Doug wrote >The UK McMurdo site does say the PLB are waterproof and good for >canoeists - which is their term for kayakers. The word waterproof >does suggest immersion protection - but for how long. G$B!G(Bday Doug, I think one answer is 5 to 10 minutes at 10 metres depth as a description of waterproof! I$B!F(Bve just been looking at specifications on a few well known PLBs, summarised below. Some of the Kannad range and the McMurdo range are very similar and I think the companies have merged in some way, so I've just noted the Kannad specs as they were easier to access. The Kannad Marine SafeLink SOLO PLB cites IP68 and IPX8 tests for permanent Immersion, where the manufacturer usually sets the immersion depth. However, Kannad appear to qualify the 10m test by saying temporary immersion in some places and waterproof in others - definitely worth following up to ask what the permanent value was. The Kannad Marine Safelink PRO PLB is interesting as their web technical specification says it is waterproof to 5m, temporary immersion to 10m. And they are very definite that "The PLB is totally waterproof" Copied below are a few notes taken from the manufacturer web sites on standards and comments. But I think they are inadequate to make a well informed decision on whether a PLB is going to survive 24 hours in the sea and it looks to me to be worth contacting the manufacturers for more information. I wonder if some manufacturers carry out their own tests that go beyond the standard? INFORMAL SURVEY FOLLOWS Accusat GME MT410G http://www.gme.net.au/products/emergency-beacons/plbs/MT410 Standards COSPAS-SARSAT Certified to C/S T.001 (Class 2) IMO A810 (19), as amended AS/NZS 4280.1 and AS/NZS 4280.2 MED Wheelmark ETSI EN 302 152-1 Web Page comment Sealed waterproof design (exceeds IP67) (PLB Cover page) Buoyant Will float in fresh/salt water (RTM Cat 1) Waterproof Submersion to 1m exceeds IP67 (Specification) ACR AquaLink(tm) 406 GPS http://www.acrelectronics.com/ Standards Cospas-Sarsat, FCC, Canada, RTTE Web Page 16.40 ft (5m) _at_ 1 hr., 33 ft (10m) _at_ 10 min.(Specification) Factory tested _at_ 70$B!k(BF, exceeds RTCM waterproof requirements Kti http://www.kti.com.au/index.html Standards COSPAS-SARSAT CS.T001 class II, AS/NZS 4280.2 Web page comment on waterproofing None MucMurdo - Kannad Marine SafeLink SOLO PLB http://www.kannadmarine.com/ Standards COSPAS-SARSAT T.001/T.007 class2 RTCM SC110 STD 11010.2 ETSI EN 302-152-1 AS/NZS 4280.2 NSS-PLB06 Environmental (water) Sealing Waterproof to 10m (30ft) (IP 58, IPX8) (User manual) Sealing: Temporary immersion to 10m (30 ft) for 5 mins. (IP58, IPX7)(technical specification) Web page comment SafeLink SOLO is waterproof to 10 metres and buoyant when used in its flotation pouch. (PLB Cover page, user manual and further information page) SafeLink SOLO is only recommended for use on or in water when fitted with the supplied flotation device (User manual) McMurdo - Kannad Marine SafeLink PRO PLB http://www.kannadmarine.com/ Standards COSPAS$B!>(BSARSAT T.007 Iss4 Rev1 Oct 2006, EN 300$B!>(B066 V1.3.1 (2001$B!>(B01), RTCM SC110 STD 11010.1, Complies with AS/NZS 4280.2. Web page comment Safelink Pro is waterproof to 10m and designed to withstand the harshest of environments (Cover page for the PLB) The PLB is totally waterproof but is not designed to operate when floating on the surface of the water. (User manual) It is buoyant and will not sink if dropped into water. (User manual) If possible keep it out of the water when in use. (User manual) Buoyant, waterproof to 5m, temporary immersion to 10m (User Manual - Technical Specification) Note The McMurdo FASTFIND 210 and FASTFIND MAX-G look very similar to the Kannad PLBs but not as many standards listed SOME CITED STANDARDS THAT ARE READILY AVAILABLE AND A FEW EXTRACTS ETSI EN 300 066 V1.3.1 (2001-01) ..........SNIP............. 6.8 Immersion test 6.8.1 Definition The immunity against the effects of Immersion in water is the ability of the equipment to maintain the specified mechanical and electrical performance after the following test has been carried out. 6.8.2 Method of measurement A hydraulic pressure of 100 kPa, corresponding to a depth of 10 m shall be applied for a period of 5 minutes. At the end of the test the self-test of the satellite EPIRB (subclause 4.8) shall be carried out. ..........SNIP............. C/S T.007 issue 4 Rev1 2006 (superceded) ..........SNIP............. $B!H(Btests A.3.8.2.1 and A.3.8.2.2 shall be conducted with the beacon in all the configurations declared by the manufacturer in the application form (Annex G) consistent with the manufacturers operational instructions and in accordance with the guidance provided below. "..........SNIP............. Floating. The beacon shall be completely submerged in salt water [composition 5% salt solution by weight], activated while submerged, and allowed to float to the surface under its own buoyancy.$B!I(B ..........SNIP............. IP67 (IEC 60529 standard - definition below from Wikipedia) Immersion up to 1 m Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion). Test duration: 30 minutes IP68 (IEC 60529 standard - definition below from Wikipedia) Immersion beyond 1 m The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects. Test duration: continuous immersion in water. Depth specified by manufacturer IPX8 (IEC 60529 standard - definition below from Wikipedia) * The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts (e.g., electrical conductors, moving parts) and the ingress of solid foreign objects. * The second digit ......Protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water * Where there is no protection rating with regard to one of the criteria, the digit is replaced with the letter X. All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Aug 06 2011 - 00:00:30 PDT
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