SOS for single boater

[Psychalist]

2 hours ago, BilgePump said:

Just steer clear of roller coasters. The high acceleration/deceleration can set off the crash detection feature and people didn't realise it had activated.

PLB perhaps a better option...

Skiers false alarm

Boxers false alarm

[magnetman]

Apple marketing false alarm.

 

 

[1st ade]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

Does the location of the phone continue to be transmitted for any length of time or is it just during the call?

It's a one off text sent roughly 20 seconds into the (999) call

[Alan de Enfield]

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

That's a bit like having marine radio but no licence. If I don't have one and still call them will they come.

 

Maybe a better comparison would be having a marine VHF radio on the US / International frequencies, using it in the UK and asking for assistance.

 

(Your VHF needs to be set up to suit the region in which you operate - you need to select either International or UK.

The international channels give access to channels not used in the UK for Marine traffic, and the International uses some of the UK channels for different purposes. The UK has channels that the International radios do not have - eg The M and M1 channels.

[magnetman]

Channel 16 is the same frequency whatever hardware you have on the boat. 

 

If you have a VHF set originating from the USA (I have two USA sets on one of my boats) CH16 works in the same way as a UK radio would. 

 

Channel 16 is the emergency channel which is on a standard frequency. 

[blackrose]

9 hours ago, magnetman said:

 

 

Another point which is technically interesting is whether one of the elderly people trackers would in fact send location to a 999 call handler. I think perhaps it wouldn't as they are probably not geared up to receive SMS. You can probably only program in other mobile phone numbers so a direct contact with 999 sending location may not be possible. 

 

It is quite interesting. Perhaps the locator beacon mentioned above is a far superior option. 

 

Good point, and given the current lengthy response times of the emergency services one wonders whether that could be the limiting factor of these devices and if they're worth bothering with?

 

If single boaters like us keel over on the saloon floor or fall into a lock and nobody's about it's probably Goodnight Vienna!

[Alan de Enfield]

56 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Channel 16 is the same frequency whatever hardware you have on the boat. 

 

If you have a VHF set originating from the USA (I have two USA sets on one of my boats) CH16 works in the same way as a UK radio would. 

 

Channel 16 is the emergency channel which is on a standard frequency. 

 

If you read what I said you would see that I did not suggest that is was not one of the common frequencies.

I explained that there were additional frequencies in the US Marine band that were allocated for alternative uses in the UK, and likewise there are frequencies in the UK Marine band that are allocated for other uses in the US.

That of course leaves SOME common frequencies of which cahnnel 16 is one.

 

You probably think that the UK Coastguard keep a listening watch on Channel 16 - sorry to dissapoint but they have not done so since 2011. DSC is the accepted method of notifying distress now,

 

I'm sure that you are also aware that a few years ago due to the need to provide more channels in the VHF band in the UK the marine 25khz channel spacing on some of the duplex channels was 'split' producing 27 new channels (not available on US radios) with 12.5Khz channel spacing, meaning that the old duplex channels now became simplex. 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Alan de Enfield

[magnetman]

5 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

If you read what I said you would see that I did not suggest that is was not one of the common frequencies.

I explained that there were additional frequencies in the US Marine band that were allocated for alternative uses in the UK, and likewise there are frequencies in the UK Marine band that are allocated for other uses in the US.

That of course leaves SOME common frequencies of which cahnnel 16 is one.

 

You probably think that the UK Coastguard keep a listening watch on Channel 16 - sorry to dissapoint but they have not done so since 2011. DSC is the accepted method of notifying distress now,

 

I'm sure that you are also aware that a few years ago due to the need to provide more channels in the VHF band in the UK the marine 25khz channel spacing on some of the duplex channels was 'split' producing 27 new channels (not available on US radios) with 12.5Khz channel spacing, meaning that the old duplex channels now became simplex. 

Interesting about the channel 16 thing. 

 

Are you saying nobody monitors it? I think there will be some commercial craft who keep it on just to check for problems. Maybe not. 

 

Maybe I misinterpreted your post. 

