Wherever you go...
Oct. 6th, 2003 12:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tugrik...there you can be found.
Yeah, I'm in a gadget-and-traveltech mood today. The more I end up having to sit still at the work-desk the more I daydream about going far off and interesting places. Friday afternoon I read a trip-report with the most amazing pictures over on my rider's board -- a multi-week jaunt through Syria and Jordan. Images of riding through desert sands through roman-era ruins had me lost in imagination a for good part of the weekend. What makes me a geek more than an adventurer is the fact the daydreams always include equipment and infrastructure bits. Yeah, I know that's weird. At least it's not "pay a quarter to get in the tent" kind of weird, though. :)
In any case, I felt compelled to shop for PLBs this weekend. They're nifty survival tools.
A lot of survival gear has grown out of the boating industry. They were the first ones to make extensive use of radio direction finders for locating people who need rescue. Two big things in that market are MOBs (Man Overboard Beacons) and EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons). MOBs are simple radio beacons that activate upon a person hitting the water. A directional receiver will help you find the person even in tall waves. EPIRBs are step up. They can also activate upon hitting the water, and are designed to float and keep their antennas above water. They notify satellites of the situation and summon search and rescuse teams.
The EPIRB idea was thought to be a great thing... it helps take the "search" out of search and rescue. They're only designed for sea use, however. To use one on land for any other purpose was to incur rather huge fines or other punishment. A number of back-country climbers and other adventurous types figured they'd rather be in trouble or in debt than dead and started carrying EPIRBs with their safety gear. The downside to all this was not only the illegal nature of using them this way but the fact they were not exactly well designed as backpack equipment.
Other countries started adapting the EPIRB concept into a better tool for the individual, on land or sea and the PLB, or Personal Locator Beacon, was born.
A PLB is a small, rugged device that's sized right to be carried in a pocket or on a lanyard. They are waterproof, float and have batteries designed to safely store for 5 years while still providing 24 hours of operation once triggered. The on-switch is an interlock that is designed to be easy to use when injured (and auto-deploys the antenna) without being easy to accidentally set off. Some of the advanced models, like the one I linked to, have a built in GPS. Others do not, but let you attach them to external GPS units. When you buy a PLB you have to register it with the NOAA; this doesn't cost anything. You're letting Search-and-rescue know your emergency contact numbers and other bits necessary for if your beacon ever goes off. Before you make any major trip you should let your contacts know where you're going, etc... as they're the ones that will get called first.
If you ever have to use your PLB, here's what happens: Hitting the on-switch will break a tab or other safety-seal. The antenna will deploy; you should hold it vertical if you can. It immediately starts putting out a low-power RF direction-finding signal that any directional radios within a few miles can home in on. The GPS, if it has one, takes a reading and stores the information. Then the satellite transmitter turns on and uploads your ID code and GPS data (if available) to the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite constellation, where it's relayed to the appropriate Search and Rescue groups. They look up your PLB record and immediately call your emergency contacts. If they don't know where you are or have any other convincing reason to stop the rescue, S&R heads out to the reported position and finds you. When they're close they might use a directional receiver if necessary.
Having a PLB if you go anywhere even slightly backcountry-ish is a very good idea. Getting the GPS-equipped models is an even better idea, as it lets S&R know where you are within a few dozen feet instead of a few thousand. Right now they're a little pricey: about $500 without GPS, $800-1000 with. They're rugged, however, and should last you for a very long time. As their usage spreads and the public gets more knowledge about them the costs will go down. Due to the registration system, fines for misuse and good design engineering they prevent a lot of false alarms, making the system very effective.
I'm currently saving my pennies to get the Pains-Wessex model. Like a first-aid kit, it's the kind of thing I definitely want to have but hope I never have to use.
If you'd like to know more, please read this FAQ lor just google-search for "PLB".
I wanted to see one of these in person and check out their weight and feel. Web-pictures don't do a great job of showing volume and heft of a gadget. Since they sold it on their web site, I went to West Marine to try and find one. Evidently they're still too expensive to be considered for on-shelf sales, though. Web order only. Hrmf. I don't have the money for one yet anyways.
