PLB with user replaceable battery!

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PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby bex » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 12:12 am

Did a 'search' on this but could not find a suitable answer!

I'm looking for recommendations for a reliable and reputable PLB with user replaceable battery for use primarily in Australia. Most of my walks are solo in areas with questionable cell phone coverage, I'm getting a little older (73) and I see carrying a PLB as just plain smart!

Thank you for your input!
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby Strider » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 4:15 am

Such a thing does not exist and I hope never does. The risk for failure is too great!

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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby wayno » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 6:42 am

Strider wrote:Such a thing does not exist and I hope never does. The risk for failure is too great!

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if you were to replace your own battery and don't seal the unit up correctly afterwards, you dont have a waterproof beacon, even if you carry it in a watertight bag, what if you have to set it off in the rain? you have to expose it to deploy the aerial. waterproof bags arent full proof anyway. you're supposed to have a beacon in easy reach at all times which means you shoudnt really be stowing it away i a bag anyway.
i think manufacurers don't want that scenario happening and being blamed for life and death situations turning out badly..
if you really insist on user replaceable batteries, satellite tracking devices like inreach, spot and yellow bricks have an emergency signal function , but they have subscriptions you often have to pay, not sure if the emergency function works without the sub and i've read about spot devices being killed by water getting into them and they are claimed to be waterproof.
the tracking devices arent always as good at satellite aquisition either. i've read about devices taking hours to get a satellite signal, it just says emergency beacon in the article but makes me wonder if they are talking about satellite tracking devices that dont all have geostationary satellites to connect to and they are waiting for the satellite to pass over in the right orbit to get an effective connection
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby bex » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 7:12 am

Thank you for your replies, you've made your point regarding the risk of user battery replacement. I agree with you! My investigation into PLB purchase has found that in some cases battery replacement is almost the cost of a new unit. This is what I am trying to avoid.

I don't mind paying a reasonable battery replacement fee, With that in mind, can you recommend a RELIABLE PLB with a reasonable battery replacement fee? To me, 'reasonable' means no more that one-third the cost of the unit when purchased new.

I am also interested in purchasing a satellite tracking device (i.e. - inreach, spot, yellow brick) primarily to notify my wife that all is OK or there has been a change of plans. I'm hesitant to depend on such a device if/when serious medical attention is required. I've researched the inreach and spot, any comments on the YB??? I understand that inreach does not have user replaceable batteries, spot does, not sure about YB.

Again gentlemen thank you for taking the time to respond, much appreciated.
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby Gadgetgeek » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 7:18 am

On the PLB front, the tech is improving enough that by the time you need a new battery, there will likely be a better, lighter unit available, so you can factor that in to your consideration.

The newest spot version has come a long way from where it was. Depending on you usage needs, perhaps a rental is more cost effective?
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby wayno » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 7:24 am

no idea of the cost for serviceing a PLB.
this company service mcmurdo plb's, which is what I have, you could contact them as an example and see what they charge.

AMI sales
107 Forsyth Street Perth
http://www.amisales.com.au
wa@amisales.com.au
00 61 8 9331 0000
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby north-north-west » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 7:34 am

The only one I know is the GME (which I have and fortunately don't need to worry about for another 6 years+ since it was replaced after the Eldons incident.). When I bought mine the cheap and easy battery replacement was a factor in the choice, but then they changed the policy and battery replacement is almost as expensive as a new unit.

The cheapest method is, of course, to use the thing. A legitimate activation that is backed up by the relevant emergency authorities will be replaced free by most manufacturers. But that occurring with convenient timing isn't exactly something we can depend on.

The only reliable way to be certain of potential cost is to contact the distributors for any unit you're considering.
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby wayno » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 7:37 am

ia've got the lastest SPOT, I know at times i've had no satellite connection with it under tree canopy and it doesnt like canyons and some deep valleys.
i dont believe the batteries on the GME"s can be replaced, they do a discount on replacement units instead, something like 30% i was told once.
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby teak » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 7:56 am

I have a GME MT410G with a 7 year battery life, retail price is about $350 so cost is only $50 per year.
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby GPSGuided » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 7:58 am

7 years warranted power for a new unit. As such, if one is serious about one's need for such a device, then it well be the time to invest in a new unit after 7 years. The new unit in 7 years will be more sensitive, accurate and likely to have text services on top of current offers. If there's no regular need, then rent.
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby South_Aussie_Hiker » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 8:03 am

I have the RescueMe PLB1.

