ACR Personal locating Beacon

[Spokerider]

Any one have one of these? http://www.acrelectronics.com/product2.aspx?sku=2898

Likes or dislikes? Thoughts?

Does not require a yearly subscription renewal like the SPOT does. Buy it, register it, and you're in business.

[lip_ripper00]

Any one have one of these? http://www.acrelectronics.com/product2.aspx?sku=2898

Likes or dislikes? Thoughts?

Does not require a yearly subscription renewal like the SPOT does. Buy it, register it, and you're in business.

For 750.00 I think I will stay with my SPOT, by the time it becomes obsolete I am sure something else will be out compairable

[bubba350]

I use the spot. The 121.5 Mhz freq is being phased out for 243.0 so I would ask some questions before you buy it. also from what i can tell it is just like an "elt" from an aircraft. so you will have to rely soley on search and rescue. But the spot uses GOES who will contact local authorities imediatly. My company has done several rescues of outdoorsman with the spot and in all the cases the guys were in the hospital less than 2 hrs from pushing the 911 button. and the gps coordinates were bang on.

Thats why I bought the spot

[Marc]

I picked up a spot at London Drugs for $119.00 plus tax. Used it over the past couple of weeks and every transmition went through. I even took on fix where I figured I wouldn't get through because of the tree cover but it went through.

Here is one of the fixes I took.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=48.7729,-123.8961&ll=48.7729,-123.8961&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

[lip_ripper00]

I picked up a spot at London Drugs for $119.00 plus tax. Used it over the past couple of weeks and every transmition went through. I even took on fix where I figured I wouldn't get through because of the tree cover but it went through.

Here is one of the fixes I took.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=48.7729,-123.8961&ll=48.7729,-123.8961&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1


This the grouse "honey Hole"?:lol:

[Marc]

This the grouse "honey Hole"?:lol:

I wouldn't advise hunting there. This is where I was on Friday camping with my wife at a provincial camp site, but if you like a challenge fill your boots. :lol:

[Spokerider]

I use the spot. The 121.5 Mhz freq is being phased out for 243.0 so I would ask some questions before you buy it. also from what i can tell it is just like an "elt" from an aircraft. so you will have to rely soley on search and rescue. But the spot uses GOES who will contact local authorities imediatly. My company has done several rescues of outdoorsman with the spot and in all the cases the guys were in the hospital less than 2 hrs from pushing the 911 button. and the gps coordinates were bang on.

Thats why I bought the spot


Interesting info.
Are you saying that with the ACR, your rescue will be undertaken by search and rescue first and foremost? And that with SPOT, you could be rescued by other folks [ RCMP? paramedics?, forestry workers? family members?, friends?] who come out to find you? Will SPOT enlist the help of search and rescue too? I'm not sure who does the rescueing with SPOT.

[Slee]

Yep, it depends where you are. If you send a 911 message from in town you will get rcmp and the paramedics.

[bigwhiteys]

who come out to find you? Will SPOT enlist the help of search and rescue too? I'm not sure who does the rescueing with SPOT.

I believe the 911 GEOS center will first go through your contact list when you send out the 911 call and then will dispatch local authorities, police, fire, SAR. (I know because my 2 year old pushed the 911 button :)

With the optional $7.95 insurance policy they then cover you for private rescue up to $100,000 (2 yearly occurences at $50,000 max cost)

So basically if police and fire or sar couldn't get to you quickly, SPOT will enlist private services, charters, etc.. to find you. ONLY if you buy the optional coverage... My life is worth the $7.95 I think anyways.

Carl

[GoatGuy]

I use the spot. The 121.5 Mhz freq is being phased out for 243.0 so I would ask some questions before you buy it. also from what i can tell it is just like an "elt" from an aircraft. so you will have to rely soley on search and rescue. But the spot uses GOES who will contact local authorities imediatly. My company has done several rescues of outdoorsman with the spot and in all the cases the guys were in the hospital less than 2 hrs from pushing the 911 button. and the gps coordinates were bang on.

Thats why I bought the spot

406 is processed through cospas/sarsat and as you probably know it's more accurate than using 121.5.

Agree spot is still the way to go.

[Buck]

Good info here i need one as i don"t mind hunting alone.No word on its use as a phone?

[bubba350]

406 is processed through cospas/sarsat and as you probably know it's more accurate than using 121.5.

Agree spot is still the way to go.

Exactly!!!! :-)

[Ciskman]

121.5 and 243 are no longer monitered by SARSAT, so if you set off a PLB that has a frequency of 121.5 then the chances of your distress signal getting picked up are slim. High flyers(aircanada west jet etc) still monitor but at that height the search area is a huge cone on the ground and it can take awhile for SAR to find you. If you want to buy a PLB make sure it transmits on 406.

My experience with the spot has been limited. I had some misgivings about is at first but the more I hear the more I think I like it. The way things usually work for SAR in Canada is people will contact the police or 911 then the police will contact JRCC if they can't access the area. JRCC will then launch the appropriate SAR resource. From what Ive seen SPOT works along the same line as ONSTAR except you can alert your family also. Another cool thing about the SPOT is the updating of positions so your contacts can follow you along.

That being said a PLB will launch SAR crews ASAP and can be homed by SAR aircraft. A SPOT will go through a longer process but the end result will be the same...if SAR aircraft are launched then it'll be all visible search so have means of signaling aircraft.

[303Brit]

121.5 is a Rx signal that any military aircraft will pick up, along with 243. Sarsat is in the process of phases out 121.5 but until all military assets switch 121.5 will still be monitored. The only thing you run into is like Cisckman stated with the contacting a few other people, where as when your 121.5 is picked up within an hr one chopper and one fixed wing will be airborne and searching. We scramble for elt, epirb, plb's pretty regularly and the aircraft I work on is not a mainline SAR platform. But at the end of the day the direction SARSAT is taking is 406Mhz. So your better off at this point if your looking for a PLB buy one that is 406, but if you have one already that is 121.5 i would wait for a sale to replace it.


303

[Ciskman]

SARSAT is not phasing out 121.5/243, they no longer monitor them at all. All SAR launches for 121.5/243 are coming from aircraft that fly over the signal and report it in. SARSAT stopped monitering those 2 freqs in Feb 09. So don't rely on a speedy rescue if you are using the old technologies.

The PLB Spokerider is looking at is in 406...I doubt you would be able to even buy a 121.5 one anymore unless it was second hand.