In an emergency, wouldn’t it be nice if we could just skip the “search” part and get right to the rescuing part? You can do exactly that if you carry a distress beacon, but which one? There’s a lot to choose from.
The Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) has been the go-to device for pilots, sailors, and mountaineers, but in the past few years, SPOT has gained significant traction in the backpacking and motorcycling markets on the strength of its lower price and social tracking map features.
September 8, 2011 Update: The personal locator device industry is in a state of flux and things are changing fast. The approval of a new standard called SEND is something everyone should be aware of before purchasing a personal locator device. I’ll discuss this further in the Conclusions section below.
- My Requirements
- Things I Don’t Care About
- The Candidates
- SPOT Is Not a PLB (and Vice-Versa)
- Cost Breakdowns
- Evaluation
- Conclusion – UPDATED! 9/8/2011
- Resources
My Requirements
- device must be able to broadcast across North America
- device must be compact, with a long-lasting battery and waterproof casing
- device must be operable with one hand
- device must be able to transmit in difficult environments (i.e. under heavy foliage, from bottom of gully, etc)
- device must cost less than $300 (non-recurring cost)
Things I Don’t Care About
- tracking my location on a map so random people on the Internet can follow me1
- sending “I’M HERE” or “I’M OK” messages
The Candidates
Based on these requirements, I’ve narrowed my list down to three candidates: the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger, the ACR ResQLink Personal Locator Beacon, and the McMurdo Fast Find 210 PLB.
The SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger
The ACR ResQLink Personal Locator Beacon
McMurdo Fast Find 210 Personal Locator Beacon
SPOT Is Not a PLB (and Vice-Versa)
SPOT…
- transmits at 1610 MHz with a satellite network operated by Globalstar, a commercial company
- is unregulated, as it is a commercial (for-profit) entity
- does not transmit with enough power for the signal to be tracked by itself; the GPS transmission is the sole means of determining the unit’s location
- contacts local 911 services on your behalf when a SOS signal is received
a PLB…
- transmits at the standard emergency radio frequency of 460 MHz with the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite network originally developed as a joint effort of governments around the world
- is regulated by COSPAS-SARSAT, an intergovernmental organization
- transmits with enough power for the radio signal to be tracked by Search and Rescue (SAR) units; PLB units with GPS will also transmit coordinates via the radio signal
- contacts SAR organizations when a SOS signal is received
Further information about the differences between SPOT and PLBs can be found in the Resources section.
SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger Cost Breakdown
SPOT device: $169.99 basic subscription: $99.99 (recurs yearly)2 TOTAL: $269.98 5 YEAR COST OF OWNERSHIP: $669.94
Note: this does not include replacement cost for the required AAA lithium batteries (x3).
ACR ResQLink PLB Cost Breakdown
ACR ResQLink: $250.00 (projected MSRP)
TOTAL: $250.00
5 YEAR COST OF OWNERSHIP: $250.00
Note: This does not include the cost of battery replacement required at 5 year intervals, which can range from $100-$150.
McMurdo Fast Find 210 PLB Cost Breakdown
ACR ResQLink: $249.99
TOTAL: $249.99
5 YEAR COST OF OWNERSHIP: $249.99
Note: This does not include the cost of battery replacement required at 5 year intervals, which can range from $100-$150.
Evaluation
| NA coverage | size (HxWxT) | waterproof | battery life | 1 hand | difficult environments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPOT | yes | 3.7″x2.6″x1″ | maybe3 | 7.5 hrs4 | yes | “[SPOT] is not reliable in… very dense woods.”5 |
| ACR ResQLink | yes | 3.9″x1.9″x1.3″ | yes6 | 30-40 hrs7 | yes | yes8 |
| McMurdo | yes | 4.17″x1.85″x1.34″ | yes9 | 24hrs10 | no9 | yes8 |
Conclusion
After comparing these units against my list of requirements, the SPOT is not for me. Its strengths lie in its tracking map and ability to send OK messages — features which are nice to have but not what I’m looking for.
The McMurdo Fast Find was the first of the cheap, pocket-sized PLBs to hit the market. The UI is rudimentary (no one-handed operation) and it meets only the bare minimum of the PLB specifications. However, the price is right and it’s available for purchase now.
ACR must have taken a look at the Fast Find and decided that it could do better. The ResQLink has twice the battery life when transmitting an SOS signal, it’s smaller, and its UI is more refined. The ACR ResQLink is now on sale at various outdoor and marine retailers.
UPDATE! The personal locator device industry is currently in a state of flux. If you’ve read this far, you understand the difference between the PLB standard and the commercial SPOT device. However, a new standard called SEND has recently been approved by the RTCM (Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services). This is something you should be aware of if you’re in the market for an emergency signalling device.
In short, it appears that COSPAS-SARSAT PLBs are in danger of being superseded by this new SEND standard. If this occurs, it’s unclear how long PLBs will be supported by Search and Rescue operations. This could be unfortunate if you just purchased a new PLB.
The SEND standard is exciting because it combines the best of both worlds: a reliable distress alerting system backed by a rigorous set of standards and the two-way messaging and tracking features that make the SPOT messenger appealing to the everyday consumer.
As a result, I have delayed my decision to purchase a personal locator device.
Resources
- http://forum.delorme.com/viewtopic.php?f=181&t=22083 – good overview of differences between SPOT and PLBs
- http://www.rockymountainrescue.org/about_PLBs.php – SPOT vs PLBs from a Search and Rescue organization
- That’s No Personal Locator Beacon! – don’t be fooled by devices marketing themselves as PLBs that really aren’t!
