BajaNomad - Personal Locator Beacons

Personal Locator Beacons

Dave - 1-5-2007 at 10:50 PM

Has anyone had any personal experience with PLB's? Supposed to work globally but are they effective in Baja?

I have an EPIRB and was thinking of this as an addition. Any personal experience or second-hand knowledge?

capt. mike - 1-6-2007 at 05:03 AM

Dave, i just bought yesterday an "aqua fix" from a seller on ebay, new product, 406 hz and it is the new one w/ gps auto up load so if you pull it the authorities get a sat signal who you are and where you are up to 100 ft capable! world wide.

waterproof, the works.
don't get the older kind that have gps up link but require you hook up to a sep gps radio.
they are from about $550 to $650 on line and stores.
this is the best one you can get.
i got mine for over water flights. if i hit the drink, i'll have a few drinks stored in my raft and sea bag along with some stoggies while i await my rescue.

lencho..

Summanus - 1-6-2007 at 08:08 AM

funny you should ask that...read this:

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/423466/945781

A ditched plane 'refloated' itself...wild.

bajaguy - 1-6-2007 at 08:30 AM

I would think attaching drums as a preventative measure in anticipation of a water landing would seriously affect the flight performance of the aircraft.... :lol:

Don Alley - 1-6-2007 at 09:07 AM

I've looked into these devices as well. As far as I can tell, each unit is registered and many countries have a registry, but I have not seen details of the registration for Mexico. I have also been told that the USA authorities will receive the emergency signal and inform rescue authorities in the area of the signal.

But that's where I think there will be a problem. Local rescue capabilities. Loreto's two SCT rescue boats are on trailers, the larger one has had it's engines removed and I believe neither one is seaworthy. Maybe the local navy's big panga is available. But the last rescue I am aware of was an all-volunteer private affair of people responding to a VHF radio distress call. I don't know if the govt authority that would receive an emergency notification from the EPIRB would coordinate with local rescuers?

Summanus - 1-6-2007 at 10:14 AM

We have assisted in quite a few rescues in Baja over the years...boaters jelly-fish stung, missing, sunk, and capsized,.... car crashes, bus crashes, fires, you name it. A device like this will certainly be highly received by all concerned.

Coordination within rescue partners groups could be worked out rather quickly. We have also a good radio network of boaters and base station ham operators already in place.

bajaguy - 1-6-2007 at 10:29 AM

I think the Air Force unit in Ensenada has helicopters. Do they get involved in any SAR missions???

Gear-Up Crackup.

MrBillM - 1-6-2007 at 10:44 AM

Given the mixed results crash landing a retractable landing gear aircraft in the open ocean even during periods of relatively calm sea states, it would seem wildly optimistic to "assume" that you would enjoy a benign float before you casually climbed into your liferaft for a smoke while waiting for rescue.

In a fixed-gear, you're likely dead meat, so there's little to worry about. I once had an instructor whose preferred method for flying from Hawthorne to Catalina Island was to climb to 10.000 feet so he would be assured of a dry landing.

IF you don't mind the cost, though, the 406Mhz units are worth having. I've read of some pretty amazing rescues over the years as a result.

capt. mike - 1-6-2007 at 02:25 PM

aircraft ditchings are somewhat frequent and very survivable if you know what yur doing, have the right equip and training, follow all the procedures in the air and once on the ground...er, i mean in the agua.
there is TONS of info if you check many av web sites incl. BBP.
i have crossed the sea of cortez guaymas to mulege 300 times in 20 years.
i have flown 3.5 hours puerto vallarta to mulege all over the ocean directo ruta. one day we are going to fly merida to grand cayman! woohoo!!

in addition to life jackets, i carry a approved emerg 4-6 pl raft, 2 radios vhf and marine and av band. EPIRB just added - and yes USA coordinates with mex and they DO have dispatch thru military.
i have food , water, meds - both kinds..... :saint:

and other survival eq/supplies. all in waterproof floating ditch bag.
yeah folks who know me know i joke a bit - but i take water crossings seriously. and i ALWAYS look for boats enroute.
my craft don't know if its over water, easy land, hard mountains - if its day or night........it just goes!! but i am an eagle scout, plan to have a fighting chance at continuing this adventure called planet earth for A LONG TIME.

