Panbo and increasing PLB effectiveness

[rgano]

If you are not a regular viewer of Panbo where all things boating electronic are reviewed, you might be missing out on a bit of boating-related education you could use. While he often gets way into nitty gritty electronic details, there are many quite useful tips to even the electronically ignorant amongst us. Today's email contained a link to Panbo lead me to a review of personal locator beacons and how to increase their usefulness to you and rescuers by simply logging into the registration system and noting your current float plan in the comments section. Since many alerts the USCG gets are false, would it not be better to know that when you set yours off they read that on this very day you are off the coast on a planned cruise or fishing trip?

[psneeld]

generally doesn't matter.... launch is relatively immediate for any activation with gps coordinates unless verified at the dock or a phone call to you.

[Portage_Bay]

PLB and EPIRB are very important. They are to my way of thinking the last line of electronic defense. In other words everything has gone so wrong they are all I have left. I prefer to solve the problem a little further upstream if at all possible. Along with a float plan I have a dedicated person ashore who has my float plan, receives twice daily updates and I can trust to be tracking my InReach track and make themselves available. I’m not suggesting this is necessary every time I get underway. But if my plan takes me out of VHF / Cell range it's added safety.