Quote:
Originally Posted by nightfighter
PLB Personal Location Beacon
I think this is adequate for what I do as opposed to an EPIRB. What do you have? Recommendations? ACR is a name that seems to keep coming up.
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I don't know how much a PLB costs and i know the EPIRB can get pricey but an option might be to purchase something like the High Standard Hand held VHF radio model HX870. It has GPS so you can navigate to waypoints (still need your charts so you don't kiss bottom) and it has the DSC function. It is one of the few handhelds that has GPS also.
It has a red button on the side you press (it's under a protected cover flap so you don't depress it accidentally) and when you do I automatically send your GPS position to mother. It sends out your MMSI info (all your personal info, name, boat, all that good stuff) so the Coast Guard knows what to look for. It's batteries last a long time (all day) and it has a replacement pack you can swap in just a few seconds. When it hits water it automatically starts beaconing a white flashing light and best of all .... it floats. If you went this route you get both a VHF ship to shore, a second GPS on your boat as I'm sure you have one already and a great distress function in the case of an emergency. The thing that I like most about it is that fact that you can tell anyone and everyone on the boat, if i fall down and have a heart attach and you don't know how to get home, just hit the damn button and in 15 minutes or so you'll have more flashing lights than a christmas tree. If the electronics go out in your boat you always have the handheld to get you home.
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