Using Spot instead of Epirb

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

Am I recalling correctly that the original Spot technology relied on cell coverage, not satellite? I just want to point this out since the OP mentioned an older unit. Obviously a waterproof case for your cell phone would be far preferable to those older Spots.

For me, the two-way capability of InReach (and some newer competitors) is the selling point.

Not really cell coverage, but similar concept. The SPOT, and GlobalStar phones, talked to land stations which were in turn interconnected via satellites. If out of range of a land terminal then you have no coverage. This is why SPOT does not have global coverage.

[Mike Two Moons]

I tried to use the original Spot to enable family to track our progress on a crossing from Cape Verde to Barbados on the spring of 2018. I had it set to send a 24 hour email indicating all was well with a link to the on line map depicting our progress. I started the process in the Canaries to Cape Verde. Reporting was adequate at best. There were gaps in the reporting 24 to48 hours. Enroute to Barbados, there were no emails sent out. The on line map was updated considerably better.

The use of the Spot was backup to our epirb and daily position reporting via ham radio. In my opinion it failed miserably. It may well be that the satellite coverage used by the Spot system is dodgy off shore- but that doesn't explain why it tracked our bread crumbs sometimes and was ineffective generating the emails.

It was the first piece of kit I sold once we settled into the Caribbean.

I would definitely not offload the epirb. IMO

[Cpt Pat]

Which process seems more reliable to you?


1) Activate EPIRB, USCG (or other national authority) gets notified directly. If the EPIRB is GPS enabled, the CG knows your location within about 60 seconds. The message is also received by all of the Local User Terminals (LUTs) at all of the other Rescue Coordination Centers (RCC) in other countries.
2) Push SOS button on Spot. Private company receives distress message -- but only if you are inside the satellite reception area for Spot beacons (it's not global). Private company looks up your location, sees it's in the ocean, decides which National RCC to call, and calls that National RCC. None of the other RCCs get any notification. If it's an RCC that's never heard of them, tries to convince them it's not a hoax, tells them they have no idea what the actual problem is, and prays they do something about it (and that they understand English).

Which solution has fewer moving parts?


I have a PLB in my ditch bag, an EPIRB in a self-launching container, and an inReach messenger. If I'm ever really in the stink, I'll set off both the EPIRB and the PLB (they won't mutually interfere) to signify: "I'm really seriously in trouble here." At this point, I've done everything I can to affect my own rescue. But just to get some details out about my situation, I'd hit the "red button" on the inReach and message the private company (same one as Spot) to please relay details to the appropriate National RCC.

I also have a handheld aircraft band VHF radio, and I'd be calling MAYDAY in 121.5 MHz while I waited for the private company to respond to my inReach message. Every airliner within 100 miles is going to hear me. In the somewhat unlikely event that my HF radio still works (it won't if I'm dismasted), I'd also be calling on 14.300 MHz (USB), and the active transoceanic HF air traffic control frequency. If the FAA doesn't like that (the FCC says it's legal in a legit distress situation), I'd invite the FAA to come out and arrest me. Right away, please.

I call all that the "pester factor." The bigger the pest, the quicker the rescue.

[Simi 60]

Given how much money people waste on the latest iProduct or equivalent and how cheap epirbs are I can't believe the instead of question is even being asked.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Snore

.


The rhetorical question I ask my students is, "So, is your life worth $800?". Clearly it is, so the prudent thing is to buy a real EPRIB. My favorite is the ACR line.

Don't need to spend anything like $800
GME 406 epirb is $250, one with GPS as well is $400

[boatman61]

With the Spot one gets pre written messages that can be sent to preselected folk.
I have a Pan Pan message as one option and a Mayday message on another asking the recipiants to inform the CG, RNLI and any other who may be concerned.
They then copy and paste my Spot link on to the Rescue Services who then have my current position right up to the moment of rescue.
Well thats the theory..

[Cpt Pat]

A note on post above:


If I call on the international air distress frequency: 121.5 MHz, I will have to call "in the blind" because the low power homing beacon on the EPIRB and PLB, also transmitting on 121.5 MHz, will block my ability to receive any reply.


