#75946 - 11/02/06 01:40 AM
406 Mhz EPIRB / ELT / PLB " Who carries one "
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Registered: 10/31/06
Posts: 6
Loc: Australia
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" Hi all " me again from the land downunder. I am posing a question, and I hope that somebody out there might be able to explain to me why the government authorities in your country and mine are stuffing around with 406 Mhz beacon technology use. Firstly as my post title ask's, who of you out there regularly carry a 406 Mhz beacon, be it an EPIRB, ELT, or a PLB, when the go flying, boating, or fourwheel driving / hiking etc .... I will state outright that I and my friends etc.. ( at my insistence ) always carry a unit on their trips. The main problem that I have is that having been involved in a large number of SAR missions, on land, at sea, and as a result of a flying accident. These SAR missions can cover many days in duration, cost many hundreds of thousands of dollars ( US & Australian ), in many cases are either unsuccessful in outcome, or the survivors are found in a tragic state, both emotionally, and medically,iIf as we all know the 406 Mhz survival beacon, in it's many guises is probably the most important peice of survival equipment that has ever been developed . The advantages of the 406 Mhz survival beacon, over it's antiquated predacessor the 121.5 / 243 Mh unit in alerting, and positioning ( those with a GPS interface / Inbuilt chip ) of a location of distress is something that we would not have dreamed of when I started my flying career. Having said all that, as the 406 MHZ beacon is of such a valuable survival resource, and could save much waste of emergency services resources being deployed ( in sometmes hazardous climatic conditions ) and a larger cost saving to those emergency responders, in equipment and personal cost, why don't the government authorities over there, and here, (and now I will use a "dirty word " here ) subsidise the purchase of units for those involved in the various areas of use that could lead to possible emergency activation. I know some people will always be willing to say " why should the tax payer have to subsidise little " rich boy's and their toys. The fact is those very same taxpayers are the very same one's that have to foot the bill, when the emergency responders have to expend many thousands, in some cases hundreds of thousands, and many days in SAR missions. There I have said it, I expect that there will be some that will disagree with my position, but thats life. sorry I could not keep it shorter.
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#75947 - 11/07/06 02:36 AM
Re: 406 Mhz EPIRB / ELT / PLB " Who carries one "
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Addict
Registered: 03/01/04
Posts: 478
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I've got an ACR PLB. I mainly use it for boating and solo hunting. A tax deduction would be nice.
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#75949 - 11/07/06 02:01 PM
Re: 406 Mhz EPIRB / ELT / PLB " Who carries one "
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Addict
Registered: 06/08/05
Posts: 503
Loc: Quebec City, Canada
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Out of my price range. Sorry ! <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
_________________________
----- "The only easy day was yesterday."
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#75950 - 11/10/06 01:05 PM
Re: 406 Mhz EPIRB / ELT / PLB " Who carries one "
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Member
Registered: 08/27/04
Posts: 103
Loc: Arizona
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Definitely want one, waiting (hoping) the price will come down. My wife and I do remote 4 wheel camping and ATVing in AZ and NM and it would really be extra peace of mind to have one, when you literally are 30-40 miles from anywhere.
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#75952 - 11/11/06 04:22 AM
Re: 406 Mhz EPIRB / ELT / PLB " Who carries one "
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
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Here rests XXXXXX "They were waiting for the price to go down on safety equipment" If this kind of stuff is now considered required safety equipment, then I don't want to be safe. What's next ... surrounding yourself with a gaggle of bodyguards when you go hiking? I can see a use for these things in some specialized situations, but as a routine "I need this to remain safe" for Joe Average citizen, well, I just don't get it. It would be safer to just stay home.
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#75954 - 11/11/06 04:24 PM
Re: 406 Mhz EPIRB / ELT / PLB " Who carries one "
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Pooh-Bah
Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
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I never said you HAD to have it. No you didn't. But the words you used, "They were waiting for the price to go down on safety equipment", were apparently intended to sarcastically imply that people who don't have these things are stupid and cheap. Is there some other meaning to those words than what I interpreted? My response, "then I don't want to be safe", was just as sarcastic and facetious - I'll grant you that This evidently offended you, so I apologize. That was not my intent. Of course I want to be safe too, but I just view these beacon things as overkill for normal hiking scenerios. Today's normal scenerio may turn into tomorrow's disaster, so you do have a point to make about carrying one of these beacons. And I agree if your quests take you far off the beaten path majorly into harms way. Or if you're in an avalanche area where quick location and rescue is mandatory. But I dread the day when we all give in to being tracked down to our precise location on the planet, just to feel safe and secure. That distaste is the underlying feeling behind my sarcastic "then I don't want to be safe" and "will bodyguards be next" comments. [edit]spelling[/edit]
Edited by haertig (11/11/06 05:17 PM)
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