Thanks, Doug and Ken- if I'd bothered to look in the faq, I wouldn't have asked. I like those penalties.

I just think about all the searches that have happened around here where some moron went out unprepared and got in trouble, and then told the media something like "oh, I knew if I dialed 911, I'd be ok." I'd personally like to strangle those morons.

While I have been repairing the damage to my roof and fence from the wind storm last Thursday, I keep thinking of those three climbers on Mt Hood which is just over my shoulder.

During the repair it has rained, hailed, snowed, and gotten very cold and windy and I am only at 200 foot in elevation. The cedar lumber I purchased to repair the fence has been frozen together for the last three days. I can only imagine what those guys have gone through.

Every time I start to forget about those climbers, a 304Th Rescue Helicopter flys overhead. I know they are working out of Hood River but they are refueling at The Dalles. I spend a lot of time on Mt Hood and I know how spotty cell phone serve is whether analog or the various digital technologies. I am going to get a PLB with built in GPS. Most likely an ACR TerraFix 406 GPS I/O PLB Product # 2798.4 but the cheapest price I can find for it is $575 and that is with the $75 ACR rebate.

If any of you know where I can get this model cheaper, let me know.

I also like the McMurdo Pains Wessex Fast Find Plus, even more expensive, but they have a cold temperature battery pack.

This may not be realistic, but I would love to see PLB's very inexpensive to buy, but you pay an annual fee for keeping the service and a premium for activating the beacon.

This could prorate the cost, making it more likely that people will have it in situations where they might need it and will use it to save their lives and not frivolously because of the back-end fee. To save your life, what price would you pay? If I couldn't get out of a situation safely and was faced with my death or that of my family, I would pay anything to get help. Well almost anything.

Do you think such a change in pricing structure might be workable. The PLB companies get less money up front but probably more over time. Maybe they won't even get less up front because of increased volume of sales. Plus additional ongoing subscription revenues. Plus a back end fee that hopefully no one ever pays because they prepared and do not need to activate the beacon.

Paying an annual subscription or registration fee could also keep preparation more in the forefront of peoples' minds.

An example of the possible math might be:

Current (most likely not accurate, but for illustrative purpose only):

$500 per unit
$0 registration
1 per 100,000 have one

Revenue $500 per 100,000 first year
Cost: I have no clue

Change in pricing:

$100 per unit
$100 per year registration
50 per 100,000 have one

Revenue $10,000 per 100,000 first year plus $5,000 per year
Cost: I have no clue

I have no idea how valid any of this is, but with such a drastic reduction in sales price plus media hype due to current events, depending on the costs and legality of such a marketting change, I think it could be financially feasible. Also due to economies of scale, I would imagine that the per unit costs would also go down making it more profitable for manufacturers.

When technology is updated, it is not as painful to chuck the old one and buy a new one and you still pay per year. Cheap insurance if you ask me.

Yearly fees would suck big time. The nice thing to buy once and your done until battery replacement time and back off the ACR.

And what about the guy that turns his own while trapped but didn't pay his fee?

No, responsibility is never cheap.

Having just purchased one (I received it yesterday) I did a bunch of price-searching on the web, but couldn't find anything different from what you've found. The prices must be very carefully controlled by ACR Electronics since nobody seems to go below a certain price - though lots are trying to sell for much more - buyer beware.

Referring to the unit with the internal GPS:

The TerraFix and AeroFix are $650, with a $75 rebate from ACR, so the final price is $575.

The AquaFix is available for $575, with a $65 value RapidDitch Express bag, but no $75 rebate.

I didn't need the bag and prefered the green or black case, so I focused on the TerraFix or AeroFix. I ended up buying the AeroFx - with the black case - from http://www.aeromedix.com, if nothing else because they've done very well by me with my Ritter knife a and light purchases. The only problem with buying the AeroFix is that the external GPS cord that comes with it has bare wire ends rather than the serial connector. But then again I don't really need to use an external GPS, so that is no big loss. At some time I may see if I can buy the connector with the serial connector just to be safe.

By the way, it does take some time to register the PLB with NOAA, apply for the rebate with ACR, and complete the warranty info with ACR. I wish the rebate web site would have told me that I didn't need to submit warranty info also since they collect almost the same info, but it didn't. I will say that the NOAA PLB registration site is very nicely done. I especially like that I can go back anytime and update/modify the contact information. That helps ensure that that info is up-to-date, which means as much to me as it does to NOAA.

Ken K.

Knowing that REI usually has a big sale in January, I'm going to see what kind of angle I can work on picking up the Terrafix 406 GPS I/O.

They sell it for nearly $50.00 more than everyone else ($699.00), but with the 20% discount of their January Sale, if it's the same as last year, that brings the price down to $559.20 and If I redeem my dividend dollars for membership purchases on that I can bring it down even further. My whole extended family uses my card, so I have quite a few points built up. Unfortunately, since it's a January sale and ACR's $75.00 rebate period only lasts until December 31, I won't be able to claim that.

Eh... I'm probably dreamin'... There's probably some small print stuff I forgot about that would keep such things as PLBs out of any sales. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I'll wait and see. I don't have the money to get a PLB now, and If I can't work some angle on it in January, I won't get one then either, and will have to save a little longer.

As they say ... "better late than never".

Good luck!!

Yes, unfortunately I think that is exactly what would happen if the PLB's became available to the average consumer. I'm not arguing that they wouldn't help save people's lives, I think it defnitely would, but the option for an easy rescue (for them) will change people's attitudes torwards personal responsibility. Look at the article on this website regarding the first rescue attributed to a PLB

http://www.equipped.org/plb_first_use.htm

Within two weeks, it was already being misused by the exact same person.

911 is a very good comparison, I think it started out as a very good idea to help people in need, but quickly became too easy for it's own good. And I do think people who live in more remote areas probably where 911 access is not as available, probably prepare differently than a city dweller who thinks fire or law enforcement rescue is only a call away.

There is no doubt that 911 has saved many lives, but there is also a lot of misuse of the system. Last I read, only 30% of the calls recieved by the CHP are actual emergencies. In fact, there is even a CD of stupid 911 calls, just do a search on google for "stupid 911 calls" and listen to some of them. The hamburger one is actually pretty funny, in a pitiful way. I may be a pessimist, but I see the same thing happeneing with PLB's. Although there will be a lot more legitimate rescues with more PLB's, there will also be a much bigger increase in false alarms.

The difference between this a PLB and 911 is, a false 911 call will at most waste a policemans time, and some taxpayers money. A false PLB alert will put rescuers lives at risk, at a much greater cost. Rather than being a last resort for rescue, I'm afraid it will become the default prepardness plan for many.

I would still like to see the cost of these come down, but there should be mandatory training in the proper use, plus a "one time use" fee everytime one is activated. Say maybe $5000 plus any additional cost of rescue. That would prevent people from triggering them unneccesarily. Somehow people will have to be held financially responsible, either in the up front cost at the time of purchase, or after the rescue.

For me it would have to be less than $100. It seems in the same category as a smoke detector or fire extinguisher. It just sits there and has no other utility. If you ever need it; it would be worth any money you would ever make in your life. The rest of the time it is just something you lug around because you are overcautious.

Under 300 bucks. For one thing you can rent them for like 50 bucks a week. So if I was planning an adventure in some remote part of the world, an extra 50-100 bucks on a PBL would be a good investment (compared to the cost of such a trip). I don't get to venture off to places that remote often, so buying one right now at 600 would seem to be a poor investment, for me, at this time.