Personal Locator Beacon and EPIRB

Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) devices are designed to send out a 406 MHz distress signal to be picked up by search-and-rescue satellites so that authorities can find you in the event of a disaster.  PLBs are carried by individuals while EPIRBs are mounted in boats.  A PLB can be carried on kayaking trips, for example, as well as on an ocean fishing trip.  Many folks who spend lots of time offshore get an EPIRB for their boat and a PLB to carry themselves or for a ditch bag.

PLBs are manually activated.  Category II EPIRB devices need to be manually released from a mounting bracket and will generally signal automatically when they hit water.  A Category I EPIRB will be released automatically and emit a signal when it becomes submerged in water.  A Category I EPIRB should emit a signal if the boat capsizes and sinks quickly and no one has a chance to manually activate a distress signal.  An EPIRB remains inactivated when in its bracket by a magnet and will not emit a signal if it gets wet while still in this bracket to prevent false alarms.

EPIRB batteries need to be replaced every several years.  We offer battery replacement service for a model-dependent fee.  Contact us for details.  Hydrostatic Release Units for Category I EPIRBs also need to be replaced periodically.