NZ Hire and Sale of Personal Locator Beacons (PLB)
by Admin
Posted on 25-09-2023 01:07 PM
Due to new zealand’s rugged landscape and changeable weather a personal locator beacon (plb) is an essential item for those who regularly head into the back-country bush walking, hiking & backpacking, beacons (also known as distress or
emergency
beacons) are the most effective way of letting people know that you need urgent help and where to find you. Radios, gps tracking systems, distress flares, whistles, lights and mobile phones may be useful as a back-up, however, none are as effective as a plb personal locator beacon when you need help in distress or an emergency. We only hire and sell nz coded plbs personal locator beacons, and have 89 rental outlets throughout nz all with the highly rated acr plbs.
Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs)
personal
locator beacons (plbs) transmit personalized distress signals in the 406 mhz spectrum range and aid in search and rescue missions.
For example, if you are in a remote area and out of the range of cell phone service, you can use a plb to send a personalized emergency distress signal. Personal locator beacons (plbs) rules were established in 2002.
Personal locator beacons (plbs) are designed to be used on land. They are smaller and easier to transport than other beacons, and are designed to stay with individuals rather than vehicles. Emergency position indicating radio beacons (epirbs) can also be used on land, but are more difficult to transport because they are larger and heavier to carry.
Also see our head to head comparison review of the current returnlink service enabled personal locator beacons available from acr and mcmurdo reasons to buy: a smooth easy to operate plb, return link service, comes with an array of methods of attachment to a lifejacket reasons to avoid: the casing feels like it might be less robust compared to other ruggesdised competitors specifications: 406hz satellite radio signal | return link service | 28hr battery life when activated | strobe light | weight 148g | 11. 48 cm (l) x 5. 16 cm (w) x 3. 78 cm (d) this personal locator beacon, unusually, incorporates a small lcd screen which fundamentally improves the user experience.
In short, choose a plb if you want to avoid subscription fees and/or you’re solely interested in being able to send an sos in an emergency. Choose a satellite messenger if you also want to be able to send messages to loved ones and/or are interested in additional features like navigation. Personal locator beacons (plbs): this satellite-synced device sends an sos signal to rescue agencies, along with your location. Key attributes include: works in remote areas worldwide* multiyear battery life (replacement requires sending it in) no subscription fees no ability to send messages home or cancel an sos call stronger signal than a satellite messenger (unobstructed view of sky works best).
ACR RESQLINK PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACONS RETURN LINK SERVICE
Return link service (rls) is a new enhancement to rls-enabled personal locator beacons that provides a blue flashing l return link service (rls) is a new enhancement to personal locator beacons. It activates a blue flashing led light and displays a message that act as visual confirmation from search and rescue teams that they have received your emergency distress message. A return link service signal sent back through the galileo satellite network confirms that the distress message, the precise beacon location, and identifiers have been detected. The comfort of knowing rescuers have been alerted that a plb has been activated and that they have its location helps reduce the stress on the survivor waiting to be rescued.
Personal locator beacons (plbs) like the ocean signal rescueme plb1 or our former pick, the now-discontinued acr resqlink+ have one function: to send a distress signal. These small, lightweight, inexpensive, and nearly indestructible units offer no texting or two-way communication; they won’t function as a gps, won’t track you with waypoints, give you a weather report, or link to social media. As far as keeping the people back home informed of your whereabouts and state of health, using a plb is a “no news is good news” thing. All the satellite messengers we considered come with a monthly subscription cost.