Distress Beacons 101 | The difference between a PLB and Satellite Messenger Device | A Chat with MSC

[@QuiltedZero12]

Kiwi's are awesome. Straight forward, real and super informative. Thank you.

[@Baasicstuff]

Great and honest Review PLBs are the only thing I want to use in an emergency. 20 year vet, the HELO will go straight to you, text device have no homing beacon, in some cases making help, rescue impossible at night, I was in two rescue squadrons. PLBs also have us follow an arrow straight to you. . All the YT guys push the text devices cause the companies push these. Cost of ownership is close to $1000.00 a year with most those devices. Big money for sales, and companies

[@jshepard152]

Well said. PLBs are the best choice for real life and death situations, for many reasons.

[@ericzehrung5028]

Thank you! I’ve been so confused about the differences until now.

[@nicolaguy]

Thanks, useful video.

[@peterpain6625]

Thanks for the clarification on those. I'd add a chemical light to the kit ("glowstick". i usually tape two together should one fail). They're light, glow for 12h+ and come in different colors (red for emergencies. blue/green ones for is you're in a bigger group that may get stretched a bit). Not sure about the availability in NZ though. Quit useful if you want to be found by the people you called for help at night ;)

[@marcwilliams4014]

Red is the least visible colour to the human eye at night, so I'd ditch the red for emergency as any rescue party would struggle to see it. However cyan which is between your blue and green is the easiest to see so use blue and/or green at night if you want to be found. You're welcome lol

[@peterpain6625]

@@marcwilliams4014 Over a decade of csar tought me different but heyho ;)

[@harrisonshao4537]

I have an inreach and a resqlink. I would buy a resqlink for my parents. They can’t even remember passwords to log into their computers or phone.

[@jek1450]

Nice video. When will season 2. Tramping series come out?

[@NZMountainSafetyCouncil]

Thanks! Stay tuned for their release later this year! Head to our social media for updates on the project too!

[@CarlosWilkie]

Should you call the rescue co-ordination centre to advise when ur testing your PLB before you hit the test button?

[@NZMountainSafetyCouncil]

Hi Carlos - No you do not need to call RCCNZ before testing. But you should only use the Test button, you should never ‘test’ the beacon by using the main button. For further help you visit this section of Beacons.org.nz: www.beacons.org.nz/using-a-beacon/beacon-care/ or read the manual you received with the device. Hope this helps!

[@jshepard152]

In the US, PLB testing is supposed to be done the first 5 minutes of each hour. That's because PLBs also transmit an audio distress beacon on emergency radio channels. Not sure if this procedure holds up worldwide.

[@jefffski]

Re the PLB, can you explain what happens in the following scenario? Imagine, I'm in the water because my boat capsized. I manage to pull the PLB out of a pocket on my PFD. Do I just push the button? I know from my GPS devices, that it takes some time to 'get' my location. Is the PLB just faster, or is it different, in that it's sending out a signal and doesn't need to acquire my location? Thx

[@NZMountainSafetyCouncil]

Hi Jeffski - The alert will go out immediately, as soon as it finds a satellite. This typically doesn’t take long. You don’t need to do anything else, just leave it on, and emergency services will know where you are. As the PLB acquires further satellites, your location will become even more precise over the next few minutes. Hope this helps!

[@SultanofSpey]

Think routine/semi-urgent vs emergency. Sat messengers do a few things pretty well and are more for routine situations. PLB's do one thing, and only one thing exceptionally well. These are your best and last resort when you're inner voice tells you that you're in dire circumstances where self rescue is impossible or attempting so would make the situation worse. If you're going out alone, get both.

[@jefffski]

@@SultanofSpey I've upgraded my vhf radio so it now has a find me button which sends out my location to all listeners, which includes all nearby mariners. We're ocean canoeists, btw, on the west coast of BC

[@SultanofSpey]

@@jefffski Got it. That makes enormous sense. I’m in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. I’ve found map and compass still most reliable as satellite messengers and gps units don’t always grab reception when you really want it or so it seems. I use gps to confirm usually or get weather updates. PLB is my ultimate peace of mind. All three work pretty well as a system along with solid route planning and route discipline. Great chat. Be safe and enjoy.

[@jshepard152]

Old PLBs simply sent out a signal, and that signal did not include GPS coordinates. The SARSAT network could figure out a rough position, usually within a few miles. At times, it would require a couple of satellite passes (90-100 minutes) to get this fix. Then, SAR would have to come in with a radio receiver and home in on the second part of the PLB, which is a distress radio signal sent out at 121.5 MHz. SAR could eventually locate you in this large-ish area and pull you out. That's the old way. All new PLBs are GPS-enabled beacons. They acquire GPS coordinates and send that along with the initial distress signal. So SAR can come in quickly to your precise location, in most cases. Of course there is the possibility of GPS failure on the device, or the person moving while awaiting rescue. So the old technique can still be used, even on new beacons. For what it's worth, I tested my 2022-ish ACR PLB-400 recently, and with an open sky it acquired GPS coordinates in about 45 seconds.