Peter Duniho wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
A tad? I trust you're being sarcastic. A 406MHz PLB can be had for
under $600 and will squawk your GPS coordinates up to a satellite. Even
the best 121.5 ELT won't help until someone hears it

It's not clear what you mean here, but the satellite system listening for
ELT signals does detect 121.5 as well. It's not nearly as effective as
having GPS coordinates broadcast -- it can take a few hours just to get a
rough fix on your location by satellite -- but it's not like you are
depending on some person who just happens to be listening to 121.5 to
randomly fly by your location.


My bad. Duh!

IIRC in order for the satellites to provide a fix your signal needs to
be heard by several different birds, usually on multiple passes. From
my nautical experience with EPIRBs I recall fixes being on the order of
"within 5-60 miles of this point." In the open ocean, that's really a
needle in a haystack, particularly because you may have only one or two
ships in the area to look for you. In aviation we have it better
because DF'ing equipment will be brought into play very quickly, and
that area can be narrowed down better than at sea, where the satellite
fix is likely to be the only option.

There are some different dynamics at work between boating and flying
emergencies. There are many situations in which you can lose the boat
but not get seriously injured, and ride out a few days (or more) in a
life raft. An airplane crash on the other hand seem to me more likely
to involve injuries which, without immediate medical attention, will
prove deadly. So one could argue that the speed of rescue is more
critical in flying than boating, though I'd say that one who can afford
either should consider a PLB+GPS pretty seriously.

Best,
-cwk.