45 replies to this topic

[Latitude Adjustment]

Peter the planes listen to 121.5 mhz which is the same frequency used for MOB beacons and ERIB's

[ereediver]

The neat thing about the Rhino is you can push a button and put your position on the other Rhino's GPS screen that you are talking too but I think the Rhino is FMS and not VHF so you wouldn't be able to talk to the boat.

Lat ,your right about the rhino using FMS, but that boat had no radio anyway. In my opinion, the main point is that group missed a major, as we say in the law enforcement biz, clue. No one else would go out. at least from that is what I gather from what was posted . They searched for anyone who would take them. Not be be cruel and heartless, but it appears they were asking for trouble. As it has been said befoe YOU have the altimate authority on when and where you dive.

[Latitude Adjustment]

Even if that boat had a radio it wouldn't do you any good as they were dead in the water and drifting but a VHF could raise others in the area.

[PacketSniffer]

I would definitely stay with the boat.


If this happened to me, I would simply open up my "OH, SHEET!" tube and pop a flare. Then, I'd start signaling to shore with my mirror. I also carry a VHF radio with GPS mapping functionality so I could also call another boat in the area and/or call for distress on Ch 9 and give out our GPS coordinates. I also carry a spare GSM phone which would work if we were close enough to shore (~7 miles).

If I ever made the decision to swim for shore for whatever reason, I would definitely take the gear. If the current wasn't bad, I'd just make it dive. Air can last a loooong time at 10/20'. If swimming on surface, you definitely want the ability to float on the surface in case you got tired or seas were rough. I would take the float capability over drag any day.

Another point is that one should always wear some form of exposure protection when heading offshore. You never know if you'll get left behind/boat sunk/whatever. The protection will buy you more time. Time is everything. Of course, dry suit would be best and be what I would use for a number of reasons no matter what the temps (repetitive dives on live aboard, lost at sea).

I carry a home made tube (like a cannister light battery tube) attached to my back plate (BP) good for 250'+. I'll carry it whenever I go offshore or to a monstrous lake (Great Lakes). In the tube, I carry the following:

VHF radio w/GPS mapping (http://www.basspro.c...t=SearchResults)
GSM phone (SonyEriccssen T610; awesome battery life...about two weeks on standby)
Signal mirror (glass model from http://www.malcolmmu...cue/index.html)
Signal flares (Orion Skyblazer signal flares...very small...but only last about 8 seconds in air)
OMS water dye (cheap..why not?)
Jotron AQ4 strobe (excellent strobe, military uses them; http://www.jotron.co...me/default.htm)
Two extra C batteries for strobe
Oatmeal/dried meat snack

Things that I carry that don't deserve the safety of the tube or are too large are orange, wide brimmed hat (hunting hat from ebay that folds up very compact and goes into bellows pocket); sunglasses stowed conveniently in bellows pocket; 10' OMS SMB clipped to side of BP; DIVE Alert; modified Jon line to connect with buddy; 250' spool and reef hook (use to hold position on surface in high current); STORM whistle; and about a quart of water/Gatorade in a bladder which is stuffed in DiveRite's largest weight pocket that gets clipped on the bottom of my BP (fits perfect); and last but not least, I'll have a 18w HID light along with two back up lights (LED for very long life).

Murphy is gonna have a he11 of a time catching up with me.

Yes, it reads like a lot of gear but you would have a hard time telling that I'm carrying all of that stuff even considering I wear a BP/W.

Because the VHF radio is good for line of sight and doesn't come with optimum antenna, I plan to make an antenna or extension to string up to the top of the 10' SMB. If it works better, I'll pack it as well.


Scubadadmiami: I'm waiting for the standards to come out for the EPIRBs. None of the units out a while back seemed to be very reliable at all. Did you read the 2003 third party test from Equipped to Survive Foundation? They have conducted another test in 2005. I don't know what year you purchased your unit but you should read the latest tests. You can read about them here: http://www.equipped....n_test2_toc.htm

normblitch: Not knowing a lot about radios, is it possible to mod a Ham radio for use on the air bands? I know that it is illegal for non-aircraft to utilize the band. I believe it is ok though in an *emergency*. Correct me if wrong. Which radio did you mod? Being able to contact aircraft would be a huge plus as I don't know that all aircraft monitor the marine bands. I know some pilots do.

I've never been questioned about the VHF radio while traveling Int'l....never even been asked to turn it on.


Richard

Edited by PacketSniffer, 26 December 2005 - 11:07 AM.

[Mitch0129]

I would definitely stay with the boat.

If this happened to me, I would simply open up my "OH, SHEET!" tube and pop a flare. Then, I'd start signaling to shore with my mirror. I also carry a VHF radio with GPS mapping functionality so I could also call another boat in the area and/or call for distress on Ch 9 and give out our GPS coordinates. I also carry a spare GSM phone which would work if we were close enough to shore (~7 miles).

