Ocean Signal rescueme PLB3
The first compact MOB beacon to combine AIS and satellite technology Who’s it for? Each and every person who puts to sea, particularly leisure sailors
This new personal beacon arguably presents the best possible chance for a MOB casualty to be rescued, even if they are incapacitated.
Ocean Signal has specialised in making compact antennae and personal beacons over the last decade. And, while you’ll have to forgive the barrage of acronyms, this rescueme PLB3 is very much the product many of us have been waiting for since personal MOB AIS beacons first started coming on the market.
By integrating Cospas Sarsat beacon technology, as used by global rescue services, with AIS, it has created the most powerful means of alerting others to a MOB or distress situation.
For those in VHF proximity to other vessels, the AIS MOB signal offers the most likely chance of a quick rescue. If this signal is not received by a vessel within range, then the 406MHZ global satellite system will trigger a response suitable for the location.
The PLB3 combines GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) positioning, 406MHZ and 121.5MHZ signals, plus the new Galileo Return Link Service (RLS) technology, which alerts users that their signal has been received, all within a unit the size of a conventional hand flare.
It also manages to include Near Field Communications (NFC), a clever and current method for users to monitor their beacon’s performance and maintenance requirements. This technology can help show a live digital record of the beacon by simply placing your phone within its range. An important benefit of this is knowing how much battery life is left – this PLB has a five year battery life but the battery is not rechargeable.
It features manual or auto activation and each PLB3 is registered, so if accidentally activated its owner will receive a phone call. But there is also an ‘off’ button, and you can check on the mobile app the amount of time it was activated for.
So why has this not been done before? Ocean Signal explained that until now there have been separate AIS and PLB standards, but that its engineering expert Simon
Nolan sat on a committee to rewrite the regulations and help push through what is equivalent to a new EPIRB standard. The challenge was combining technologies at such a compact physical size while providing the battery power necessary to run the alarm for the required 24 hours.
“We could probably have got this one out earlier but to physically shrink battery size it needed a lot of work on it,” Nolan told us.
The DAME jury, a panel of experts looking at design and innovation at the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS), is chaired by designer Andre Hoek and includes former YW editor Elaine Bunting. The jury said: ‘in a rescue situation speed is always of the essence and this unit provides the very best chance for survival through this combination of long- and short-range detection.’
The waterproof rescueme PLB3 weighs 190g, measures 200x36x30mm and is now approved for sale in the UK and Europe. Price: £476. oceansignal.com