ACR ResQLink 400 - SOS Personal Locator Beacon with GPS and Global Coverage - Designed to Alert Search and Rescue Efforts for Any Outdoor Emergency - Ideal for Hiking, Hunting, Boating, Fishing

Easy to use, compact, never have to recharge, works on satellites. A must for all outdoor athletes.

One of those safety devices that you never want to use. But I sail offshore and manage the risk with both an EPIRB and PLB. Nothing beats keeping your boat in good repair, but even strong boats and good captains can be surprised by weather or other hazards - especially at night. The small size works perfectly with my Mustang self inflating life vest.

I like it because no suburspion is needed.

Nice compact unit. Fortunately haven’t had to test it! Waterproof and sturdy. Occasionally the antenna would pop out but that’s solved with a rubber band.

It is not a two-way radio, so it will not "call home" for you or even send a personal message. There are other devices to do that (Google PLB) for a subscription. Whether you are on the high seas or in the back country; if you need emergency rescue, this device will get the message out. It does not depend on cell phone or other radio service; it is strictly for rescue and uses the emergency network of satellites to get help to your exact GPS location.

Works well does what it should

Great addition to a boat, especially if you go offshore. Easy to activate.

As it’s one of those products that you hope you never have to use I don’t know how well this product actually works other than it passes its own self test. But it didn’t come with a manual, even a basic one. You have to go online to read the actual manual which seems odd. It does come with information on how to register the device with the government so they can have a better chance of finding you if you ever activate the beacon. But it doesn’t include the checksum value anywhere on the label or in the documentation or the box that the site suggests using to verify the Beacon ID that you entered is correct. Not a huge problem, but you think they’d add that information since they’re all about saving your life with this device. Also I don’t know if other devices like this are similar, but this is the first one that I’ve seen that has no serviceable batteries in it. It arrives charged apparently, but there is no way of charging it further, and you have to be careful of how many self tests and GPS tests you do because each one runs down the battery a little bit. So if you ever use the device for a rescue or the battery simply runs down over time ypu have to have it serviced by the company apparently to replace the battery. I’m a little surprised given rechargeable battery technology is pretty advanced these days that they don’t just have a way for you to charge it periodically. The emergency VHF radio I bought to call for help charges in a small dock so why not this? Naturally if you end up using it for rescue, it’s a good thing that you had it but now you have to wait for however long to get your beacon back with a new battery or recharged one. Just seems a little bit inconvenient given virtually every battery driven product either allows you to replace the battery or recharge it. There may be a reason why they did it this way but it just seems unusual. Hopefully I’ll never have to use it but it’s good to know that you have the extra back up, when you’re out on the water alone. The battery design, the lack of a manual in the box and the microscopic print on the registration instructions made me give it a lower score.