If I ever made the decision to swim for shore for whatever reason, I would definitely take the gear. If the current wasn't bad, I'd just make it dive. Air can last a loooong time at 10/20'. If swimming on surface, you definitely want the ability to float on the surface in case you got tired or seas were rough. I would take the float capability over drag any day.

Another point is that one should always wear some form of exposure protection when heading offshore. You never know if you'll get left behind/boat sunk/whatever. The protection will buy you more time. Time is everything. Of course, dry suit would be best and be what I would use for a number of reasons no matter what the temps (repetitive dives on live aboard, lost at sea).

Richard, the points you just outlined here is why I put this thread out here. Every indication from this story seems to point that the group did not expect and/or think the worst could happen and they were not prepared. And I don't think any of them had any type of signaling devices.

I do have a question regarding the VHF radios. I have seen that there are handheld VHF radios that are submersible and evidently small enough to put in a BC pocket. Could these devices be taken to depth? I have taken the Timex Ironman watches I have had as deep as 140 feet without problems, could this be done with the radios?

[PacketSniffer]

I do have a question regarding the VHF radios. I have seen that there are handheld VHF radios that are submersible and evidently small enough to put in a BC pocket. Could these devices be taken to depth? I have taken the Timex Ironman watches I have had as deep as 140 feet without problems, could this be done with the radios?

I don't know of any VHF radios that can be taken down to depth. If there were, I still think environmental conditions could degrade their reliability. In gear that I might have to rely on to save my life (and my buddy or others), I decided not to risk it and put everything in a waterproof tube. The radio I have is not waterproof but water resistant to just a couple of feet (can't recall exact depth at moment). The flares are good for a very limited depth too. The issue for me is that none of the gear I have will survive the depths that I will eventually be going to (~250' wreck dives). So, I wanted to solve the issue up front so I didn't have to redesign something later. With my gear, I like consistency/standardization. I really couldn't buy anything on the market that would fit everything. So, I went the custom/DIY route.

I'm off to Lost Lake.


Richard

Edited by PacketSniffer, 26 December 2005 - 12:19 PM.

[George]

Another point is that one should always wear some form of exposure protection when heading offshore. You never know if you'll get left behind/boat sunk/whatever. The protection will buy you more time. Time is everything. Of course, dry suit would be best and be what I would use for a number of reasons no matter what the temps (repetitive dives on live aboard, lost at sea).

A man after the wench's heart! She wears her drysuit ALL the time now and says she loves it. Now she has EVEN more good reasons to add wearing it to her list.

[TraceMalin]

Est-ce que chacun sait comment l'utilisation transmet par radio et EPIRBs et pourquoi je pourrait poser cette question en français?

Trace

[gcbryan]

Est-ce que chacun sait comment l'utilisation transmet par radio et EPIRBs et pourquoi je pourrait poser cette question en français?

Trace

m'aider
mayday

[normblitch]

Short story...

Until recently, Ham radios/scanners/etc were prototyped for the World Market, and had their band limits established by either internal firmware, or chokes/dip switches/diodes and the like...

Some, like my Yaesu FT-470 can be hacked simply by pressing a certain number of front-panel butons during power-up...MY FT-530 needed a trip to that guy at a HamFest who sat behind a small desk and wore a grounding strap (the things to be removed were SMT sized and there was NO way I was going to go in there waving a soldering pencil!). Similar with my Rat$hack and Uniden scanners...

So, YES, my HT's WILL work on just about any VHF and above freqs, albiet not as efficiently ... today, such mod-ding is illegal...

AND, unless Homeland Insecurity has over-ridden more International Communication laws than I am aware of, in an actual Declared Emergency, ANYONE can use ANYTHING to broadcast in ANY MODE on ANY BAND. Years ago, a group of hikers went afoul in the Wasatch, and were out of line-of-sight for their 2-meter HT's and repeaters...their HT's were hacked, and were able to contact directly to local law enforcement. They were found (OK), and were promptly charged with illegal broadcasting by the Locals. The FCC came to their defence, and the locals were successfully found guilty of malicious prosecution...

73 de Norm KE4GAH

normblitch: Not knowing a lot about radios, is it possible to mod a Ham radio for use on the air bands? I know that it is illegal for non-aircraft to utilize the band. I believe it is ok though in an *emergency*. Correct me if wrong. Which radio did you mod? Being able to contact aircraft would be a huge plus as I don't know that all aircraft monitor the marine bands. I know some pilots do.

I've never been questioned about the VHF radio while traveling Int'l....never even been asked to turn it on.


Richard

[TraceMalin]

Est-ce que chacun sait comment l'utilisation transmet par radio et EPIRBs et pourquoi je pourrait poser cette question en français?

