Catskill Mountaineer

Review of ACR ResQLink PLB

acr personal locator beacon

Rating: 4 star rating ACR PLB Very Good

Price: $299

Model: PLB-375
Versions: Land & Water
Weight: 4.6 oz for Land model
Battery Life: 5-6 years or after SAR use
Subscription: None
Temperature Range: -40F to 158F
Activation: Manually activated by user
Activation Verification: 1 minute for user to receive verification that help is coming
Accuracy: SAR knows your position within 328' of your actual position.
Battery life when activate: 24-30 hours
Light Stobe when activated: Yes
Transmitter: 5 watts
Registration: NOAA (no charge)
Notification Agency: Local SAR
Warranty: 5 Years
 

Summary:
Any device that states that it is a "Personal Locator Beacon" or PLB, meets government standards to ensure that the device will work as expected. There are other competitors that have similar sounding names, but fall far short of meeting those government standards. PLB's work in any type of weather you can imagine. Even in deep ravines. They also work in other countries. Some poor third world countries may not have any type of support to rescue you. But, if you are in a modern civilized country, and you need to be rescued, then the PLB will save your life. Non-PLB devices may not save your life.

One important consideration is that this particular type of PLB, needs to be manually activated. So, if you are knocked unconscious, then the PLB cannot help you. The PLB is designed as a "last resort" device. Which means, that if you think you will die without help, then you need to activate the device. There are NO areas that are not covered. It will work every single location in the United States.

The GPS electronics are very accurate, and the GPS location is usually within 25' of your location. But, there are situations where the GPS location may be up to 328' from your actual location. But, it will not give out stray locations that are a far distance from your actual location.

If you do activate the PLB, NOAA command center will immediately call your emergency contacts on your PLB registration card to find out more information. They will then contact the closest Search-and-Rescue ("SAR") to start the rescue mission to save your life. Some competitors (non-PLB devices) have their own command center, and will call 911 in your area. Strangely enough, 911 Emergency Management Centers ("EMS") often do not know how to handle this particular situation, and this can significantly delay your rescue. That is why PLB's have a different procedure that works much better.

Once you purchase a PLB, there are no further cost to you. There is NO annual subscription cost either. It is important to know that once you activate the PLB, you will have to replace the batteries.

We consider this device the best option to save your life in case you get lost or hurt. The design of the device makes it fool-proof once it is activated.


Things we DIDN'T like:
Buttons - Some people were confused on how to activate the PLB. There is an Activation Button, and a Test Button. Both are next to each other. There is only a letter to tell you which-is-which. We would have preferred to have lettering of "Activate" and "Test" next to the buttons. No one should be confused on how to use the unit. It should be fool-proof.

Antenna - The antenna has a tendency to pop out of it's holder if it is touched or bumped. If the unit came with a case, then it would not be an issue. But, it does not come with a case. Most people purchased a fabric case for their unit to solve this problem. ACR does sell an optional case for this particular PLB.

Battery Replacement - Since the Lithium batteries last for six years, battery replacement rarely factors into the decision to purchase the device. There are 3 Panasonic Lithium 3 volt CR123a batteries in series that power the unit. ACR charges their customer $150 to replace the batteries. You can purchase the batteries from many sources for less then $10. Unfortunately, the unit does not have a battery cage, so the batteries have to be soldered or spot welded together to get the 9 volts required. A permanent cage for the batteries would be so easy to manufacture. But, ACR does not do this. There are a number of video's on-line that show you how to change the batteries. ACR makes a big stink about people who change their own batteries. This fact keeps this product at a 4-stars rating instead of a 5-star rating.


Things we DID like:
Knowing that the PLB is Activated - Once the PLB is activated, the powerful transmitter sends a signal to a satellite and then the satellite sends the signal to a 24/7/365 command center. The command center has equipment that automatically sends a signal back to the PLB to let you know that help is definitely coming. Once the signal is received back at the PLB, the powerful strobe light comes on. Once the strobe light comes on you are 100% certain that SAR is coming to rescue you.

Powerful Transmitter - . The ACR PLB uses a 5 watt powerful transmitter. Once it is activated, you can be almost 100% sure that help is on the way. Many of the competitors use transmitters that have 10% of the power of the ACR PLB. The powerful transmitter works in the worst weather possible. Hurricanes, blizzards, heavy rain storms, deep ravines will not stop the transmitter from getting the signal to the command center.

Homing Device - When the PLB is activated and the strobe light starts, it will also send a homing signal from the PLB to any helicopter or plane that will help them zero in on your location. This helps aircraft find you in clouds, blizzards, and any weather event where visibility does not exist. The strobe light can also be seen by aircraft if the stroble is pointed up in the sky when there is visibility. It can help SAR personnel on the ground see the strobe also.

Weather Extremes - This PLB can operate for a minimum of 24 hours in temperatures as low as -40F and as high as 158F. In better weather it will continue to function past 24 hours. The PLB is also waterproof down to 33' below the water surface. The land PLB does NOT float, where the water PLB does float.

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Land Version
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Water Version


Links and References:

 
ACR Electronics, Inc.
 
NOAA - PLB Registration
 
SARSAT NOAA
 
SARSAT Command Center


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