Personal Locator beacon recomendations

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SteveSarabande

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I sail single handed mostly, in the Bristol Channel, mostly coastal stuff so far. I feel the need for a PLB in case I fall overboard. The boat is 27' with no epirb, but I reckon I am better with a PLB in my lifejacket than something on the boat.

It has to fit in the lifejacket somewhere, spinlock deckvest. So needs to be small.

I want a real one, not an AIS thing. I sail in winter and don't see other boats too often

Any recomendations?

anyone got a Kannad Solo- Personal Location Beacon, is it as small as it looks?
http://www.mailspeedmarine.com/epirbs/kannad/solo-personal-location-beacon.bhtml
 
Hi

I have a mcmurdo 220 PLB. Very please with it. Features I liked;

- PIRB obviously (both 41x and 2x frequencies);
- intergral GPS
- small
- led SOS light
- being a newer model has a longer battery life compared to previous models.
- floatations pouch included
- fits in my 170d Deck vest pocket, but is tiny so could fit on any life jacket waist belt. You may need to get a pouch.

Kanad also look good, and are owned by the same parent company I believe.

I looked allot at user replaceable vs non replaceable battery devices thinking
that a user replaceable was essential. In the end I went with a non-replaceable because;

- smaller by far
- do not thnk I need 48hrs battery power ...
- replacement battery is around the same price as a battery replacement and check.
- sad to say it, but when the battery needs replacement I will recycle and replace as this is safety critical and the costs will be around the same. This is based on the assumption prices will fall and the features will improve on new ones.

No connection but the 220 would be my recomendation.
 
Got my frequencies wrong but you get the idea.

Nothing wrong with your kanad it is so similar to the Fastfind - the 220 has a slightly longer battery life, and a few other features for only a few £££.

One thing to consider, especially with deals is the cost per year this depends on battery life. Check with the retail the battery expiry date (printed on outside of box).

No connection I got mine here;

http://www.marinesuperstore.com/item/99336769/mcmurdo-fastfind-220-gps-plb
 
Cheers, i am open to ideas the kannad was just one i had seen

Another question, ar3 plb's a problem when flying, will security let them through ok
 
Stevev2 said:
Cheers, i am open to ideas the kannad was just one i had seen

Another question, ar3 plb's a problem when flying, will security let them through ok
Click to expand...

Flew back from Amsterdam to Inverness last November. No problem at all with my life-jacket and PLB attached. Went a bit scowly with the water bottle I'd forgotten was in my kit-bag!!
My PLB is on the waistband of my l/j, but I'm concerned that if I fell in, perhaps with head injury, then it wouldn't automatically float to the surface and/or send the alert without being manually triggered
 
We have the McMurdo fast find 220s. We sail in the same waters so understand your motivation!

We bought them because the price convergence with the older ?185 gps model meant there was nothing to loose by buying the newer model.

The 220 doesn't have inherent buoyancy but it does come with a flotation jacket and lanyard, as well as a pouch for fitting it to a lifejacket belt. There is nothing to be gained from hiding a PLB away inside a jacket as they can't be automatically activated on inflation and the chances of it being flung clear are maybe high.

If I was buying just one unit I might consider one with inherent buoyancy as made by eg ACR. Whatever you get make sure it is a GPS model. The time delay between hitting the drink and a MRCC knowing that there is an emergency and exactly where it is is quoted at five minutes. It is more like fifty for a non-GPS PLB. The difference in UK coastal waters is not going to be marginal.
 
I too would have liked a user replaceable battery but in the end went for McMudro Fastfind, the 210 model. There's a belt pouch thing that you can buy for it which fits on a Lifejacket strap...
 
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