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Gary Jacek

Gary Jacek

Paddler
Joined
Dec 11, 2009
Messages
334
Location
Victoria, BC
I came across my old Ranger FastFind PLB with expired battery.
And I recall that Kayakwriter posted an update sometime back, of a Vancouver firm which replaces these batteries.

So, simple enough. Use the search function on WestCoastPaddler to search for "PLB" and author "kayakwriter" in the Gear Talk forum.

And I get this:

"The search could not be completed because the search keywords were too short, too long, or too common."

Like every other industry, paddling is rife with TLAs. (Three Letter Acronyms). And we all use them.

Would it be possible to relax the search rules, just a tad?
 
kayakwriter said:
Thanks for raising the concern. I'd had the battery professionally replaced several years ago by DBC Marine Safety Systems Ltd. Per the sticker they put on the unit then, that battery expired in October of this year. So I had it replaced again at DBC at that time - the current sticker says the battery is good until February of 2026.
Click to expand...


This was found by searching "PLB battery". I know most forum software I've dealt with previously is a bit reluctant to modification.
 
EDIT: CPS is quicker than me! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
***************** I don't use the search function at WCP very much, for reasons like the one above. For the past few years, I've been using Google with the WCP site specified.

Google search string: PLB battery replacement kayakwriter site:https://www.westcoastpaddler.com/

returned this:
https://www.westcoastpaddler.com/community/threads/to-epirb-or-not-to-epirb.9341/

with the info:
I'd had the battery professionally replaced several years ago by DBC Marine Safety Systems Ltd. Per the sticker they put on the unit then, that battery expired in October of this year. So I had it replaced again at DBC at that time - the current sticker says the battery is good until February of 2026.
Click to expand...
 
Gary Jacek said:
So, simple enough. Use the search function on WestCoastPaddler to search for "PLB" and author "kayakwriter" in the Gear Talk forum.And I get this:"The search could not be completed because the search keywords were too short, too long, or too common."Like every other industry, paddling is rife with TLAs. (Three Letter Acronyms). And we all use them.
Would it be possible to relax the search rules, just a tad?
Click to expand...

Not being a techy guy, I'll probably need a little coaching from Tongo-Rad on that. It may be a little while: vet tests from a couple of days ago revealed our ancient rescue Shelty is in the last weeks of her life. We're focusing on making her final days as pain-free and happy as possible.
 
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Ah yes, Google.

I worked in DP administering IBM systems software and associated trouble tickets.
Years ago we found that Google gave better results than IBMs own problem search engine.

I’ve reached out to DBC Marine re my PLB.
 
Gary Jacek said:
Would it be possible to relax the search rules, just a tad?
Click to expand...
[In Monty Python voice] "You have reached the WCP Complaints Department. All right. Take a seat...."

Hi Gary. Thanks for your posting and great question.

This is a result of both the forum software settings in combination with the MySQL database's initial setup which puts a limitation on searching for words that are less than four characters long. As CPS mentioned, this is a standard with most forum software and is designed to prevent gigantic indexes which can slow the site performance down.

I've adjusted the minimum search words down to just 1, so you won't see that error again. I'll see what can be done about the MySQL character limitations. The forum software, Xenforo is a paid product which has numerous add-on to expand its features including more detailed search parameters but most of these add-ons require annual payment, so I'll take that up with @kayakwriter to see what options we have. This forum is run by volunteers and the forum software is paid out of pocket each year.

In the meantime, one way to get around 3-word searches is to add what's called a wildcard (shown as an asterisk) onto the ending, so instead of plb try plb* and you'll get results.

We'll keep this post updated with any more changes or features for search.

NEXXXT! :biggrin:
 
As long as we are considering site modification, how about adding a "Donation" link under the blue heading bar. That way you don't enter the realm of "paid subscription" but do make it easier for members to make a financial contribution. PayPal has a donation feature you can tie to an account. The link takes someone to a window where they just have to put in their donation amount. Of course, they have to have their own PayPal account to pull from.
 
The mention of search engines, not in on this forum, just general searching, as we mostly all use Google, there is DuckDuckGo which does just about as good a job. Yahoo is rubbish.
DuckDuckGo is supposed to be private and not share you thoughts.
 
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