> I’ve been told that many have been abused and are not treated as urgent any more There is an old type of PLB and a new type. That was a problem for the old

> I’ve been told that many have been abused and are not treated as urgent any more There is an old type of PLB and a new type. That was a problem for the old type, in principle. In practice, the search coordination centres got pretty good at triage. Going down Route 66 at 70 mph, unlikely to be a real emergency; halfway up Mt McKinley, scramble the chopper. Accidental activations are far more common than abusive ones. The new type broadcasts its serial number, and everyone is required to register an emergency contact person when they buy their PLB. If the beacon is activated, the contact person gets a call from search and rescue, asking what the beacon user is up to.