This is an excellent video, with persons who are speaking with not only authority, but with invaluable information. I have had an ACR EPIRB for the last decade, and do an annual "ok" check with it. I would not travel anywhere without it. I am just about to upgrade to the current model. I would also recommend viewing the other vids made by ACR as to why the 406 Mhz transmitter at 5 Watts is so important. It is log scale when comparing a lower power unit to the 5 Watts. In an emergency, you want 5 Watts. It doesn't sound like a lot, but remember it's going up to the satellite in digital format, so it can do a lot with a little. The final word is just being prepared. Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst. Thank you for making this great vid. I don't work with or for ACR and write this as just a backpacker and woodsman.
Your listing information in your registration form. There’s areas where you can type in all kinds of information and kind of explain what you do and what’s likely happening in your particular case. In your case friend, since you would say you’ve got several boats and you could be on any one of them, but just knowing you have four different kayaks, and one other kind of boat is important in and of itself.
You won’t be charged for these rescues unless you do something incredibly stupid and cause yourself to get in a very bad spot for instants in Arizona. There were so many people driving around barricades and going into flooded washes that were necessitating rescues with helicopters that they made a stupid motorist law. If you drive around a barricade and get into a situation that you need to be rescued, they make you pay for the rescue. But all of the rescues are completely free. Like my ex-wife was rescued off of the top of Camelback mountain with a fire department helicopter, and it was completely free. It’s only if you do something really egregious and stupid. Do they wanna charge you and rightly so.
Did you watch the video? He said it’s got a embedded GPS signal it’s near instant. If it’s the older technology, it’s about seven minutes. And then it’s the time to take for the rescuers to get to you. So what’s your alternative you don’t want to wait two hours for a rescue you’d rather just have no one come for you?
Not true at all. PLB distress signals today are picked up near real time - less than 5 minutes in most cases. PLBs transmit GPS data and also ping on an emergency radio channel, so they will know where you are.