 

It appeared to me that you were saying that using PLB was in some way similar to using a marine VHF radio. 

 

Sorry, I thought you were suggesting a US radio would not work to call for assistance on channel 16. I see now I did misinterpret this. 

 

Ditchcrawler: 

That's a bit like having marine radio but no licence. If I don't have one and still call them will they come.

 

Alan de Enfield: Maybe a better comparison would be having a marine VHF radio on the US / International frequencies, using it in the UK and asking for assistance.

 

[Momac]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

 

 

Channel 16 is the emergency channel which is on a standard frequency. 

But on the inland  waterways no one is listening.

 

The OP might consider this

Edited February 9, 2023 by MartynG

[magnetman]

7 minutes ago, MartynG said:

But on the inland  waterways no one is listening.

 

The OP might consider this

It depends what you call inland. On the tidal Thames the coastguard are listening to Channel 16 all the time. 

 

But yes if you are on the cut it would make more sense to use something connected to cell network and GPS. 

 

PLB as already mentioned seems a good option too. 

 

I would not consider using an apple product even if my life was at risk. It just won't happen.

 

Possibly a good idea for people without this aversion. 

[Momac]

5 minutes ago, magnetman said:

It depends what you call inland. On the tidal Thames the coastguard are listening to Channel 16 all the time. 

On the Humber also . 

I would expect you would not be heard  by the  coastguard on ch16  above the M180 bridge on the Trent. 

A mobile phone would be better.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

2 hours ago, magnetman said:

Are you saying nobody monitors it? I think there will be some commercial craft who keep it on just to check for problems. Maybe not. 

 

 

Channel 16 used to have a 'listening watch' which meant that in each C.guard station there would be a watch officer sat wearing headphones with his radio tuned to channel 16.

 

A few years ago it was decided that with the introduction of DSC radios that automatically send a distress call along with Lat & Long a 'listening watch' would no longer be kept at any C.guard station.

 

A radio speaker is now mounted 'on the wall' with a radio switched to channel 16, but no one is 'listening to it' - It may be heard by someone above the hub-bub but it is not guaranteed - if the watch officer is making a brew, or in the toilet the call could easily be missed.

 

Chanel 16 is the 'calling channel' so other boats are listening, and it is used for the initial contact before changing to a channel where ship to ship is allowed. It is forbidden to use Channel 16 for 'discussion' except for a Mayday, a Mayday Relay, a Pan-Pan, or a Pan Pan relay

[Alan de Enfield]

3 hours ago, magnetman said:

If you have a VHF set originating from the USA (I have two USA sets on one of my boats) CH16 works in the same way as a UK radio would. 

 

Just found several pages of US Marine VHF channels which are not allowed for general Marine use in the UK. Some of these frequencies have been sold by the regulator for private use - so your USA VHF will be transmitting on UK 'Private' channels :

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by Alan de Enfield

[George and Dragon]

On 09/02/2023 at 09:03, magnetman said:

Don't get one of these 

 

 

 

 

 

That's a european phone - you have to call 112  

[sigsegv]

@LadyG can you specify whether you want a device to call emergency services *on your behalf* given some particular event (i.e., a fall, submersion, etc.), or simply a device that is small and portable that enables you to manually call the emergency services easily?

[TheBiscuits]

3 hours ago, George and Dragon said:

 

That's a european phone - you have to call 112  

 

Option 3, presumably!

[LadyG]

2 hours ago, sigsegv said:

@LadyG can you specify whether you want a device to call emergency services *on your behalf* given some particular event (i.e., a fall, submersion, etc.), or simply a device that is small and portable that enables you to manually call the emergency services easily?

 I can't be sure if there is a device that calls 999 but does not require further user input other than an EPIRB, which is more coastguard oriented.

I think the most likely events would be either falling in to a lock (I rarely use a lock in winter if there is no one about), or being inside the boat and requiring an ambulance, most of the time I can use my phone from inside the boat.

If I fell over outside there would be a reasonable chance that some passer by would call 999 or that I could use my own phone.

Edited February 10, 2023 by LadyG