Trace

m'aider
mayday

Yes, since French is the international language of diplomacy, "Mayday" is an English radio version of the French word, m'aidez - "help me." M'aider would mean "to help me." The international Morse Code system was abolished in 1999. "Mayday" repeated 3 times precedes requests for immediate assistance during distress. "Pan-Pan" repeated 3 times is used when assistance is needed, but the situation is not one of distress. "Securite" warns other vessels of danger. "Silence Mayday" ("silence" for the pronunciation "seelonce") orders radio silence on the channel. "Silence Distress" is a request to clear channel of all non-emergency communication. "Mayday Relay" is used when relaying a Mayday message. "Silence Fini" ends radio silence.

Trace

[ScubaDadMiami]

None of the units out a while back seemed to be very reliable at all. Did you read the 2003 third party test from Equipped to Survive Foundation? They have conducted another test in 2005. I don't know what year you purchased your unit. . . .

Yes. I have one of the newer units. I just got it recently. The reliability issue has been addressed since then (as you can see in the more recent tests). The McMurdo FastFind Plus (my unit) is the unit that the Coast Guard issues.

It uses the GPS to acquire the location, and it sends this out in its transmission, allowing those searching to narrow down the area quickly (compared to just triangulating from the distress signal alone--which is what happens with an EPIRB that does not have an integrated GPS. While the non-integrated types are ultimately effective, using these will cause a search to take a lot longer to pinpoint a location once the searchers get in the neighborhood). If it can't get a good GPS reading, it sends out the distress signal without location. If it picks up a location but then loses it, it continues to try locating while broadcasting the last good location. Mine is the dual band model. So, it sends via satellite, and aircraft can also pick up the signal.

You are right: nothing is foolproof. All we can do is the best we can do. That's a lot better than not doing anything. I figure I could make it for about two days or longer provisionwise and exposurewise with what I have before it would get serious. You guys better come pick me up before then!

[6Gill]

Now this works in British Columbia but can't speak for the rest of North America or the world...
*16 on your cell phone will get you RCC-rescue coordinate center
check with your local coast guard station as to if this is avalible in your area.Also remember that if you dont get cell phone reception this wont work.
Should you need to call for help knowing your approx. location(dive site names don't always match chart names),which port you left from and the general heading all help the rescue personal.Thia will also help boats that might be in the area and closer than coast guard

Eric

[ereediver]

Another point to add to "staying with the boat "is, The Captain should have a Float plan left on shore listing the boats name, description, number on board, estimated time of return, and where they were going. This should start a search once the boat is over due. As has been said, a boat is much easier to find, and if the float plan is followed as it should be, the searchers will have an idea where to look. If you leave the boat you may not be in the area they will be searching.

[ScubaDadMiami]

Here is another option: http://www.diversale....asp?newsid=661

News & Events
DAN Joins with World Communications Center to Provide Satellite Phone Rentals


CHANDLER, Ariz. – September 27, 2005 — World Communications Center (WCC), a provider of global satellite voice and data communications, announced today that Divers Alert Network (DAN) has signed an agreement to offer its member divers the ability to rent WCC’s Iridium satellite phones when diving in remote locations.

Satellite communications provides the ideal solution for divers, who typically travel in areas where landlines and cellular service are not available. In emergency situations, this can be cause for concern.

WCC provides service and equipment for satellite telephones, mobile asset tracking devices and satellite broadband internet. The company offers the one truly global satellite system, Iridium, which provides complete global coverage including all oceans and seas with no long distance or roaming fees.

The WCC rental program allows DAN members to rent satellite equipment at weekly rates and pay for minutes they use at a fraction of what most international phone calls cost. User-friendly added-value features can include waterproof phone bags, special one-button programming to contact the DAN and WCC’s 24-hour customer care.

WCC President Sam Romey said that with Iridium’s unique truly global network, WCC has always recognized the value of satellite communications in the diving industry. “Many divers already use WCC’s services, but our new relationship with DAN will help to reach out to its members and ensure further safety via reliable communications,” Romey said.

Tony Bacci, Vice President of Marketing and New Business Development at DAN, underscored the value of the relationship with WCC. “Thanks to our partnership with WCC, we can offer our divers and group leaders an effective way to communicate back to us in case of emergency,” Bacci said. “We encourage divers to take advantage of this program so they can travel and dive to remote and beautiful places with peace of mind.”

To launch the new DAN/WCC partnership and encourage traveling divers to learn about the easy-to-use Iridium satellite system, introductory specials are available to DAN divers and professionals including discounts, custom programming and other incentives.

Details of each offer will be available at the DEMA show in Las Vegas, on the DAN website http://www.DiversAlertNetwork.org and on WCC’s website http://www.wcclp.com.