Which PLB?

My search didn't reveal a recent discussion of whats currently available in PLB's.

W&W shows two...
Kannad XS-4
Fast find 220 PLB

What are the advantages of each?

Are there other better ones?

Seems like the biggest issue is that when the battery life is up you essentially have to buy a new one as it costs almost as much to replace the battery as a new PLB costs. Are there better options?

Brian

My wife and I each carry one of these, I while flying, she while hiking:
http://www.acrartex.com/products/cat.../resqlink-plb/


"Brian" wrote in message
...
My search didn't reveal a recent discussion of whats currently available
in PLB's.

W&W shows two...
Kannad XS-4
Fast find 220 PLB

What are the advantages of each?

Are there other better ones?

Seems like the biggest issue is that when the battery life is up you
essentially have to buy a new one as it costs almost as much to replace
the battery as a new PLB costs. Are there better options?

Brian

On Monday, March 31, 2014 4:35:42 PM UTC-7, Brian wrote:
My search didn't reveal a recent discussion of whats currently available in PLB's.



W&W shows two...

Kannad XS-4

Fast find 220 PLB



What are the advantages of each?



Are there other better ones?



Seems like the biggest issue is that when the battery life is up you essentially have to buy a new one as it costs almost as much to replace the battery as a new PLB costs. Are there better options?



Brian

Yes the battery replacement cost can be an issue, and often time to just buy a new unit.

You should look over the models you mentioned and the ACR ones that Dan pointed to. I've carried the McMurdo Fast Find but again, look at the product specs yourself. And what features you want may depend on if you also have a InReach or a SPOT.

I really just wanted to mention one issue and that is make sure the thing is properly attached to your parachute harness. There have been cases of folks attaching PLBs and SPOTs etc. to the harnesses in very bad ways. Alan Silver at Silver parachutes has written about this, and he also makes a nice pack that will hold many PLBs (or it it won't fit yours ask him about a custom one). See http://www.silverparachutes.com/smak-pak-survival-kits.

When you register the beacon with NOAA make sure you mention it is used in a glider and provide the glider type, N number and contest number. I also gave phone numbers for FBOs I frequently flew with. If you also carry a SPOT or InReach mention that as well so the SAR folks know to try to look there as well. Have a transponder, mention that as well. Then write up a note for your family, club/FBO, friends, fellow pilots etc. that describes the glider, describe all the SAR and tracking stuff in your glider, survival gear carried, mentions you have a parachute (or not) with the PLB attached to the parachute, include all the devices ID's, where to track you, and what they should do if concerned or aware you are in distress. Any known medical issues include it there. A brief sheet that is easy to email or fax to a Sheriff's office/SAR team without the folks who you may need to relying on having to think too much about it.

Darryl

On Monday, March 31, 2014 5:23:13 PM UTC-7, darrylr wrote:
On Monday, March 31, 2014 4:35:42 PM UTC-7, Brian wrote:

My search didn't reveal a recent discussion of whats currently available in PLB's.







W&W shows two...



Kannad XS-4



Fast find 220 PLB







What are the advantages of each?







Are there other better ones?







Seems like the biggest issue is that when the battery life is up you essentially have to buy a new one as it costs almost as much to replace the battery as a new PLB costs. Are there better options?







Brian



Yes the battery replacement cost can be an issue, and often time to just buy a new unit.



You should look over the models you mentioned and the ACR ones that Dan pointed to. I've carried the McMurdo Fast Find but again, look at the product specs yourself. And what features you want may depend on if you also have a InReach or a SPOT.



I really just wanted to mention one issue and that is make sure the thing is properly attached to your parachute harness. There have been cases of folks attaching PLBs and SPOTs etc. to the harnesses in very bad ways. Alan Silver at Silver parachutes has written about this, and he also makes a nice pack that will hold many PLBs (or it it won't fit yours ask him about a custom one). See http://www.silverparachutes.com/smak-pak-survival-kits.



When you register the beacon with NOAA make sure you mention it is used in a glider and provide the glider type, N number and contest number. I also gave phone numbers for FBOs I frequently flew with. If you also carry a SPOT or InReach mention that as well so the SAR folks know to try to look there as well. Have a transponder, mention that as well. Then write up a note for your family, club/FBO, friends, fellow pilots etc. that describes the glider, describe all the SAR and tracking stuff in your glider, survival gear carried, mentions you have a parachute (or not) with the PLB attached to the parachute, include all the devices ID's, where to track you, and what they should do if concerned or aware you are in distress. Any known medical issues include it there. A brief sheet that is easy to email or fax to a Sheriff's office/SAR team without the folks who you may need to relying on having to think too much about it.



Darryl

http://www.craggyaero.com/elt.htm

Richard
www.craggyaero.com

On Monday, March 31, 2014 7:47:12 PM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
My wife and I each carry one of these, I while flying, she while hiking:

http://www.acrartex.com/products/cat.../resqlink-plb/

I've carried the same model for three years. It floats. I use it year round for a variety of outdoor activities and I carry it in my car in the winter should I skid over a hillside (that happens around here).

