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I was looking into PLBs earlier this evening, for obvious reasons and, since the topic was mentioned here, and since this might be helpful to people, I'll descr
by qohen 10y ago
I was looking into PLBs earlier this evening, for obvious reasons and, since the topic was mentioned here, and since this might be helpful to people, I'll describe something notable I found.
On a site called outdoorgearlab.com, which has reviews of a number of units, one stood out in particular for being simple, well-reviewed (there and elsewhere) and relatively inexpensive.
The ACR ResQlink 406 Personal Locator Beacon, reviewed here [0], is around $250-$300, has a 5-year battery and doesn't require any subscription/data-plan, like some units that can send msgs do -- it just reliably sends S.O.S. messages to the relevant satellites in orbit (and it will send such messages at 5 watts, which is around 2.5 - 12x the power used by some other units -- helpful when sending data to a satellite).
There's a ResQlink+ model now too -- it's buoyant (the ResQlink is not) so it floats (but doesn't come w/a case, from what I read and is about 20 grams heavier).
[0] http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Personal-Locator-Beacon-Reviews/ACR-ResQlink-406-Personal-Locator-Beacon http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Personal-Locator-Beacon-Review...
- qohen 10y agoBTW, the manufacturer is running a promotion [0] that, if you buy the ResQlink or ResQlink+ (or Aqualink), you can get a $50 rebate. (Or get a ResQlink+ for free if you buy a $700-ish GlobalFix iPro). Check the promotion [0] and rebate-form [1] for details. [0] https://www.acrartex.com/info/2016-usa-promotions/ https://www.acrartex.com/info/2016-usa-promotions/ [1] https://www.acrartex.com/media/1377019/epirb-us-rebate-form-beacon-savings-2016.pdf https://www.acrartex.com/media/1377019/epirb-us-rebate-form-...
- ChoGGi 10y agoI suppose I should've checked my comments earlier: I didn't bother getting one with a plan (seemed like a waste), I just have it for emergencies. If you do buy one then make sure to check the battery expiration date, also good to check it when you buy a "new" battery. Last time I bought a new battery it was over a year old (sent it back). For anyone buying a PLB, make sure it broadcasts at 406 MHz and 121.5 MHz (long range / short range)