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REI puts the Inreach (Delorme) on sale

This might be a stupid question but please keep in mind my offshore experience is very limited.

Any thoughts on if this would replace something like a ResQLink or AquaLink PLB? I really like the tracking features of inReach but do you need both?
 
PLB/EPIRB required for offshore racing, but is not a USCG requirement

brianb said:
The price looks very good for this SatCom handheld.

http://www.rei.com/product/857610/d...43Z_dc|pcrid|79184474680|&lsft=cm_mmc:cse_PLA
Click to expand...

The in Reach, per ISAF and NCORC rules, is not a replacement for an EPIRB or PLB, per the International Sailing, and the clubs that sponsor offshore races in most places on the planet. It is not a USCG requirement. So if you are not racing it can act as a replacement for a EPIRB/PLB. It has an SOS function that routes to the SAR authorities once reviewed by the satellite center for the Iridium system.

EPRIB/PLB uses 3 layers of satellites, at 3 altitudes and has remarkable world wide coverage. Major govt's are continuing to equip new sats with SAR payloads on a regular basis, something Inreach does not do. Your EPIRB sends a near continuous signal to the satellites, constantly updating your position to authorities. The in reach will not do this unless you program it, something that may be a challenge while you are floating in your survival suit. In addition it contains a separate homing beacon at 121.6 mHz, a frequency that all aircraft have aboard, and a system that is set up on all USCG/Airforce SAR aircraft, something the Inreach does not have. This allows close in homing and range finding when you are on the water surface, amongst large waves. USCG is committed to a 4.5 minute time to resolve position of a GPS equipped EPIRB/PLB. In the US they claim about 7 minutes to get rotors turning in the area your beacon is triggered in, if it is properly registered. I have seen no claims for Iridium reaction time. Bear in mind that inreach, if it can't connect, goes quiet for awhile and then pings again, it keeps trying, but this could take time. If you have every used a sat phone at sea and had to make several attempts to connect than you are aware of the problem.

In my opinion the Inreach/iridium sat phone type systems may well save you. The PLB/EPRIB, with its batteries having never been used, its more powerful transmitter, and assured marine rugged construction, has a higher probability of alerting authorities quickly. As the SAR officer at USCG said to me in an interview, "I always carry a PLB when I go sailing, I know that the helos are coming if I set it off".

Brian
 
Brian, since you seem to be up to speed on SAR capabilities , what is the offshore helo range? It would be interesting to know how far out they can go.
 
I believe 300 miles for the French bird we see flying around, and from memory about 700 for a longer range asset. After that they vector ships to you, and might do that in any case if the emergency allows. Of course they have C130's that will drop packages at any range. My boat once had a pumped dropped a few feet in front of the bow at about 1000 miles offshore. Domino was towed in from about 200 miles out in the 2014 SHTP by a cutter.
 
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