of the emergency and what response is planned.

2) Because over 95% of EPIRB/PLB activations are false alarms, the CG spends substantial time after receiving one of these signals trying to telephone the people in your database before initiating a rescue. This confirmation can take over an hour - more if no one is home. With an InReach, confirmation is immediate since you can reply and the rescue will start more quickly -- with the right rescue plan for the situation.

My InReach would always be my first distress signal. Only if I didn't get an immediate response would I activate the PLB as a backup.

Finally, for coastal sailing in the US the 48 hour battery in the EPIRB is no better than the 24 hour battery in the PLB. A boat or helicopter will arrive in less than 4 hours.

[Zzmeyer]

Originally Posted by lockie

You obviously didn't look in Oz where, as I stated, we've had two PLB-initiated MOB rescues in recent weeks.
Personal AIS MOB devices have a range of only a few miles (line-of-sight at sea level). They are useful where there are other boats close by, but useless for a solo sailor out on the blue.

You are correct that you will not be rescued as a single hander from your boat if you exit at sea. If I were to singlehand offshore I'd carry a PLB. The limited range of AIS is not really an issue on a crewed boat. You will likely be on autopilot when you head overboard. Steering a reciprocal course will almost always bring the boat within range even if you haven't been noticed for a couple of hours. The overwhelming number of MOB rescues are made by the boat, or a nearby boat, to the location of the MOB, The PLB doesn't provide this information. My point isn't whether there are one or a few PLB MOB rescues, but rather, there are very few documented cases. ACR, the largest manufacturers, has none on their web site. The very nature of how they work makes them less than ideal in a situation where death will occur in a relatively short period of time. The US Coast Guard recommends that if you are more than 300 miles offshore you have enough supplies to last three days after activating an EPIRB. Not really useful in most MOB situations

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Zzmeyer

You are correct that you will not be rescued as a single hander from your boat if you exit at sea. If I were to singlehand offshore I'd carry a PLB. The limited range of AIS is not really an issue on a crewed boat. You will likely be on autopilot when you head overboard. Steering a reciprocal course will almost always bring the boat within range even if you haven't been noticed for a couple of hours. The overwhelming number of MOB rescues are made by the boat, or a nearby boat, to the location of the MOB, The PLB doesn't provide this information. My point isn't whether there are one or a few PLB MOB rescues, but rather, there are very few documented cases. ACR, the largest manufacturers, has none on their web site. The very nature of how they work makes them less than ideal in a situation where death will occur in a relatively short period of time. The US Coast Guard recommends that if you are more than 300 miles offshore you have enough supplies to last three days after activating an EPIRB. Not really useful in most MOB situations

I agree that PLB is almost -- not entirely, but almost -- useless for MOB. Certainly entirely useless in cold waters where I sail.


But in any case no one should be choosing either/or. You really want BOTH PLB AND an AIS/DSC MOB SART. They are not subsitutes for one another; they have completely different purposes. I have an MOB SART rigged in my life jacket to go off automatically if the jacket inflates. And I always have a PLB in my jacket too. And a knife, and a light.


The MOB SART is supremely useful for MOB rescue -- an instant ear-shattering DSC alarm on every vessel within miles, and a carat on the plotter showing the location of the victim. I guess 99% if not 99.9% of all MOB rescues are carried out either own boat or vessels within VHF range. That's what you want the MOB SART for. I carry a PLB only in case I get into trouble on land or in case I get separated from the EPIRB in case of a chaotic abandon ship. I would even set it off if I went overboard -- where I sail, if I'm not rescued in 30 minutes, I'm dead anyway.