I left out that I'd also activate the DSC distress function on my marine VHF. It will retransmit a distress burst every 4 minutes if no reply is received. Unless I'm sailing in crowded or coastal waters, the marine VHF radio has a very low probability of reaching anyone.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Don't need to spend anything like $800
GME 406 epirb is $250, one with GPS as well is $400

However one needs to aware that EPIRBs are more expensive in USA than Australia.
e.g.
https://www.westmarine.com/epirbs

And some cheap Aussie EPIRBS (e.g. MT600) is not approved for sale in the USA.

https://www.gme.net.au/catalogue/eme...ety/mt600.aspx

[Cpt Pat]

Originally Posted by boatman61

With the Spot one gets pre written messages that can be sent to preselected folk.
They then copy and paste my Spot link on to the Rescue Services who then have my current position right up to the moment of rescue.
Well thats the theory..

> I have a Pan Pan message as one option and a Mayday message on another asking the recipiants to inform the CG, RNLI and any other who may be concerned.

Hopefully, the message recipients are awake and still like you. There are a few people (women) who I would have trusted to get out of bed and try to find the CG phone number -- who, in a bad mood, would rather see me drown. I don't like trusting my life to other people's moods and sleeping habits.

You can record any pertinent details in your EPIRB registration, and it gets transmitted along with your EPIRB activation alert.

> They then copy and paste my Spot link on to the Rescue Services who then have my current position right up to the moment of rescue.
Well thats the theory

Some RCCs have very limited Internet access and skills. I've spoken to some young Coasties who couldn't convert 38.1234 degrees displayed by Spot into degrees, minutes and decimal fractional minutes used by everyone else.

And how long does that Spot continue to operate, especially after it's been dunked in seawater?


I had a Spot until I bought the inReach. Just before deactivating my Spot subscription, I held the Spot unit under water to the depth of my elbow for about a minute. It was dripping wet inside. The gasket got distorted by all the times I'd opened the case to replace the battery.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Wotname

However one needs to aware that EPIRBs are more expensive in USA than Australia.
e.g.
https://www.westmarine.com/epirbs

And some cheap Aussie EPIRBS (e.g. MT600) is not approved for sale in the USA.

https://www.gme.net.au/catalogue/eme...ety/mt600.aspx

Not approved?
It really is a joke all this cross border/country *****.
The radio and satellite waves don't magically stop when they hit the US "wall"

Interesting that the ACR epirb below looks the same as the GME MT600 apart from colour.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/acr-e...67?recordNum=5

[Suijin]

Last time I crossed the Atlantic I forget where we were but we were probably a few hundred miles from Barbados. We started picking up on the VHF transmissions from a USCG plane looking for a vessel who’s epirb had lit up. A lot of chatter over several hours although we could only hear their side of it due to their altitude. Turned out that some French boat had inadvertently lost their epirb off the stern, it had activated, and they were actually fine. The USCG was looking for them but every transmission was always seeking any information that anyone might have.

BUT....if the USCG or any other rescue agency receives multiple alerts from different sources it serves to immediately confirm that there is an actual mayday in process.

If an eprirb lights up they are going to call your listed emergency contacts to confirm that you’re not actually sitting on their couch watching reruns of the X Files. They pursue due diligence to confirm that it is indeed an actual emergency.

TL;DR the more points of confirmation that any rescue organization has that expedite that process the faster the response will be.

[Cpt Pat]

Originally Posted by Suijin

BUT....if the USCG or any other rescue agency receives multiple alerts from different sources it serves to immediately confirm that there is an actual mayday in process.

TL;DR the more points of confirmation that any rescue organization has that expedite that process the faster the response will be.

Ah ha! Validation of the Pester Factor!

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Not approved?
It really is a joke all this cross border/country *****.
The radio and satellite waves don't magically stop when they hit the US "wall"

Interesting that the ACR epirb below looks the same as the GME MT600 apart from colour.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/acr-e...67?recordNum=5

^^ but it might be good if the wall acted like a diode and keep a lot of the RF inside

[Cpt Pat]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Not approved?
The radio and satellite waves don't magically stop when they hit the US "wall"

Don't tell Trump.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Cpt Pat

Ah ha! Validation of the Pester Factor!

Well $&@% yes. It’s not like all those other inputs confuse the matter. They serve to validate that an actual mayday is being communicated.

Anyone who has travelled coastal is well aware of how many spurious maydays emergency organizations need to sift through every day. Whaever you can do to confirm that your mayday is legitimate s a good thing.

That said I think the communication/coordination between notified parties is not something to be counted on. I’d light off the epirb (you did update it with your current float plan did you not?) and consider the rest “supporting information”.