Acrartex has some new models, but one model that they introduced last fall was discontinued so beware of buying the discontinued model if you find it cheap. If you use the device for a legit rescue, Acrartex gives you a new one.

I use a pouch similar to this for secure attachment to parachute harness http://www.amazon.com/Military-Surpl...urplus+pouches

They are not too hard to find cheap and some websites give an accurate description of size. Get a pouch with a reliable Fastex buckle closure (not a snap)

On Monday, March 31, 2014 7:35:42 PM UTC-4, Brian wrote:

Seems like the biggest issue is that when the battery life is up you essentially have to buy a new one as it costs almost as much to replace the battery as a new PLB costs.

Some of the newer models have seven year batteries. When my battery expires I plan to get a new unit because anything electronic (including batteries) gets better, cheaper, more reliable and lighter rapidly nowadays. Plus electronics can go bad with the passage of time and I want maximum reliability in my PLB. You can get a ResQlink PLB for $250, so cost is about $50 a year if you toss it when it expires.

Newbie PLB questions:
Do you turn the unit on before you take off?

If not, how long might it take to boot up and acquire a GPS position fix?

Hypothetical situation: I'm landing out in a bad area, I have no radio contact with anyone, where I think I may get hurt. Can you press the Send Help button and then if you are OK after your dicey landing cancel the send help message you sent out?
I would hate send out the Please Help Me signal, get the system in gear, and then a few minutes later find out I'm OK. I would also hate to crash, get knocked unconscious and not be able to hit the button.. whats the protocol here?

An overlooked add-on capability of some PLBs lets you send "I'm OK" messages.
http://406link.com/ Every message shortens the internal battery life, so you need to use these messages sparingly. If I had this capability I would only use it (very rarely) to request a retrieve from a landout when my cell phone did not work and there was no landline close at hand. I think it is better to use a SPOT/INREACH for the "I'm OK" function and save the PLB battery for the real distress call that MUST succeed.

On Wednesday, April 2, 2014 10:07:00 AM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote:
Newbie PLB questions:

Do you turn the unit on before you take off?

No.



If not, how long might it take to boot up and acquire a GPS position fix?


This would depend on the model. Consult manufacturer. I think it is pretty fast and other factors will probably dominate your decision. The ResQLink has a short whip antenna (that you can deploy one handed in the cockpit, it is worthwhile to practice this in the dark.) The antenna and the 5 watt transmit pulse are two of the things that makes the distress call more likely to get through. The unit will at times send a distress signal without a GPS fix, then issue a second signal when it acquires a fix. As pointed out earlier, the unit only transmits when it can see a SARS satellite (so it does not waste battery).



Hypothetical situation: I'm landing out in a bad area, I have no radio contact with anyone, where I think I may get hurt. Can you press the Send Help button and then if you are OK after your dicey landing cancel the send help message you sent out?

The only way to cancel the 'help' message would be to talk with the agency that is coordinating the rescue (or ask your proxy to do that via cellphone). They attempt to contact you to confirm the request for help. You might use the 406link.com to send an "I'm OK" to cancel the distress call. Or you could send the "I'm OK" on your SPOT/INREACH if you carry one.

The implicit contract with PLBs is that you reasonably exhaust all possibilities of 'self-rescue' before issuing the 'distress call'.

If you knew you were going to 'truly crash land' in trees or rough terrain, or remote and far from roads, I think it would be 'reasonable' to send the distress signal before landing, even if you were out of contact to cancel it later. I say this because 'walking out' in remote areas is sometimes not a reasonable option. It is better to stay with the glider. If the SARS decided that my call was unreasonable, I'd be willing to 'take the heat'.



I would hate send out the Please Help Me signal, get the system in gear, and then a few minutes later find out I'm OK.


I would also hate to crash, get knocked unconscious and not be able to hit the button.. whats the protocol here?

That is a possibility and it is why a SPOT/INREACH tracking is a prudent accessory.

PLBs do ONE THING extremely well, but they do not supersede SPOT/INREACH.

PLBs do ONE THING extremely well, but they do not supersede SPOT/INREACH.

Good observation. It won't be long before someone sees the advantage of this and comes up with a device that does BOTH.
I'll wait for that one.

On Wednesday, April 2, 2014 1:02:20 PM UTC-4, Soartech wrote:
PLBs do ONE THING extremely well, but they do not supersede SPOT/INREACH.

Good observation. It won't be long before someone sees the advantage of this and comes up with a device that does BOTH.

I'll wait for that one.

You may be waiting a very long time. One of the reliability factors in a PLB design is that it is a sealed unit with a high reliability well-tested and carefully manufactured lithium long-life battery, and the unit suffers no wear and tear from ongoing use.

One of the advantages of a SPOT/INREACH is that it has a replaceable battery, so you don't have to worry about running down the battery by making "I'm OK" transmissions and tracking.

A unit that covered both bases would not eliminate any of the need for circuit and battery redundancy.