Can anyone recommend a distress beacon?

lukewhiting · 28 January 2017, 19:15

As above can anyone recommend a good distress beacon?

Just want something I can strap to my life jacket in case of emergencies!

Cheers!

Poly · 28 January 2017, 19:47

Luke,

You wont go far wrong with any of the big name PLBs - McMurdo, Kannad/Safelink, ACR/ResqLink etc. Things to be aware of: Battery Life - some have 5, some have 6 yr batteries - most (all?) are not user replacable. Beware old stock - if its been on the shelf for a year it may only have 4 yrs left. Finally there might still be some non-GPS units around that just give a rough area to the CG - thats probably not worth the saving now.

Then its probably down to size, cases, taste, and of course price!

[EDIT: Ocean Signal, seems to be claiming the smallest devices, longest battery life, and it seems is available at the lower end of the budget]

lukewhiting · 28 January 2017, 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poly

Luke,

You wont go far wrong with any of the big name PLBs - McMurdo, Kannad/Safelink, ACR/ResqLink etc. Things to be aware of: Battery Life - some have 5, some have 6 yr batteries - most (all?) are not user replacable. Beware old stock - if its been on the shelf for a year it may only have 4 yrs left. Finally there might still be some non-GPS units around that just give a rough area to the CG - thats probably not worth the saving now.

Then its probably down to size, cases, taste, and of course price!

Okay cheers, I'll shop around those names

ShinyShoe · 28 January 2017, 20:11

Don't forget - floating or not.

Floating doesn't help when deployed (unlikely to hit satellite if bobbing on the surface) but floating helps if you drop it!

Some have lashing strobes

Iron Dials · 28 January 2017, 21:47

As SS says, floating good.
Think cold hands, shock, confusion, injury, panic?
Imagine watching your PLB sink.

Some are sold with floating pouches, see line 2.
Some are intrinsically buoyant, for me that was the critical factor.

There are more experienced people than me on here, they may have different viewpoints.

Phil and Jane · 30 January 2017, 10:36

Hi Luke. My wife and I purchased a PLB each because we were using our rib up in the Hebrides on holiday each year and there is far less traffic up there than down here around Anglesey where we normally use the boat.
I did a lot of research on prices and capabilities. I can't access the document I did as I am away from home at the moment but I can remember what we purchased and why.
The Kayaking forums were a great source of information and I spoke to a lot of Kayakers about their PLBs. As the first reply by Poly says, there is a wide variety on the market.
Believe it or not, some don't float, why is pretty crap if you've just hit a semi submerged object and you've been ejected from your boat (unlikely to occur but possible). We figured that if you had to use one of these devices in anger then it was more likely than not that we'd be in the water unexpectedly at speed so a strong tether for attaching to the life jacket was a must. The one we chose was ACR Resqulink plus which was equal to the other top makes such as McMurdo, Kannard and others.
The difference was that Force4 Chandlers had an offer on them at the time where you got some free accessories with them. They were about £240 each and are now £314 each at that particular store. These things Improve all the time so our research might be outdated even though it's only a few years old.
ACR have a website where they detail countless stories of people who have had their lives saved solely because they have been wearing an ACR Plb.
The kayaking forums have loads of information. Good luck with your research and purchase, Phil.

Pikey Dave · 30 January 2017, 12:54

I have a McMurdo fastfind & ive just bought an ACR floaty one. I was steered away from the Ocean Signal one by an independent chap who repairs PLBs. The main driver for choosing the ACR was that it floats.

jambo · 30 January 2017, 13:43

The McMurdo has a floating pouch

jeffstevens763@g · 30 January 2017, 13:48

fast find 220 plb with floating pouch 6 year battery made by orolia portsmouth

Pikey Dave · 30 January 2017, 13:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambo

The McMurdo has a floating pouch

Yeah I know, but it doesn't fit in my LJ pocket with the pouch. The ACR is a squeeze, but just fits.

Poly · 30 January 2017, 19:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil and Jane

Believe it or not, some don't float, why is pretty crap boat...... so a strong tether for attaching to the life jacket was a must.

I'd say floating matters less if it will live tethered to your LJ.

jambo · 30 January 2017, 19:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Yeah I know, but it doesn't fit in my LJ pocket with the pouch. The ACR is a squeeze, but just fits.

I've got my FF220 attached to the LJ belt

jeffstevens763@g · 30 January 2017, 19:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambo

I've got my FF220 attached to the LJ belt

+1 tethered floating or not would you find it in a heavey sea in the dark or under an upturned boat,would you have the presence of mind to find it after an incident

jambo · 30 January 2017, 21:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

+1 tethered floating or not would you find it in a heavey sea in the dark or under an upturned boat,would you have the presence of mind to find it after an incident

I've got the floating pouch attached to LJ by lanyard in the carry pouch on the waist web belt so pop the top and put it comes.

gpsguru · 30 January 2017, 21:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I was steered away from the Ocean Signal one by an independent chap who repairs PLBs.

Why ? ..............

Pikey Dave · 30 January 2017, 21:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpsguru

Why ? ..............

Flimsy antenna apparently. They've made it so small & compact that there isn't enough "meat" left.

gpsguru · 30 January 2017, 22:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Flimsy antenna apparently. They've made it so small & compact that there isn't enough "meat" left.

Ah . ... OK Dave ..........

As I understand it, many of the Ant issues have been caused by users pushing the Ant down instead of using the rewind knob ............. I know of 2 failures for that reason but Ocean Signal repaired both as part of their 7 year warranty ..............

lukewhiting · 30 January 2017, 22:40

Have to say the mcmurdo fast find 220 plb seems a pretty good all rounder.

I'd have it attached to my life jacket somewhere otherwise it'd be no use to me and definitely a floating one!

Let's just say this has happened more than once...

https://youtu.be/vGgDHUhV_Mg

Pikey Dave · 30 January 2017, 22:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpsguru

Ah . ... OK Dave ..........

As I understand it, many of the Ant issues have been caused by users pushing the Ant down instead of using the rewind knob ............. I know of 2 failures for that reason but Ocean Signal repaired both as part of their 7 year warranty ..............

Are you linked to them in someway?

gpsguru · 30 January 2017, 23:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Are you linked to them in someway?

No .......... I am retired, but in a previous life much of my work was commercial broadcast satellite & GPS related so I guess its a pretty strong subject for me

The PLB 1 is fairly popular in this part of the south west, closely followed by the ACR ..........

With regards to choice of unit, I guess it all comes down to size and looks as they all meet the same specifications (standards T.001 / T.007 & ETSI EN302 152) ........... floatation should not matter as it should be tethered to a LJ and IIRC part of the spec is waterproof to 10m+ ...... mine is mounted on the LJ harness together with my knife and both are tethered to the LJ

.......... to be fair, I hope I never have to use it in anger !

The sad thing is .......... at least 3 commercial fishermen that we lost locally in 2016 would be alive today if they had been wearing a PLB.