He all,

For the past view months I've been hard at work to solve a problem my father in law had.

He was going on a sailing trip with his son that would require them to sail in shifts. Day and night.
The alternating shifts meant there is always a risk to fall overboard without the other knowing.
So he asked me to make something simple and affordable that would work with his phone since he already used that for navigation.

A view months later, PanPan was born and I'm very curious to learn what you think of it!
You can checkout the website bellow or/and ask me any questions on this forum.

crewwatcher.com

Here's a quick summary:
PanPan is a smart crew watcher that constantly checks if all crew members are still on board.
If someone were to go overboard, it will automatically sound the alarm.
Not only that, it will provide everything needed for a swift recovery and rescue;
Coordinates of the point of loss, time of the event as well as a constantly updating rescue heading.

Pricing isn't final yet but we aim to sell for €80, 90USD or about 125 Australian dollars

The web site doesn't give any information regarding how it communicates. Does it need to be in an area that has cellular network coverage? If not what is it's transmission range. I have an MOB AIS transmitter on my life vest that has an advertised coverage of 4 miles and the receiver aerial for this on my boat is 15m above the water.

On a 4 hour watch with a boat travelling at 6knts, I'd be lucky to be found if I fell overboard at the start of my shift and wasn't missed for 4 hours. It would be 8 hours before the boat could return to my position and with 1/2 a not of current I may already be 4 nm off the original boat track.

How would your PanPan handle a situation like this?

It would appear that every person on board needs one of the orange dongles to constantly monitor their whereabouts.

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Crusoe said..
The web site doesn't give any information regarding how it communicates. Does it need to be in an area that has cellular network coverage? If not what is it's transmission range. I have an MOB AIS transmitter on my life vest that has an advertised coverage of 4 miles and the receiver aerial for this on my boat is 15m above the water.

On a 4 hour watch with a boat travelling at 6knts, I'd be lucky to be found if I fell overboard at the start of my shift and wasn't missed for 4 hours. It would be 8 hours before the boat could return to my position and with 1/2 a not of current I may already be 4 nm off the original boat track.

How would your PanPan handle a situation like this?

He Crusoe,

Thanks for your response.
PanPan works independently and does not require a cellular network. Instead it uses a specialised, long range bluetooth 4 antenna.
It works by constantly checking if all the beacons are still on board and if they are not it will sound the alarm.

PanPan is made for exactly the situation you describe. The best chance of rescue is by the boat you fell off.
As soon as you ware to go overboard the water sensor will be triggered which in turn triggers the phone's alarm on board.
The crew on board can then immediately start the rescue procedure.
They are provided with the coordinates of point of loss, time of the event and a "rescue heading" which is constantly updated to return to you as quickly as possible.

Does that make sense?

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LooseChange said..


It would appear that every person on board needs one of the orange dongles to constantly monitor their whereabouts.

That's correct. Everyone that's on deck would wear one.

looks like an excellent idea !! well done !!

Like it

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SandS said..

looks like an excellent idea !! well done !!

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Sectorsteve said..
Like it

These words make me a happy man, thanks :)

If you'd like, you can secure a discount on our website:
crewwatcher.com

A couple of questions
On your site it looks like you are using apple products will it also work on android?
Also is the $125 just for the app? How much are the pendents expected to be? Will the batteries in the pendents be user replaceable?

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twodogs1969 said..
A couple of questions
On your site it looks like you are using apple products will it also work on android?
Also is the $125 just for the app? How much are the pendents expected to be? Will the batteries in the pendents be user replaceable?

Sure,
It works with both iOS and Android.
The price is for a single beacon, the app is free and can be downloaded on as many devices as you like.
In fact, the more devices you use the more redundancy and reliability you'd get.

The beacons (pendents) are epoxy sealed to ensure they are waterproof.
Unfortunately this also means the batteries are not replaceable. By the time the batteries are drained it's probably a good idea to get a new one anyway due to evolving technology and wear.
The battery will last about three years under continuous operation, if you would place it back in the cradle when you are not sailing, the beacon will turn off and there is only a 1% a year self discharge.

Virual=virtual
Disscount= discount

Just a couple of typos on the website :)

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Sectorsteve said..
Virual=virtual
Disscount= discount

Just a couple of typos on the website :)

Thanks for pointing those out, I will correct them right away.

I've often wondered if some thing in the GPS trackers could also be applied to do similar focus example below.
One of the contactors at work has fitted one to his tool box he can tracking all over Australia when hes flying around Oz

www.discountdogfence.com.au/store/brands/garmin-tritronics-bark-control-and-dog-training-collar/garmin-alpha-gps-dog-tracking-device-glow-protective-rubber-case-gaa103/?gclid=CjwKEAjwguu5BRDq8uSKhaKIzDkSJACQ7WJlxQQ8OE2SyZWguCXgJrUAtCRQtJ9xG1yc3Ou6fqHTRRoCuK3w_wcB


www.emanualonline.com/Parts/Mini-Real_Time-GPS-Car-Vehicle-Tracker.html?currency=AUD&gclid=CjwKEAjwguu5BRDq8uSKhaKIzDkSJACQ7WJlJJwmEjOmNVGsjnw9FNtJfmLf3m9Aix0khNHRFDNmdxoCJJLw_wcB

I'm not knocking your device but showing how it could be applied to some thing else

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HG02 said..
I've often wondered if some thing in the GPS trackers could also be applied to do similar focus example below.
One of the contactors at work has fitted one to his tool box he can tracking all over Australia when hes flying around Oz

www.discountdogfence.com.au/store/brands/garmin-tritronics-bark-control-and-dog-training-collar/garmin-alpha-gps-dog-tracking-device-glow-protective-rubber-case-gaa103/?gclid=CjwKEAjwguu5BRDq8uSKhaKIzDkSJACQ7WJlxQQ8OE2SyZWguCXgJrUAtCRQtJ9xG1yc3Ou6fqHTRRoCuK3w_wcB


www.emanualonline.com/Parts/Mini-Real_Time-GPS-Car-Vehicle-Tracker.html?currency=AUD&gclid=CjwKEAjwguu5BRDq8uSKhaKIzDkSJACQ7WJlJJwmEjOmNVGsjnw9FNtJfmLf3m9Aix0khNHRFDNmdxoCJJLw_wcB

I'm not knocking your device but showing how it could be applied to some thing else

Thanks for brainstorming with us.

I'm afraid PanPan would'd be a good fit for pet tracking since it's made to monitor if things (the crew) stays within proximity.
A dedicated solution like the ones you posted would be better.