Can you do it yourself? Yes (probably). Should you do it yourself? Maybe, if you have the skills and know what you are doing.
The problem from the manufacture's perspective is probably liability if the user screws up the battery replacement in a critical unit like the PLB, and someone dies as a result of a failed battery replacement. They then get sued over a faulty design that allowed the user to screw up battery replacement.
In a device like a PLB, as an attorney, I would advise the Company to NOT design to allow users to easily change batteries, say like in a flashlight, and to make sure that a certified service is available to change the batteries. IMO, the legal risk of not doing so would be too high.
Hi,
What about smoke alarms?
They've had replaceable batteries for decades ...
the liability argument is a non-starter,
if that was the real issue the lawyers would craft a license agreement disclaiming liability, like they already do for every product under the sun
Only recently are 10 year non-replacable batteries smoke-alarms becoming the standard,
and not because something could break in the life saving device,
its because too many people are lazy to replace batteries ,
esp property managers,
so they end up with nonworking fire/smoke alarms.
That and the smoke alarm companies don't sell batteries
Like Doug Ritter said, the market is too small,
there is no profit in replaceable batteries
but the whole technology
gets smaller and more reliable
argument doesn't hold anymore
as its been plenty small and reliable for a while now
a 5 year old cellphone is perfect example of this
so it makes sense for individuals like hikers
who wouldn't buy a new one,
to get an old one at low price and replace batteries
provided its compliant with the current standard
and yes , it doesn't make sense to ship old one in for service/battery replacement,
esp if you're a boater/flyer/offroader/business ,
for those people it makes sense to buy a new one,
esp from liability perspective (your lawyers are weak :D)