Multipurpose PLB/EPIRB for land and sea??

[Chotu]

I’m looking at getting a satcom or PLB device for land use. I have too many weaknesses these days not to have one on remote adventures.

Is there any reason I can’t use the exact same device for emergencies at sea??

I was going to get a Garmin inReach Mini 2 or similar:



https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topic...locator-beacon

I know it’s not as good for the surprise sinking situation as a standard epirb. But instead of getting nothing it might be good.

Note: my boat can’t actually sink all the way. Even if you cut it up into pieces. The weight of it and all the crap inside is less than the buoyancy of the hull material alone, plus it also has fore and aft watertight compartments.

I do have an old floating epirb from a different boat that I could reregister and service (if that’s possible), but for now just using a land one seems good unless there’s a reason I shouldn’t?

Also, the two way communication seems really nice. Imagine you wanted to say goodbye to someone. And just for some communication when you are all alone. But I wonder why all of these are not on star link yet? They mostly use iridium. A couple of them use the old standard 406 frequency that the traditional boat Epirbs use. Longevity is also a concern. I’m wondering how long iridium will last given there is now star link. Once they do move over to Star link (because star link will likely put iridium out of business) , my device will be garbage right? So maybe it’s best just to get a 406 while waiting? There is no 2-way messaging over 406 frequency.

Then of course there is Geo politics. After what Elon Musk did with Starlink during Ukraine, would the Russians rescue you over it? They would probably more likely be on the 406 frequency.

Probably way over thinking this, but I don’t think there are any other factors.

[goboatingnow]

It will work at sea also

[Gudgeon]

My thoughts and opinions in what research I have done to replace my 15 year old Iridium sat phone.
1. Yes you can use either on your boat.
2. I will go with either the Garmin In Reach of the Iridium go. I will add a marine antenna and a mount of some sort at the Nav station. The both offer tracking and automatic scheduled messaging. Starlink is still evolving. They are on the Iridium satelites because they have proven relailbilty and there may be a cost issue. One thing to note is the SAT Phone does not work well on land in some narrow canyons as it can not locate a satellite due to limited view of the sky. So I assume all satellite communications (PLB included) will have this issue.
3. I just replace my old CAT 406 EPIRB due to cost of batter replacement. I now have a user replaceable battery unit good for 10 years vice the 5 year MFR rep battery replacement for about the same cost.
4. The In Reach and Go do not send a signal rescue signal to the regional rescue centers like a 406 EPIRB/PLB. They send a signal out and manual intervention is required to contact emergency services.
I do not think Star link will put Iridium out f business in the near future. Their cost is still much higher.

[noelex 77]

PLBs provide enormous bang for the safety buck.

Satellite communication devices accomplish many functions, but at least at sea I would recommend PLBs (or an EPIRB if this is required by law), as the best device (for the cost) to alert the cavalry. PLBs are also useful for hiking etc.

[ItDepends]

We have an automatically deploying EPIRB on the stern rail, and a PLB in the ditch bag.

Maybe I am kidding myself, but I assume if both go off at the same time in about the same spot, there will be less time lost to trying to figure if it might be a false alarm.

[Messing About]

I’ve been off the water for the last five years but I had a SPOT locator PLB.

I had great luck with it, using the pre-programmed check in messages with locations. Used the Help button, to summon SeaTow once for a non life threatening emergency. My brother used his 911 feature to get airlifted off of the backside of Catalina Island, CA when he had a fire aboard during an overnight solo fishing trip, capsized his inflatable and swam 2 miles to shore.

The SPOT also worked for many hikers and bikers over the years.

Looks like their new models have a keyboard for messaging. My, oh my, these have advanced since I bought one in 2008.

https://www.findmespot.com/en-us/