PLB response time

Just like to add a note to this subject. As a long time seller of these items, I asked my contacts at the RCCNZ to comment on the same question from another forum.... Question: "I don't see that as being realistic and assume there is an obligation to respond to distress signal whether registered or not until it can be proven to be a false alarm. Obviously a GPS encoded and registered PLB makes for a far quicker and more efficient response. I wonder if other outdoor pursuit communities aren't as informed, or they just get into a disproportionate amount of trouble than compared to the forum poll so far. I can see someone who is gifted a PLB being less inclined to follow through with registering it possibly." Answer: "If the unregistered beacon continues to transmit then a SAR response can be mounted once the position is known. If it has a GPS function then the RCC can respond almost straight away but they will not have the knowledge of what the party or individual is that is operating the beacon. If the beacon does not have GPS then the position has to be determined following a second satellite pass or by the SAR staff being in phone contact with the registered owners contacts to determine which of the two satellite positions is the most likely to be where the response should be directed. Sometimes the initial two alerts can be up to 1900 nautical miles apart e.g. in NZ or Australia for PLBs and either side of NZ when it is an EPIRB. (In the EPIRB case if it is registered at least the type of vessel should be known and its capabilities would help resolve the most likely of the two positions available.). If there is no second position on an unregistered beacon and there is no supporting details to indicate which of the two positions is the most likely it is likely that the SAR team will wait further until another satellite in a like orbit has passed before responding." Summary: Register your PLB as over 30% of them in NZ are not and therefore make rescue just that bit harder. Also carry a BLUE or orange survival bag sold by the Mountain Safety Council (MSC). The helicopter crew will have a better chance of seeing you. And yes, I sell them: www.skippersmate.co.nz

I recently had to use my PLB to rescue a friend in the far north. I set the beacon off at 10:30am, within 10 minutes or so I had the search rescue centre on the phone confirming the location and emergency (note no cellphone signal at accident site). The helicopter was there before 1200 but had difficulty finding us due to the homing signal bouncing off terrain. This is pretty good going as it was 1 hours flight time north of Whangarei. His spleen had split, causing massive internal bleeding so a delay of 1/2 an hour or so would have likely resulted in his death, super lucky that everything happened fairly quickly.

sar wanaka saying some people arent bothering to move to where they can be seen when activating a beacon http://www.wildernessmag.co.nz/view/page/articles/read/activate-the-plb-then-what/

@HJ6112HT wow ... that was a close call. I've been guilty of being a bit skeptical about PLB's (even though I own one myself), but this is a clear reminder that there are plenty of scenarios where nothing else will do the job.

When using the orange MSC bag to enable the helicopter to see you, make sure it and any other gear is well-anchored so it doesn't fly up into the rotor blades of the chopper. I learned this not quite the hard way but it did make it awkward and slow for the chopper to land in a reasonably confined space as they were concerned this might happen. At that stage I had no idea how windy it gets around helicopters.

PhilipW, Waynowski We were lucky that the was a good landing spot nearby. Things I learnt were: If it's possible to put the beacon in a better spot then do it, I thought about putting it on top of the ridge, only 100m away, but didn't, this caused a delay of about 5 minutes while the helicopter was looking in the wrong spot because of reflections of the homing signal. Read the instructions of your beacon regularly, in the stress of the situation I had difficulty, had read the instructions about 3 years earlier! Tell others in your party, that you have one and where it is, they might be the ones who need to set it off and save your life. I've bought a new PLB with good instructions on the back, so anyone should be able to work it. Make your own assement of the situation, and set beacon off without delay! don't believe everything the patient tells you, my friend was telling me he was Ok, his legs were not broken so I thought he will be able to walk out, however 10 ribs, pelvis and hip were broken, along with split spleen and aorta, we would not have got far. I wasted about 10mins deciding if it actually serious enough to use the beacon.

recently a chap was struggling on the tongariro crossing, he was offered help but said he didnt need any, he subsequently stopped walking and died... if someone looks like they are in distress and they arent improving, get help...

Ref, for anyone reading this years from now: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=11612493