OR, GUESS i could lounge around in a chair worrying about everything while i filled my depends with gerber laden caca. :lol:

Flighty Thoughts

MrBillM - 1-6-2007 at 03:32 PM

Sounds like you've got it ALL figured out.

In all probability, I've probably been more irresponsible than you back in my flying days, making the Catalina Crossing at around 1500 ft many times in a fixed-gear aircraft with NO disaster supplies. I figured I would be Dead anyway.

I was only "questioning" the confident assumption that all would go well on the day that you had to put down.

I, too, have never had an engine miss a beat on ANY crossing over land or water and I've done my share of 50 ft agl runs down the coast of Baja. They are pretty dependable when maintained properly. The only thing close to an engine problem I ever had (discounting a minor oil leak in the cabin once) was in leaving Mexicali on my way to Alfonsinas on one occasion. Doing the pre-takeoff runup, I had a significant drop in RPM when testing the Mags. I took off, anyway, figuring that's why I had two Mags. Over the next three days, it never occurred again. That's another occasion when I may not have exercised caution, but all came out OK.

Cut to the chase

Dave - 1-6-2007 at 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave
Supposed to work globally but are they effective in Baja?

I guess the real question was: Are they gonna send the cavalry?

I'm familiar with EPIRB response and the Mexican Navy has my utmost respect but:

PLB's are primarily for land rescue. If you set one of these off in the mountains near Mulege will you get an immediate helicopter rescue or will Barney, eventually, if he's not too busy, show up?

capt. mike - 1-7-2007 at 07:12 AM

Mr Bill - yep, i've not been a saint :saint:

my whole time either :lol:

......oh the many times of surviving bad judgement! guess that's what makes one better, age and experience! its funny but i used to do all kinds of things with/in an aeroplane i'd NEVER chance today! Taking off with one mag a good eg.
i was down for 6 weeks recently and 3 of those had to do with fuel pumps, the elec back up kind ya need in a low wing if ever the engine driven pump kaputs (very unlikely!) but i wouldn't even ferry it with out em to a good shop i like! - had to sit grounded un til i could get it done at my base. just glad i wasn't in baja when they went!

Dave - the EPIRBS are for both land and water rescue, i'll bet more are sold to boaters than aviators. There is a guy, Chris P. owns a TUCSON based co. called land-air-sea- rescue and you can google him or read his posts at the BBP site. the 406 Hz standard sat system is replacing all the old 121.5 MHz system ELT on planes and will soon be the req'd equip to hAVE an op airworthiness cert without which you can't go. - legally anyway.

Those locators would have saved us a search for a missing fisherman.

Summanus - 1-7-2007 at 08:02 AM

A while back we were asked to help find an overdue fisherman by his wife. She was very worried and feared he worst. We flew a lot of the coastline until we spotted his boat, then buzzed low and we could see he was okay..just having a good time with friends.

His wife was not too happy with our report...nor was he when we gave him the bill for the fuel.

One of those personal locators would have paid for itself in this case.

mtgoat666 - 1-7-2007 at 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Summanus
A while back we were asked to help find an overdue fisherman by his wife. She was very worried and feared he worst. We flew a lot of the coastline until we spotted his boat, then buzzed low and we could see he was okay..just having a good time with friends.

His wife was not too happy with our report...nor was he when we gave him the bill for the fuel.

One of those personal locators would have paid for itself in this case.

Are you saying that the PLBs are in permanent transmission mode? I thought they only broadcast when you turn them on, crash or sink.

The subject got me thinking,... what did y'all do in the old days when you ventured out the door without a a government system to bail you out when you screwed up? Do my taxes pay for all of this mothering to worry wart aviators and boaters? And now people want to carry these things on their person so they can trigger them when they get lost driving their motorcycle in the desert? Aviators and boaters in the US don't pay their fair share of taxes to support the massive FAA, USACE and USCG inrfastructure that supports their hobbies. Would be a better and more fair system if the aviators and boaters had a private rescue service to save them from their misadventures, and to fund the wives looking for their beer-drinking overdue fisherment - a pay to play system.

bancoduo - 1-7-2007 at 09:26 AM

I thought you went away mad. Why did you come back GOAT?

I checked you out on my background check. WOW!. Did you take your medication today? :cool:

capt. mike - 1-8-2007 at 05:38 AM

old goats never die.............they just continue to stink, rot and exhude their putridity.........what a crumudgeon you are 666. sour grapes and all.
you must be an old unhappy lonely fossil.