Mcmurdo PLB battery replacement

[prv]

Good points, thanks. If I was designing one of these things I would include a battery test in the self-test, but perhaps ACR did not.

The McMurdo PLBs' self-test includes a series of LED flashes indicating remaining battery life. Though I suppose it's possible they don't really test the battery and just record how much use has been made of it over the unit's lifetime.

the rollover issue could well be the clincher.

This seems unlikely. The last rollover was in 1999 and I very much doubt your GPS EPIRB is twenty years old. Logically it should keep working out the right date for about twenty years after its software was written - when the week number suddenly goes down instead of up it should be able to realise that one interpretation gives a date before its own birth, and choose the other one. And in any case it's not clear that a faulty date actually matters to an EPIRB anyway.

I'd probably still replace it (I've just replaced an out-of-date PLB-being-used-as-EPIRB with the new Ocean Signal mentioned above) but GPS rollover wouldn't be a major factor in my decision.

Pete

 

[LadyInBed]

Looking at the marketplace I think I would now go for a replacement unit.
This Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB1 with GPS PLB looks good for £189.95 and is a generation or two on.

 

[pvb]

Looking at the marketplace I think I would now go for a replacement unit.
This Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB1 with GPS PLB looks good for £189.95 and is a generation or two on.

It's a bit cheaper here - https://www.crew-safe.co.uk/acatalog/Ocean-Signal-PLB.html

 

[JumbleDuck]

This seems unlikely. The last rollover was in 1999 and I very much doubt your GPS EPIRB is twenty years old.

The next one, on the other hand, is on Saturday ...

 

[alan_d]

At that sort of price, you're not far off the price of a new PLB. New ones are smaller and lighter, and tend to have slightly better battery life. I'd be tempted after 16 years to go for a new one.

+1. I have replaced my battery once, but the next time it will be a new PLB.

 

[requiem]

I have a fairly elderly (2003) McMurdo Fastfind Plus PLB

I too would strongly recommend buying a replacement unit, for two key reasons:

1. GPS hardware has improved quite significantly since then.
2. Of the tests of PLB / EPIRB reliability I've heard about from that era, the failure rates for GPS-related functionality were disturbingly high (e.g. 66% failure rates); your model may be in that category.

 

[ctva]

All that really happens with the battery is that the manufacturer will not guarantee it will last 24/48hrs.

Keep the unit as a spare as it will take a decade to lose the battery power where it will not transmit for a few hours at least. In the UK if you are not located and picked up within a few hours of setting it off I'd be surprise.

Ignorant dangerous nonsense.

In what way????
Batteries slowly lose power over time. I’m sure a battery expert can confirm this although exact times will vary with type and how stored.
I said keep it as a “Spare”. How is that dangerous when you in a subsequent post say…

… one which is past its sell by date can't do you any harm.
But if you are relying on it, or you or your guests are taking comfort from it being there, you should replace it.
A self test does not make great demands on the battery. An old battery could pass self test, but not power a transmission for long enough to get a fix in the satellite system.
...

You don’t half come away with some stupid statements at times.

 

[PabloPicasso]

It's a bit cheaper here - Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB1 - Crewsafe

2019 £189. 95
2025 £279

That is a 46% increase.

Wow.

I thought technology should become more affordable over time?

 

[Graham376]

McMurdo FastFind £246.99 on Amazon UK.

 

[rogerthebodger]

McMurdo refused to supply replacement batteries for my EPIRB so I went to a local firm who made up replacement battery pack for about 50GBP whereas McMurdo wanted me to buy a new EPIRB even through the current EPIRB tested OK

 

[Wakatere]

I tested mine for the first time in ages and the batteries are completely dead. They still have 9 months left on the “replace by” date. Now I wonder how long I have been using a useless bit of kit!

Anyone else had this issue?

Yes - see my recent threadTest your PLB

Oops - a bit behind the times

 

[OCuea]

McMurdo refused to supply replacement batteries for my EPIRB so I went to a local firm who made up replacement battery pack for about 50GBP whereas McMurdo wanted me

2019 £189. 95
2025 £279

That is a 46% increase.

Wow.

I thought technology should become more affordable over time?

Current rip off culture , unless a firm wants to post a reason.

 

[Boathook]

Sartech Home at Redhill refurbished my ocean signal plb. Under half the price of a new one at the time and another 10 years life plus all tested, etc.

 

[OCuea]

Sartech Home at Redhill refurbished my ocean signal plb. Under half the price of a new one at the time and another 10 years life plus all tested, etc.

Looks like a good website . Some prices for various models would help like other websites give. I’D like to know what type of batteries these things use. Website says batteries loose capacity , some do very quickly like lithium ion , some more slowly and some batteries have 10 year lifespan , so what type of batteries are being used I wonder?

 

[Boathook]

Looks like a good website . Some prices for various models would help like other websites give. I’D like to know what type of batteries these things use. Website says batteries loose capacity , some do very quickly like lithium ion , some more slowly and some batteries have 10 year lifespan , so what type of batteries are being used I wonder?

They told me that they used the same ones as ocean signal. Had a nice chat with the person who did the work and saw how they tested them etc. Costs can vary depending if there is damage. Mine was un damaged luckily and cost about £95 compared with £250 ish for a new one.