Depends on the circumstances. Overall, the PLB is extremely reliable. The jury is still out on the inReach, just not enough data. Certianly they have numerous saves to their credit and you balance any potentially lesser reliability with the ability to use it to two-way communicate and have to balance that. My recommendation to clients at this juncture is always carry a PLB as back-up, Given the small size and modest cost, not a big problem for most. If you can afford the inReach subscription, you can afford the PLB back-up

As long as we are giving opinions - IMHO This statement is false. I send in my PLB's back to the manufacturer and have them replaced every five (5) years. If you actually use the PLB's and your life depends on them, you would be an idiot to not maintain these and ANY SURVIVAL/RESCUE equipment.

Ponder -- I think what Doug is saying is that no one will replace the battery in an older PLB when the newer models are smaller and more reliable. They won't replace the batteries, they'll get a new PLB.

That said, the ACR ResQLink is pretty small and I'd need a fairly compelling reason to replace it with a newer smaller unit rather than simply replace the batteries.

Good to know! I guess I misunderstood that; I thought the reason they didn't have replaceable batteries was legal.

Saw this on ACR's site:

"If you use it...we'll replace it, Free of Charge. Simply submit your story, send us back your used beacon so we can have it mounted on our Wall of Fame and we'll send you a brand new beacon of equal or greater value."

Nice!

The ACR site has this user report where a solo hiker used his PLB to call for help after getting snowed in. I noticed something interesting in the associated SAR report that caught my eye:

"The Tulare County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team requested Kern County's assistance in locating the hiker. He had been activating his portable locator beacon every hour since Friday night."

I thought the accepted practice was to turn on the PLB and leave it on, not cycle it. Thoughts?

Uh, yeah. You leave it on.

I actually just ran into such a deal ... Radioworld.ca has some McMurdo Fast Find 210's on clearance for $99. However, I didn't see any reference to them shipping outside of Canada so I don't know if non-Canadians could have access to this deal as well.

It looks like they are older stock and have an expiry date of 07/15. But even with only a 3 year's of life left, it seems like a pretty good deal to me.

PLBS are Country Coded, so an American could not register that PLB in the U.S., PLBs are a dated item so anything more than a month or so old, should be discounted. More than a year old, significantly discounted, as we see here.

Sorry, can't imagine why you would do that. You are going to spend 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a new PLB, better in most all respects, to keep around an outdated PLB. Like trying to keep an old cell phone working after 4-5 years. That you can do it doesn't mean it makes much sense. But, different strokes.

My recommendation to anyone is upgrade to the latest PLB when your battery reaches it's expiration date.

I have to agree with Doug on this one. I gave a couple of PLBs to boaters that needed them with specific directions that they would need to replace the battery soon. Replacing the battery was a do-able expense for someone who had never owned one before and was unaware of the smaller size, expanded capability units. I found out that de-registering a PLB was quite easy. And if you give one away, you definitely want to do that. Similarly, if you loan your PLB out, be sure you have sufficient information from the borrower to attempt to make contact them if it is activated and you receive a call from the authorities.