Saw this posted elsewhere and don't see it mentioned here yet. Or I may have missed it. A 4.0 oz. plb.

http://www.oceansignal.com/product.php?id=22&page=tab1

http://www.datrex.com/index/catalogdetail/pdt_id/1049

Thanks for posting this! I'd like to see some more reviews of this. Sounds like a great little gadget. Too bad I'm stuck with my ResQLink+ for the next few years.

I wonder if this unit floats on it's own? If you watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcp-tsl8Aic and skip to the .48 second mark you'll see it says that it comes with a flotation strap. I also wonder about the ruggedness of this unit. My ResQLink takes a pretty severe beating when I'm out and about and so far it has held up well and still passes the self test and has no cracks in the case. It's hard to tell how tough this new unit is by watching the videos available but my impression is that it is not as rugged as the ResQLink but I could be wrong.

I also like that this unit can have batteries replaced. They don't say how much it costs but this implies that it will be cheaper than having to buy a new unit.

The data on the FCC approval letter for this unit was 3/16/2013, and their press release was April 3, so it does seem we are slow to notice it.

I also see that the company has been selling "SafeSea" 406MHz EPIRBs for years (USCG approval letter Dec. 16, 2010), so they aren't new in this general market.

It certainly does seem to be the lightest (lighter even than the blocked DME unit, and 11% lighter than the ACR unit).

Good find on the YouTube video - here it is embedded (though you have more controls on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcp-tsl8Aic



Competition:

ACR Unit: ACR ResQLink PLB (PLB-375) Specs - Mfg site; Doug Ritter's review of the ACR PLB-375
McMurdo Unit: McMurdo Fast Find 220; Doug Ritter's review of the McMurdo FastFind 210

Ocean Signal also cites a 7 yr warranty vs. 5 yrs for ACR. My best information is that both ACR and McMurdo cite a 5 yr battery replacement (and 6 yr life from manufacture), and it seems Ocean Signal is indicating a 7 replacement time is for the new unit. If so, that may mitigate the cost of this unit ( currently about (7 yrs / 5 yrs) times that of the competition.)

I notice ACR is offering a summer rebate though, and if things continue, there will be something snazzier 5 yrs from now.

What kind of battery lasts seven years but not 15 or 20 years?

They claim the GPS receiver has 66 channels, which is far more than needed for the GPS constellation, far more than can even be used.

Perhaps it can listen to the European and other constellations? But I wonder why? COSPAS/SARSAT already can't receive the full resolution of civilian GPS receivers - 406 beacons already have to discard a little position precision. Perhaps the other constellations allow for a faster cold-start fix?

The kind, I'm thinking, that needs to be certified to work in a wide range of temperature environments. While I imagine that their battery would last longer in many circumstances, they can't certify it for longer without making it bigger, heavier and/or more expensive.



I found this page.



It uses only the GPS constellation (and not GLONASS, Galileo or Beidou).

Pretty nice looking unit- very small. I hope the street price is a little lower than the MSRP. Small is great but it's a bit more than other company's smaller models.

Looks like you can find them for about $300.

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/rescueme.html

The Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB1 seems to be lacking the 121.5 MHz homing beacon. Maybe the manufacturer considered it to be unnecessary or maybe I just missed it in the verbiage. Regardless, looks like a nice PLB.

Edit: Looks like it does, although they only refer to it as a homing beacon:

BTW, the ACR ResQLink also has a 66 channel GPS receiver (and a 121.5 homing beacon).

The specifications can be found on this page:
http://www.oceansignal.com/product.php?id=22&page=tab2

It clearly shows a 406MHz Satellite Transmitter and a 121.5MHz Homing Beacon built into the unit.

That's pretty good price. I guess vs the ResQLink you can get the smallest (newest, shiniest, etc) for the most cash or the standard/slightly older larger version for a bit less. Maybe I'll be able to pick one up this summer.