Safety Turtle and Salt Water
 
An increase in salt concentration increases water’s conductivity, making propagation of a radio wave more difficult. 
This has the effect of reducing “depth coverage”, the depth below which a Base Station cannot decipher the signal transmitted by an immersed Turtle. 
 
Salt does NOT affect the operation of the electronics or a Turtle’s operating life. 
Salt does not directly affect “spatial coverage”, the area over which alarming will occur when a Turtle is just immersed.
 
Depth Coverage
 
Depth coverage is measured by SLOWLY immersing a Turtle till beeping at the Base Station [in TEST MODE] stops. 
Salt concentration and distance from the Base Station affect depth coverage. 
 
The following minimum depth coverage is required for reliable alarming in ACTIVE MODE. Note that this depends on how the Turtle is worn :




Child not wearing life jacket:
               Turtle attached to wrist                                            4 – 6 inches [ 10 – 15 cm.]
               Turtle attached to child’s ankle                                36 inches [ 90 cm.] 
Child wearing life jacket
               attached to wrist                                                                    nil 
               Turtle attached to life jacket above the buoyancy line                nil
Pet Use
               Turtle attached to top of collar                                                 nil
               Turtle attached to bottom of collar                                           2 – 4 inches [5– 10cm.]
 
Use with Pools and Spas
 
The salt concentration of non salt chlorinated pools and spas, including pools using ozonators, varies from 50 parts per million [ppm] to 1,000 ppm. 
The salt concentration of chloride salt pools and spas is typically 2,400 to 3,600 ppm, but this varies in practice.  The concentration of bromide salt 
pools and spas is considerably lower.

With pools or hot tubs, the Turtle wristband should be locked on a child's wrist, not attached to another part of his/her anatomy or clothing. In the eventuality

he alarm is not triggered on the way down, due to insufficient depth coverage, buoyancy, weight distribution and involuntary arm movement can accomplish

this within a few seconds.

To achieve the minimum 4 inch [10 cm.] depth coverage for a salt pool may require the Base Station to be situated within 50 ft [15 m.]. Above 4,000 ppm, the 
Base Station may have to be pool side - alarming in the house then requires a dual alarming Commercial System. 
 
Use with Natural Fresh Water
 
Lakes and inland rivers have a much lower salt content than pools and spas. A Turtle signal is detectable from as much as 50 ft. [15 m.] down.
 
There is no restriction on where the Turtle is worn, providing the child cannot remove it.

 
Use with Sea Water
 
Depth coverage is insufficient to assure alarming if the wearer falls into the water. To work reliably, the Turtle must thereafter break or nearly break the surface of the water.
 
	Boating    If worn on a life vest a few inches above the water line, the system is 100 % reliable. If on the wrist of a subject wearing a life vest, 
	the system is also practically reliable. If worn on the wrist of a non swimmer not wearing a life jacket, the chances of alarming are higher than the chances of 
	subsequent rescue! 
 
               Shoreline             While not 100% reliable, the product is effective in detecting a child playing at water’s edge. 
	Even if the child is knocked down by a breaker, alarming will occur when the breaker recedes.

 

(ppm means parts per million)