Other Anyone considering buying a Personal Location Beacon?

WaveDemon

WaveDemon

Not Dead - Notable Member
Location
Hell, Florida
Idok said:
we quit riding vic at sea LONG ago...not worth it, no fun and too dangerous....


I often thought at times a flare duct taped to your vest wouold be a good idea...they make compact plastic ones sealed with o-rings....


cheap insurance
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I kind of agree. Victory at sea is fun to survive the first time or 2 but after that, it's a lot more work than fun.
 
augustaf

augustaf

Location
central florida
Please, consider carrying the unit in an additional waterproof pouch- they're available for that purpose. The larger and more expensive EPIRBs are rather watertight. These smaller units are as waterproof as a Yam electrical box (don't submerge it too often) Go for the 406 units, the sats can pick them up.
 
D-Nice

D-Nice

flap dem wings johnny!
Location
hammonton, new jersey
im down for one of em. acr sounds good. had my scare once. went out in a storm 8-10ft waves breaken nasty on my blaster and got seperated bout 600 feet from beach around dusk. after getten pummeled by waves i look up an the blaster was over 100 ft away so i said uck it im swimmin in. took me over an hour to swim in (blowing my whistle for help the hole time) luckly i made it to the beach and the blaster eventually surfed itself to shore. scariest expeirce i ever been in. its a hole nother mind set when ur out there all alone gettin slammed by waves an the beach looks miles away
 
OCD Solutions

OCD Solutions

Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
Location
Rentz, GA
augustaf said:
Please, consider carrying the unit in an additional waterproof pouch- they're available for that purpose. The larger and more expensive EPIRBs are rather watertight. These smaller units are as waterproof as a Yam electrical box (don't submerge it too often) Go for the 406 units, the sats can pick them up.
Click to expand...

Good advice Fred. I am sure they were not designed for constant immersion like we would expose them to.
 
OCD Solutions

OCD Solutions

Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
Location
Rentz, GA
I sent emails out to 3 different companies on Monday and have not heard back from anyone yet. Not very impressed at all.

I did find a distributor in Florida that I will call today and ask direcly.
 
OCD Solutions

OCD Solutions

Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
Location
Rentz, GA
I made a few calls this afternoon and spoke to a couple different companies. Both are going to get back to me tomorrow with pricing but I am assured that the more units we order, the better the price. There is not very much markup on these units so I am not expecting a huge discount but it will most likely mean free shipping and a neon colored neoprene float pocket for next to free.

So far most of the discussion has been around the ACR ResQlink 406 GPS but I am told that they will mix and match with the Fast Find and any other units if we want. This is a local company that specializes in air and sea rescue here in Charleston. After I explained my reason for researching the beacons, he told me that he would place a call in to ACR and see if they would do anything to help as well.

I would really like to see these units catch on like the avalanche beacons did for snowmobilers. You would not catch any of us in the mountains without a beacon and I always knew that if I encountered 30 riders in a day, I knew that at least 29 of them were wearing a beacon. Like an avalanche beacon, it is more than a security device for yourself, it is also a tool to use if someone else is in trouble.

So far there is group interest in 6 units.
 
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D-Nice

D-Nice

flap dem wings johnny!
Location
hammonton, new jersey
whats your guys plans for haven it on you when u ride? i deff want it on me not my ski in case of bein seperated. my vest has no pockets. maybe i could find a new vest with a tiny pocket since the acrs like 2"x4"x1.5"
 
OCD Solutions

OCD Solutions

Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
Location
Rentz, GA
You can buy a neoprene floating pouch that has a belt loop that can be attached to the waist straps of your lifejacket. I am going to meet up with the salesman on saturday to play with a demo unit. I will take my lifejacket and take some pics of the unit installed.
 
feartheride

feartheride

feartheride
Location
St.Catharines,On.Canada
how do the snomobile ones work,same manual activation..I'm thinkink not..

I'm in for one as long as it is the best for the application..I'll carry it quite a bit ..ski,sled dirt bike road bike,maybe even out for a night on the town in case I get so hammered I can't find my way home..
 
OCD Solutions

OCD Solutions

Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
Location
Rentz, GA
An avalanche beacon is a bit different and has two modes, transmit and receive and a very limited range. They are activated with a plug in tether and transmit a signal the entire time you ride. In the event of an avalanche, the surviving users switch their devices over to receiver mode and are then able to hone in on the signal(s) and hopefully reach a buried buddy(s) before they suffocate. Depending on depth of burial, the survival window can be as little as 2-3 minutes.

These personal locator beacons in no way replace an avalanche beacon but would make an excellent addition to them. The avalanche beacon will only help you find a friend in a small area, the PLD will call for reinforcements and medical assistance so you all may survive the event.

Check out www.survivalonsnow.com

Having made the above statement, I am reminded just how scary mountain riding truly is. I wasn't half as scared riding hurricane Bill last year as I was on the most basic outing into the mountains. I have footage of myself doing a hillclimb in Tumbler Ridge, BC Canada and setting off a small avalanche behind me. I climbed as high as I could above it before turning out and then riding back down thru it. You do not have many options and I got very lucky that day.
 
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