...and enough equipment-geeking for one day. Back to work for me.
Yeah, I'm in a gadget-and-traveltech mood today. The more I end up having to sit still at the work-desk the more I daydream about going far off and interesting places. Friday afternoon I read a trip-report with the most amazing pictures over on my rider's board -- a multi-week jaunt through Syria and Jordan. Images of riding through desert sands through roman-era ruins had me lost in imagination a for good part of the weekend. What makes me a geek more than an adventurer is the fact the daydreams always include equipment and infrastructure bits. Yeah, I know that's weird. At least it's not "pay a quarter to get in the tent" kind of weird, though. :)
In any case, I felt compelled to shop for PLBs this weekend. They're nifty survival tools.
A lot of survival gear has grown out of the boating industry. They were the first ones to make extensive use of radio direction finders for locating people who need rescue. Two big things in that market are MOBs (Man Overboard Beacons) and EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons). MOBs are simple radio beacons that activate upon a person hitting the water. A directional receiver will help you find the person even in tall waves. EPIRBs are step up. They can also activate upon hitting the water, and are designed to float and keep their antennas above water. They notify satellites of the situation and summon search and rescuse teams.
The EPIRB idea was thought to be a great thing... it helps take the "search" out of search and rescue. They're only designed for sea use, however. To use one on land for any other purpose was to incur rather huge fines or other punishment. A number of back-country climbers and other adventurous types figured they'd rather be in trouble or in debt than dead and started carrying EPIRBs with their safety gear. The downside to all this was not only the illegal nature of using them this way but the fact they were not exactly well designed as backpack equipment.
Other countries started adapting the EPIRB concept into a better tool for the individual, on land or sea and the PLB, or Personal Locator Beacon, was born.
A PLB is a small, rugged device that's sized right to be carried in a pocket or on a lanyard. They are waterproof, float and have batteries designed to safely store for 5 years while still providing 24 hours of operation once triggered. The on-switch is an interlock that is designed to be easy to use when injured (and auto-deploys the antenna) without being easy to accidentally set off. Some of the advanced models, like the one I linked to, have a built in GPS. Others do not, but let you attach them to external GPS units. When you buy a PLB you have to register it with the NOAA; this doesn't cost anything. You're letting Search-and-rescue know your emergency contact numbers and other bits necessary for if your beacon ever goes off. Before you make any major trip you should let your contacts know where you're going, etc... as they're the ones that will get called first.
If you ever have to use your PLB, here's what happens: Hitting the on-switch will break a tab or other safety-seal. The antenna will deploy; you should hold it vertical if you can. It immediately starts putting out a low-power RF direction-finding signal that any directional radios within a few miles can home in on. The GPS, if it has one, takes a reading and stores the information. Then the satellite transmitter turns on and uploads your ID code and GPS data (if available) to the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite constellation, where it's relayed to the appropriate Search and Rescue groups. They look up your PLB record and immediately call your emergency contacts. If they don't know where you are or have any other convincing reason to stop the rescue, S&R heads out to the reported position and finds you. When they're close they might use a directional receiver if necessary.
Having a PLB if you go anywhere even slightly backcountry-ish is a very good idea. Getting the GPS-equipped models is an even better idea, as it lets S&R know where you are within a few dozen feet instead of a few thousand. Right now they're a little pricey: about $500 without GPS, $800-1000 with. They're rugged, however, and should last you for a very long time. As their usage spreads and the public gets more knowledge about them the costs will go down. Due to the registration system, fines for misuse and good design engineering they prevent a lot of false alarms, making the system very effective.
I'm currently saving my pennies to get the Pains-Wessex model. Like a first-aid kit, it's the kind of thing I definitely want to have but hope I never have to use.
If you'd like to know more, please read this FAQ lor just google-search for "PLB".
I wanted to see one of these in person and check out their weight and feel. Web-pictures don't do a great job of showing volume and heft of a gadget. Since they sold it on their web site, I went to West Marine to try and find one. Evidently they're still too expensive to be considered for on-shelf sales, though. Web order only. Hrmf. I don't have the money for one yet anyways.
...and enough equipment-geeking for one day. Back to work for me.