- The Ultimate PLB FAQ – just like it says
- SEND Standard Approved by RTCM – Is COSPAS-SARSAT On Endangered List?
- The Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services
- http://pleaserobme.com [↩]
- SPOT Basic does not include the Fancy Tracking Map feature. [↩]
- http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=119 [↩]
- transmitting SOS, http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=114 [↩]
- http://www.findmespot.com/images/spot_messenger_tips.jpg [↩]
- http://www.equipped.com/faq_plb/default.asp?Action=Q&ID=68 [↩]
- transmitting SOS, http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=284 [↩]
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distress_radiobeacon#Advantages_and_disadvantages_of_the_various_beacons [↩] [↩]
- http://www.equipped.org/McMurdoNewFastFind.htm [↩] [↩]
- transmitting SOS, as required by 406MHz PLB specification http://www.cospas-sarsat.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=203&catid=29&Itemid=129&lang=en [↩]
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Recent Comments
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Stacy:
How opportune. I was thinking of purchasing the Spot2 but I didn’t like the subscription fees. Thank you for this information and the links. I’ll take your word that the ACR is the best one. Hope it comes out in June
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
As a Canadian, you might be in luck: http://j.mp/mz4KbI
I bought the SPOT (1st edition) for $59 with a CycleGear coupon and will activate it for the season and opt for the $13 helicopter rescue coverage.
It sounds like the other beacons are a better long term value but what do they offer for helicopter/life flight coverage/service. Is it something they offer? Is it covered or are you out of pocket? Do you have to purchase a separate policy?
You would have to purchase rescue/medical transport coverage separately. I intend to cover this in another post as there’s a lot to digest, but the jist is that I have a lot of questions about the GEOS coverage offered through SPOT before I can determine if it’ll meet my needs.
SPOT’s website claims that the GEOS SAR benefit (the $13 deal) covers medical evacuation to a facility. However, the GEOS website — the actual company that underwrites the service — makes no specific mention of this outside of search and rescue. What is the definition of rescue? Most SAR in the US is run by volunteer organizations that do not (as a rule) charge for their services in legitimate emergencies. This GEOS deal appears to be aimed at “extra” private SAR services that can be contracted in times of need. (Think helicopter searches hired by families during the James Kim and Steve Fossett search operations.) I have a lot of questions that neither SPOT nor GEOS have answered on their respective websites.
The SPOT GEOS deal covers the owner of the SPOT. I don’t intend to leave Stacey without coverage.
There are other medical transport membership plans (GEOS MEDIVAC+, MedJet, FireMed, LifeFlight) which I’m looking into that have membership plans for couples over varying durations. Good medical insurance plans include air transport coverage, as do certain premium credit cards.
This topic is worth an entire post by itself!
I’ve never thought about getting one of these devices. If you don’t mind me wandering off topic a bit and shouting, it’s almost riding weather!
Riding weather? I’ve been riding quite happily all winter.
But yes, I’m definitely looking forward to some drier weather.
You wrote: “In short, it appears that COSPAS-SARSAT PLBs are in danger of being superseded by this new SEND standard. If this occurs, it’s unclear how long PLBs will be supported by Search and Rescue operations. This could be unfortunate if you just purchased a new PLB.”
This is pure speculation on your part, and how many folks are going to put off purchasing a PLB and take their chances with old Murphy? Remember Murphy does not have a time schedule and the SART are going to support the current 406 standard for a long time, there are far too many 406 user clients out there.
True. The statement you quoted is my interpretation of the announcement. I’d even be inclined to agree with you had the SEND standard not been developed by the RTCM. These are not random engineers getting together to shake up the standards.
There will always be folks who are willing to take the chance of traveling without a signalling device. This post is not for them.
Now i’m totally confused on what to buy for backcountry snowmobiling and skiing. I live in the Rocky mountains and have almost been stranded a few times. I have a Garmin GPS w radio that tracks my friends and supposedly 17 miles of radio. I have been looking at the Spot 2 and the ResQLink. Help!
Thank you for your research and posting!
I think I’m in agreement with your ACR conclusion over the SPOT. The cost of the SPOT subscription is quite a bit and I also have a problem thinking it goes to a private organization. What happens if they go belly up? Never know! I’ve also read some reviews as to the reliability, durability and of all things customer service of this product. Do your research if you think this device fits your requirements…
As for SEND, I think if someone is in the market for a PLB, they should go for it without concern for COSPAS-SARSAT possibly being discontinued. If and this is a BIG IF, the existing COSPAS-SARSAT system were to be phased out, then when the battery for your COSPAS-SARSAT PLB is coming up for replacement, you’ll have a decision on whether to replace the battery or switch to a SEND compliant PLB. I think we could all agree the time period to phase out a worldwide standard would most certainly take a lot longer than 5 years. Consider how many millions of units are deployed which would need to be replaced…Yeah, you have time!
Remember the the existing 406mhz devices are using the exact same Search and Rescue system as that which is required of FAA licensed aircraft. That being said, this service is NOT going away anytime soon. This article address’s a new consumer oriented service that provides enhanced communications to tell your loved ones that “I’m ok”, but a whole new industry needs to be geared up to even approach the doorstep of reliable rescue expectations of the existing technology, and thats what you are paying for, rescue services, not text msg. As for me, if I am going into the backcountry it will be with a 406mhz PLB like the ResQlink or McMurdo as at this point in time and for the near future, the other service is fluff.