Epirb, elt, and plb

KP2013dramamama

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2009
Messages
554
Hi, oh seasoned wised ones of the forum and the sea! You know who you are!

Please explain to me (or where I can go to get accurate info) if the EPIRBS, PLB AND ELT are used interchangeably nationally and internationally, especially the PLB.

I am most interested in the PLB as a possible graduation gift. I understand PLB's are activated manually and if I read correctly, a person has to keep the antenna up and out of the water. Are PLB's even a practical gift? Ds will be sailing on a vessel. Are there PLBs on safety rafts? My guess that depends on the company/country?

What are the best PLBs? PMing me is fine if you don't want to come across as a sales person for any specific company.

Thanks for you help. Looking forward to some answers.
 
For PBJ I like Smucker's blackberry with creamy Jif on wheat. And for BLT I like it crisp with some mayo.

JK... too many acronyms for me. On this forum they keep coming all the time... and I'm no rookie! :wink:
 
too funny!

That's ok Maplerock! I must admit I almost made a joke about PBLT (peanut butter lettuce and tomato) but didn't want to confuse people!

PLB= Personal Locator Beacon
EPIRB=Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon
ELT= Emergency Locator Transmitters


So now do you know how to help me?
 
Are PLB's even a practical gift? Ds will be sailing on a vessel. Are there PLBs on safety rafts? My guess that depends on the company/country?

Unless he's going to be working as a Columbia River Bar pilot (or maybe a pilot anywhere), a PLB is not a very practical gift.. Ships rafts aren't equipped with EPIRBs but all ships 300 tons and over carry a 406 MHz Satellite EPIRB. EPIRBs are normally located on a bridge wing rail clear of any obstructions where they can be deployed by a hydrostatic release unit. They can also be removed from their bracket and activated manually.

If you're worried he may end up on the wrong side of a ships rail, a float coat or float jacket may be a little more practical gift..:wink:

http://www.mustangsurvival.com/professional/mj6214-t1?division=professional&country=25
 
We got our son SCUBA equipment as a graduation gift. It is what he wanted. Hard to believe his experience at KP is ending. Seems like yesterday I was looking for a certain model of New Balance sneakers.
 
Nah. I'd agree that if it's a worry, a floatcoat would be a better gift. Even the smallest PLBs are bigger than a cellphone and personally, I hate carrying around more gear than I positively need. Unless they're into offshore sailing or extreme hiking or mountain climbing, I'd forgo the PLB.

I do like that watch, except that I'd constantly worry about activating it and having choppers circling overhead. :biggrin:
 
One of the true experts in the field is named Doug Ritter. He is an industry consultant and lobbyist who's lifetime work is making sure folks have the right equipment and knowledge to survive.

This is his website... www.equipped.com/

You will have to poke around a bit, but there are lots of articles and equipment reviews on exactly what you are asking about.
 
WAC2013, MedB, Deepdraft1, KP13

Thank you for all the suggestions and expertise. There is much to look into and ultimately, it is up to DS as to what he thinks he'll need depending on what he'll be doing.
 
Give cash! Its water resistant, flexible, can be helpful in most emergencies, lightweight (unless you give LOTS), small, etc.....LOL
 
Back
Top