PLB's / EPIRB's

I use a fastfind, chosen because it was the smallest and lightest available at the time. I think there are smaller lighter ones available now. I've mentioned this before but it is really important so just in case anyone reading this thread missed it...... I got slack on testing it and when I finally did after about an 18month gap it didn't work. Was well within its battery life so the manufacturer replaced it. I have no idea what went wrong with it or how long I was carrying around a dud for. I now test it according to the manufactureres instuctions, which is monthly for the signal function and once a year for the GPS function. We had a search in my area for someone who got caught out by bad weather but had a Spot and was sending I'm OK messages to stop a search being started - unfortunately they did not get through. If messages are unreliable I don't think they would be any use for reassuring loved ones or as in this case stopping a search from starting up.

As far as keeping family up to date or long distance trips, a smartphone + solar charger + blog/facebook/whatever is a pretty good combination. On TAT you ought to be able generally to get cell service at least every other day or 3, somewhere. Solar chargers have recently come down in price, size and weight. I bought one of these and have been happy with it: http://www.amazon.com/Foldable-Portable-Smartphones-Bluetooth-USB-Charged/dp/B00NTXGLUI Theres a review of others here: http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Solar-Charger-Reviews

"I'd never take an EPIRB..... ;) PLB yes, EPIRB..... ahhh, no. " The newish (2 years is still new) 406mhz PLBs are EPIRBS The old PLBS are no longer being monitored so if you have one of them and hit the red button no one is listening

That's certainly the difference between the old 121.5MHz plbs and more modern 406MHz plbs. I may be wrong, but I thought EPIRB was terminology attributed to marine devices for boats & aeroplanes, which have a bunch of extra requirements about needing to float, and stuff. PLBs work on the same emergency network and transmit in the same way (as I understand), but are meant to be easier to carry on a person (including things like life jackets) and don't have such strict requirements. I might try to find a better reference later if nobody else does. [Edit: Here's a random ref for starters - http://www.epirb.com/difference_between_EPIRBs_PLBs.php ]

""I'd never take an EPIRB..... ;) PLB yes, EPIRB.....ahhh, no. " The newish (2 years is still new) 406mhz PLBs are EPIRBS The old PLBS are no longer being monitored so if you have one of them and hit the red button no one is listening."" That's not entirely accurate :) The newish PLBs aren't EPIRB's. EPIRB's are registered to a vessel (marine) and are typically larger,have longer battery life etc. Personal Locator Beacons are registered to a person and from 2009 all PLB's using 121.5MHz as a main frequency are no longer detected by Cospas satellites. They new series of GPS PLBs operate on 406mHz and some also use a low strength 121.5mHz as a homing signal for rescuers. To expand on the definitions ELT's (Emergency Locator Transmitters) are used in aircraft.

Ok I accept Im mistaken. PLBS are commonly referred to as Epirbs though even if that is not strictly correct

Thanks fellas. Yeah, that's what I was getting at. As ex-Navy, an EPIRB was always a big clunker of a thing that, yeah, floats, and tends to let the whole bloody world know where you are. :D

It seems to be a prudent move to get a PLB so I just got a Kti SA2G from Australia. I think it was about $310 NZ coded and came in 3 days. It did give me peace of mind being away for 3 days with my 15 year old.

boat Epirbs are a lot bigger than PLB's, made to be very buoyant and with bigger battery since they dont have the size and weight limitations of having to be carried on a person for lengthy periods, they often have a permanently extended aerial.