ACR ResQLink 400 - SOS Personal Locator Beacon with GPS (Model: PLB-400) ACR 2921
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Dion
> 24 hourGetting it registered wasn’t easy but not the fault of Amazon or the company that made it.
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blue cowgirl
> 24 hourI have the PLB 375 ( old model)
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Clayton A. Tomlinson
> 24 hourVery good experience. Arrived on time great price. Easy to understand how to use it. I go offshore and it adds another level of safety
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Tracy Lueilwitz
> 24 hourThis is my second PLB from ACR. I still have my first in my sailing bag but, this one is for Winter travel. I drive all accross Washington, Oregon and some of Idaho. Once your away from cities, cell phones become less reliable. I have whitnessed some really terrible accidents in pretty remote areas. This PLB is my Just In Case back up.
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C. P. Ryan
> 24 hourI received this as a gift from a family member. On my second jet ski fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico, the unit self activated notifying all me emergency contacts, the US Airforce, and the coast guard. I store the unit in my life jackets zipped pocket. Needless to say, my emergency contacts were terrified I was in trouble. A google search identified a boaters thread where many mentioned similar stories. I’m waiting to hear from ACR now. I’m hoping their customer service has improved from the posts I read. BTW, this seems to be an ACR or design issue; not an issue with this seller.
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Cory K.
> 24 hourI unfortunately lost my first ResqLink, so this replaced it. I registered it with NOAA and Im all setup again. Great to have when youre out at sea. I kayak a lot and it offers a peace of mind.
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BBDD
> 24 hourPurchased this for my parents. 1 week past the return deadline they tried to register it and found out its for the United Kingdom, not the US as advertised. So now it appears Im stuck with a $400 paper weight.
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Jim
> 24 hourIt appears to work fine. Hopefully I will never have to test it for real. All the setup and registration was easy and worked flawlessly. All the self test checks worked with no problems.
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Michael
> 24 hourSimple design. Easy to use and understand. Thankfully haven’t needed to press button yet but I am ready!!!
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JW
> 24 hourI can only really give it Zero Stars. A review for something I have not used is no review at all. Its nice looking and small. The Test Button works and the antenna deploys. If I ever use it, I will follow up on this review with my experience.
How An EPIRB or PLB Rescue Works
The Anatomy of a Rescue - Stage 1
When activated, EPIRBs and PLBs send a unique distress signal on the 406 MHz frequency to the Search and Rescue Satellites.
Each beacon is programmed with and sends a unique digital code called a HEX ID or Unique ID. The HEX ID identifies the type of beacon and, Search and Rescue use the HEX ID to identify the beacon registration information provided by the beacon owner.
This information can include: who the beacon owner is, the type of vessel the beacon is associated with (for EPIRBs), emergency points of contact, float plans, trip plans, and much more.
The Anatomy of a Rescue - Stage 2
After the satellite receives a beacon signal, it relays the signal to ground stations referred to as local user terminals (LUTs).
The LUT processes the data, computes the location of the distress beacon, and transmits a decoded alert message to its associated national Mission Control Center (MCC). This happens almost instantaneously after the initial beacon signal is received.
The Anatomy of a Rescue - Stage 3
The Mission Control Center then geographically sorts the data, and transmits a distress message to the closest appropriate SAR authority and another MCC if the beacon is registered to another country.
The RCC (Rescue Coordination Center) investigates the beacon alert and launches rescue assets to find the parties in distress.
Rescue Overview
- 406 MHz Distress Call Is Activated
- Search and Rescue (SAR) satellites forward distress signal down to earth Ground Stations
- Ground stations forward the distress to the Mission Control Centers (MCC)
- The MCC alerts the closest Rescue Coordination Centers (RCC)
- The RCC call emergency contacts and dispatch the closest SAR teams
- SAR teams arrive on scene and rescue survivors
- Worldwide – Over 48,000+ people rescued since 1982
- United States – 9,753 people rescued since 1982