ACRguy

There is an article in August Soundings Mag with the full story on this rescue. The beacon was trapped below the water in a tee top pocket for a while. They had no strobe lights to signal to the USCG jet that was first on scene. The strobe on the beacon was blocked by the over turned hull. Stay safe Chris

BLY, Yes ACR EPIRBs and PLBs tend to be higher priced then competitive products. We use quality materials in the construction and our power output measures at the high end of whats allowed by regulation. We are building a quality product knowing that it is used to save lives. Currently our EPIRBs and PLBs should be serviced in five years. This includes battery replacement as well as a complete check up on the beacon and replacement of the gasket and seals. The beacon will be pressure tested and returned with a test report. This process allows us to be sure that your beacon is ready for another five years of service. Here is a link to an article written on the subject by Boat US. http://www.boatus.com/husick/techno09_06.asp Some models from other manufactures have longer service intervals. I have seen six and seven years. We think that five years is long enough for a Life Saving Device to be in service without a qualified technician having a look at it. As far as pricing for five year service this can vary. We have over 200 Battery Replacement Centers world wide. If I had to take a swag at it, PLB service would average $175 and EPIRB service would average $250-$300. This is all dependent on which model requires service. If you need to talk more about if an EPIRB or a PLB would be better for you. Feel free to contact me directly. 954-862-2174 Chris.Wahler@Cobham.com Stay safe Chris

BLY, I work at ACR Electronics and can answer your question. The McMurdo product is approved as a PLB. By regulation an EPIRB and a PLB have different performance characteristics. Here is a partial list below. EPIRBs float in an upright position to transmit (perform best when floating) PLBs float so they won’t get lost, some need pouch to float. (They need to be held out of the water or attached high up on PFD for best transmission) EPIRBs transmit for 48hrs at temps down to -40C or -20C (Longer in nominal temps) PLBs transmit for 24 hrs at temps down to -20C (Longer in nominal temps) EPIRBs can be manually activated in or out of their bracket or automatically activated when out of the bracket and in the water PLBs are manually activated EPIRBs have a strobe light PLBs have no strobe (some newer versions have flashing LEDs) EPIRBs are designed to be mounted in a bracket or carried in a ditch bag PLBs are designed to be worn or carried on your persons EPIRBs are registered to the vessel PLBs are registered to the person and are legal to be used on land as well Both are required to be registered with NOAA. It’s quick, easy and free and can be done online at http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/ I hope this is helpful. Stay Safe Chris