Buyers Tips: Personal Locator Beacon's (PLB)

Tips when purchasing a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)

 Beside tramping boots a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) will probably be one of the most expensive pieces of kit in any tramper's arsenal. They are also known as Rescue Beacons, EPIRB's or Safety Beacons. With prices ranging from $350 right up to $1300 they are a piece of kit which requires some research and thought before buying. 

Tramper with a GME Personal Locator Beacon...

I recently brought a PLB, so here are a few tips I discovered while researching my purchase.

What is a PLB and how does it work?

 In basic terms, a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) is an electronic safety device that when activated sends a distress signal to a satellite. The satellite system informs the rescue authorities in your location who then initiate a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation to come to your assistance. This is a very basic description of the process but you get the main idea... 

The PLB activation sequence...what happens!!!

Most rescue missions are undertaken by a helicopter as it is the fastest and most direct way to gain access to the person who set the beacon off. The usual response time is 2-4 hours but it can take much longer. There are only a few SAR helicopters on duty and they may be busy and need to triage who they assist first. Also a helicopter cannot fly in adverse conditions in which case a much longer ground rescue might be the response. 

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter's undertake many rescues in the South Island

SAR responses will also be undertaken by boat, vehicle or on foot depending on the location and resources. The SAR Rescue Center will make a decision on how the rescue is carried out taking into account all the information they have at their command.  

Please note: There are two frequencies PLB's operate on: 122.5 Mhz and 406 Mhz. Only 406 Mhz beacons are monitored in New Zealand so please check if your PLB will work here if you are visiting from another country.

Why buy a PLB?

What a personal locator beacon offers is a measure of security. If you or a member of your party has an accident which precludes walking then this is your quickest means of summoning assistance. Why wait for days when using your PLB could mean assistance within hours.

A SAR rescue operation in progress in 2015

 

While PLB's are useful for all outdoor folk they should probably be required equipment for solo tramper's. When you tramp solo you are completely reliant on your own abilities/actions to get home so if you get injured you will not be able to self rescue. In cases like these having a PLB could be the difference between life and death...

Where should I buy?

Most PLB buyers will purchase their beacon from a local hunting, boating or outdoor shop. It is probably preferable to buy local as warranties and servicing will be easier to obtain. I have brought my beacon from Hunting & Fishing here in Christchurch but they are sold at most of the major outdoor retailers including Bivouac, Macpac, Kathmandu, Hutch Wilco and Torpedo 7. 

Hunting & Fishing Tower Junction...

There are also a number of on-line New Zealand based suppliers, Aviation Safety Supplies Ltd is the most well known but they are also available from online retailers like Gearshop.  You can buy your beacon on-line from overseas but be aware that they will need to be re-programmed to work in this country, this costs approximately $120.

Common brands and prices

There are numerous brands and types of beacon's available, I will discuss several of the most common brands I have encountered while tramping in New Zealand:

ACR ResQLink:

One of the larger locator beacon manufacturers is ACR, with their ResQLink beacon. Importantly the ACR ResQLink is the beacon used by the Police, Armed Forces, NZ Search and Rescue (SAR) and the Southland Locator Beacon Charity.

ACR ResQLink PLB

 

The company produces a number of beacons, the more expensive are GPS capable. GPS capability means that the potential search radius is much smaller as GPS units are accurate to 10-30 meters. Non GPS equipped beacons have a 100 meters radius by comparison. That might not sound like much but 100 meters is a huge area to search in rough, broken or thickly forested areas. You want a GPS capable beacon!

Standard pricing ranges from $500-$700 depending on the retailer. 

Fast Find McMurdo:

Another brand is the McMurdo 220, they are smaller than the ACR beacons but have very similar features.

McMurdo Fast Find 220 PLB

 These beacons float which is an important factor to consider when using it in the wet New Zealand back-country. I have been told it is slightly more difficult to extend the antenna on these, but have not tried myself. Again, these range in price from $530-$700 depending on where you purchase the unit.

Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB1:

Ocean Signal is a well known manufacturer of safety equipment for boaters and the sea faring set and one of the items they produce are PLB/EPIRB's. An EPIRB is a Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon...they work much the same as a PLB using satellites to send a rescue position to the authorities but they operate on the 121.5 Mhz range and tend to be larger and heavier than ground use PLB's. They have a longer battery life (typically 10 years) and most have the ability to automatically deploy when the vessel sinks. Their weight and size generally make them unsuitable for trampers. 

An Ocean Signal EPIRB device

One of the other devices the company produces is the RescueMe PLB1 which is currently the smallest and lightest PLB device on the market. They also have the longest battery life at 7 years. I have seen more and more of these units being carried by trampers and they are becoming one of the main PLB suppliers.

Prices for an Ocean Signal PLB1 are slightly more than some of the others brands with a standard price of around $600-$700. If these units were a little cheaper they would be my recommended device...it is hard to go past the lower weight and size of these. 

AccuSat GME MT410G:

I have seen a couple of people with AccuSat GME beacons, cost is around $500 from Aviation Safety Supplies based in Hamilton. They have a hard protective outer casing on them, an excellent feature as PLB's tend to get knocked around. Because of this they are slightly heavier than the ACR and McMurdo Beacons.

GME MT410G PLB

I believe they are aimed at the boating community more than tramper's but they basically work the same way so can be used for terrestrial as well as aquatic environments..

Here is some info from their site:

"The MT410 and MT410g provide the aviator and or the outdoor adventurer with a 406 MHz PLB that is not only affordable, but provides enhanced peace of mind for boaters, bush walkers, 4 x 4 enthusiasts and aviators should they ever require emergency assistance."

SPOT Find Me:

You can buy a Spot Find Me for around $300, and they are the smallest and lightest of the five PLB's shown here. They have excellent GPS enabled tracking functions and allow for pre-programmed messages to be sent to designated people.

SPOT Find Me PLB

    One negative feature is a US  $150 per annum fee to register it...so you would be looking at $1200 for the 6 year battery life of the unit. Worth considering if the ability to message your loved ones is important to you.

Garmin inReach and inReach Mini:

The last of the brands of beacon worth discussing is the Garmin inReach and inReach Mini...these are a hybrid between a PLB and a messaging device. They act much like a SPOT device with the ability to send AND receive messages via satellite...obviously this is a very useful ability. Importantly there is no need for an annual payment to use the service which makes them a more economical option. 

These Garmin devices have an SOS function allowing you to summon assistance in the manner of a PLB. The most capable model is also a GPS unit with the ability to load topographic maps and track information. I can see these devices eventually dominating the market BUT the downside is that they are currently quite expensive with prices ranging from $600-$1300 depending on model. 

My beacon: ACR ResQLink

In the end I decided to buy a ACR ResQLink and there were three main reasons for this:

PLB size comparison: McMurdo, Rescueme and ResQLink

Familiarity: I have hired these beacons before and found them light and easy to use.

  

Price: I brought mine for $530 from Hunting and Fishing (Ballingers) in Christchurch. This was the best price within New Zealand for a ResQLink PLB, the other suppliers were selling them for up to $630. This was also one of the lower PLB prices regardless of brand.

Functionality: These are the easiest to use of the five beacons: the antenna is easy to extend and requires minimal pressure to do so. The controls are obvious and really simple to use. One feature I really like are the instructions printed on the PLB itself.

The ACR ResQLink in the deployed setting

Personally, I would recommend that every tramping party carry a PLB. The added layer of security they offer is certainly worth the price and weight.