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EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 22nd, 2020, 7:10 pm
by Juan
Silverking's article in the Saltwater Sportsman mag on boating preparedness and safety reminded me that I'm not getting any younger so I plan to buy something that will assist in locating my boat (and myself) in case of an emergency. Since my birthday is coming up, now's a good time to add it to the wish list.
Who has an Eprib or PLB? Is one better than the other? The little research I've done left me a bit confused as to which does what so I can use some suggestions.
Are Epribs fixed or registered to one boat? I need one that I can transfer from one boat to another.

EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 22nd, 2020, 7:37 pm
by Red Beard
Juan wrote:Silverking's article in the Saltwater Sportsman mag on boating preparedness and safety reminded me that I'm not getting any younger so I plan to buy something that will assist in locating my boat (and myself) in case of an emergency. Since my birthday is coming up, now's a good time to add it to the wish list.
Who has an Eprib or PLB? Is one better than the other? The little research I've done left me a bit confused as to which does what so I can use some suggestions.
Are Epribs fixed or registered to one boat? I need one that I can transfer from one boat to another.
https://youtu.be/1msGoJ7ZLuw

ReelReports recently went over life saving equipment a few days ago. And brings up some good points. Hope this helps ...


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Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 22nd, 2020, 7:57 pm
by Srbenda
Definitely an EPIRB

More functionality than a PLB

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Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 22nd, 2020, 9:25 pm
by bbb
I bought both. One mounted on the boat. One on my body.

Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 23rd, 2020, 6:53 am
by Juan
bbb wrote:I bought both. One mounted on the boat. One on my body.
If you had to pick one or the other, which would it be?
Correct me if I'm wrong but if an Eprib is registered and attached to a boat, don't you have to stay with the boat to be found should something happen? I need a device that I can easily swap between boats and will locate me first and then the boat so I'm guessing a PLB is still the best option and if that's true, which model? (There are a lot of them)

Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 25th, 2020, 7:16 am
by Juan
Decided on a RESCUEME PLB1 PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON - and hopefully I'll never have to find out if it works. :thumbup:

Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 25th, 2020, 8:34 am
by Salty Gator
For what you want a plb is the way to go. Epirb is registered to a boat plb is registered to a person. Much easier to carry with you from boat to boat.

Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 26th, 2020, 9:54 am
by John21:6
I recently purchased a personal locator beacon, an ACR ResQLink View. See it here: https://www.acrartex.com/products/resqlink-view.

I sleep better before going offshore in my 20'6" inch bay boat. I don't worry so much for myself, but for my friends who fish with me and assume that I will get them home safely. The ResQLink View is about half the size of a bar of soap and it fits easily into the pocket of my life vest. Deploy the antenna, press a button, and the search and rescue people will know your location within 100 meters. If I owned a larger boat, I would mount an EPIRB to it as well. I understand that having a Personal Locator Beacon or EPIRB is a prerequisite to obtaining an MMSI number for a ship to shore radio--feel free to correct me on this if I am wrong.

What is your life worth?

Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 26th, 2020, 1:33 pm
by Old Dog
What a great idea! Both look like good units, and Juan with your advanced age having something like that will give you greater peace of mind. I just put in a request to my book keeper for one of these.
OD

EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 26th, 2020, 1:41 pm
by bbb
Juan wrote:
bbb wrote:I bought both. One mounted on the boat. One on my body.
Correct me if I'm wrong but if an Eprib is registered and attached to a boat, don't you have to stay with the boat to be found should something happen? )
Its attached to the boats console on a quick release mount. If given time, I can manually deploy and activate it, or in an emergency, once it submerges, it will auto deploy/activate and float on its own.

I wanted to have a device with the ability to automatically activate itself in a bad situation.

Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 26th, 2020, 4:02 pm
by rockyg
I fish solo a good bit so I went with the PLB. I managed to tuck it (and secure it) into my auto-inflating life-vest.

And yes I wear it all the time, all day, til I set foot back on the dock. Once you get used to it you forget it's on.

I figure to hell with locating the boat in an emergency, I want ME to be located even if I fall off the dang boat.

Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 26th, 2020, 6:11 pm
by DEMON
rockyg wrote:I fish solo a good bit so I went with the PLB. I managed to tuck it (and secure it) into my auto-inflating life-vest.

And yes I wear it all the time, all day, til I set foot back on the dock. Once you get used to it you forget it's on.

I figure to hell with locating the boat in an emergency, I want ME to be located even if I fall off the dang boat.
Same here. Epirbs don't deploy if you fall from the boat. Also, PLBs aren't just for the boat. They can be used for hunting, hiking or mountain climbing. Any where you might get lost or injured.

Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 28th, 2020, 7:00 am
by Juan
John21:6 wrote:I recently purchased a personal locator beacon, an ACR ResQLink View. See it here: https://www.acrartex.com/products/resqlink-view.
Thanks, I decided to order the ResQlink model 425 after learning my original choice didn't float. Only downside is the 425 has a 5 year battery life where the other has a 7 but what good is a 7 year battery if it's sitting on the ocean floor? :-D

Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 29th, 2020, 8:00 am
by cbw5007
I realize this is an old thread but I figured I would provide more info.

A PLB is registered to a boat and typically sends distress signals for a minimum of 24 hours. These can be worn on life jackets. 406 PLBs send the same signals as EPIRBs. There are other satellite messenger devices on the market today as well, like Garmin inReach and AIS technology.
https://www.globalfishingreports.com/pe ... acons-plb/

An EPIRB is registered to a boat and typically sends distress signals for a minimum of 48 hours. These can be placed in a bracket to automatically deploy if the boat sinks.
https://www.globalfishingreports.com/be ... io-beacon/

Re: EPRIB or PLB?

Posted: May 29th, 2020, 8:27 am
by Salty Gator
cbw5007 wrote:I realize this is an old thread but I figured I would provide more info.

A PLB is registered to a boat and typically sends distress signals for a minimum of 24 hours. These can be worn on life jackets. 406 PLBs send the same signals as EPIRBs. There are other satellite messenger devices on the market today as well, like Garmin inReach and AIS technology.
https://www.globalfishingreports.com/pe ... acons-plb/

An EPIRB is registered to a boat and typically sends distress signals for a minimum of 48 hours. These can be placed in a bracket to automatically deploy if the boat sinks.
https://www.globalfishingreports.com/be ... io-beacon/
I though the plb is registered to a person, not a boat. When I registered mine, I didn’t give them any boat info.