PLB Response Time

[FishyInverness]

It's true that at present you have to decide between AIS SARTs and PLBs, so if the parent vessel is completely unable to help (even by broadcasting a mayday or setting off its own 406 device) then the MOB is on their own - but that seems an acceptable tradeoff to me. In any case I hear rumours of a combined AIS / 406 device showing up in a year or so.

Pete

McMurdo are already talking about the development of a combined unit.

 

[Daydream believer]

In any case I hear rumours of a combined AIS / 406 device showing up in a year or so.

Pete

At the risk of setting sarcastic PRV off again--- I notice that my new AIS transponder has an MMSI distress button on it
Not sure how it is supposed to operate once the button is pressed, it is certainly not connected to the VHF but to its own aerial on the pushpit
Does it just transmit like an ordinary AIS but with a distress icon or something?

Or do i stand on the stern doing 406 semaphore?
& by the way Pete-- who is to say i won't get on BBC2- I bet i could if i tried:encouragement:

 

[duncan99210]

AIS transmits and receives on the VHF band, so a distress button will send essentially the same information in a distress call as the distress button on your VHF set. And I would imagine lights up your icon on other vessels in range as being in need of help.

 

[lw395]

That seems surprising. They're cranked out by the bazillions for mobile phones, whereas the 406MHz and 121.5Mhz transmitters and the PLB controller stuff is far lower volume.

Pete

Mobile phones have much cheaper GPS in them, generally less critical and they often use the network to assist fixing.
I may be wrong, the battery might be more expensive than the GPS, must be on an EPIRb as it's a triple pack IIRc.
The 406 and 121 transmitters are pretty simple.