Just a few dumb questions - ACR PLB
Which one? <g> There have been three generations at this point.
1. What percentage of battery life does each test consume?
No idea. The battery life is based on, among other things, self-testing the PLB every month for the rated replacement interval of the battery, which for ACR is 5 or 6 years, depending on the model. That is generally a conservative half of the rated life of the battery.
After all that the PLB is supposed to still function for 24 hours at either -20 C or -40 C, depending on the model.
2. When getting close to battery service life, why not send it back to factory?
Generally speaking, by the time it is ready for a battery replacement, it makes more sense to get the new, better, smaller, lighter and cheaper PLB. By and large it just makes little sense to replace the battery in an older PLB.
3. Has an ACR PLB ever failed within its battery service life?
Yes, and the same can be said of all the PLB manufacturers. That's why it's so important to run the self-test on a regular basis or before embarking on something where your life may depend upon it. That's what the self-test is for. Despite all the effort that goes into making these lifesaving devices reliable and robust, they are still manufactured products with electronics and batteries. Some percentage will fail prematurely.
When was the last time you ran a self-test on your PLB or EPIRB?
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