It has a seven year battery life, while many have only a five year life.

I investigated the battery replacement cost at time of purchase. It was in the order of $180, so approximately half the price of a new unit.

Annoying yes, but definitely not worth replacing it with new.
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby bex » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 8:17 am

After logging out from my previous post I started thinking about my concern for PLB battery replacement. It's really a stupid concern. I'm 73, I may not need to replace the batteries! So my thoughts are to invest in a PLB and not be concerned about the battery replacement issue at all. As a poster pointed out, spread out over 5 - 7 years the cost is roughly $70 - $50 a year.

So now my question shifts what - reliable PLB would you recommend? Maybe a better question - What would you consider as the top three PLB brands and or models??

Regarding the satellite tracker issue - inreach batteries are not user replaceable. I contacted inreafch.com.au (pivotel) for information regarding the cost of battery replacement - this is there response "I don't think we replace batteries as the backing does not come off. We can replace the unit if under warranty period"

SPOT subscription will run a bit under $20 per month, has lower upfront cost than inreach but maybe not quite as good in the performance department.

I'm off to research yellow brick and the GME MT 410G PLB.

Thanks for your input!!!
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby wayno » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 8:29 am

there was a news article about a guy in an emergency in fiordland, PLB wouldnt work, he took it apart and fixed it, but it made me wonder how he knew how to fix it, and perhaps he'd taken it apart before to replace the battery and didnt do it properly again news articles say PLB, but arent specific, could have been a tracking device...
the fastfind at least has a test unction you can test the battery power and you can test gps aquisition, you have a limit no of tests you can do for the gps aquisition, i'd imagine other brands will have similar functionality...
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PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby GPSGuided » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 4:02 pm

All (really only just a few models) PLBs have certification requirements and there really aren't much we can expect in terms of performance differences. What's more relevant are size, weight and water floatations. Different buyers have different focus but for me, size and weight are foremost for my needs.


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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby MrWalker » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 4:19 pm

wayno wrote:i've got the latest SPOT, I know at times i've had no satellite connection with it under tree canopy and it doesn't like canyons and some deep valleys.

I used my SPOT a week ago, going to Meander Falls, so in valleys a lot of the way. Instead of sending a message every 10min (for nearly 7 hrs), the only message it sent was when I used the special message option to say I had reached the base of the falls. It obviously had trouble sending it because that took half an hour to get through and it gave my location as up on top of the plateau, 1.5km away. That could have been a problem if I had needed to send an SOS message. :roll:

But in reasonably open country it works well. :)
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby wayno » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 4:33 pm

signal can bounce around on large rock faces esp in steep areas..
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby Strider » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 5:47 pm

Don't stress about batter y replacement cost. Some of the newer units have a 10 year life. Divide that into a daily cost and its actually very reasonable. I don't think I'd actually trust a unit that has had the seal broken to replace the battery either.

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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby corvus » Fri 15 Jan, 2016 7:24 pm

G'day bex,
If you are looking to save weight and space I recommend this one,
http://oceansignal.com/products/plb1/
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby GPSGuided » Sat 16 Jan, 2016 5:10 pm

PLB1 is indeed the most compact and light unit on the market today. Great choice!
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby Strider » Sat 16 Jan, 2016 5:36 pm

Of the current offering available, this will be my next PLB.

10 year battery life. Inherently buoyant. 140g.

http://kti.com.au/safety-alert-plb/

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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby Walking_addict » Wed 06 Dec, 2017 8:37 pm

Old post but Strider, the KTI SA2G PLB is a great unit.

I just bought my 2nd one, as I found a great deal and wanted to keep one permanently in the 4WD console, and keep one with my bushwalking kit.
The best place to date has been from Arnolds Boat Shop (online, Google that and KTI PLB) it's still $247, and with 10 yr battery is excellent cheap insurance (uder $25 a year) in a life threatening situation.

The 2nd unit I just got was with a special offer from Fishing Tackle Shop (online), and $220.15, couldn't resist as they get stock rotated weekly, and their has an 11 year battery life, so $20 a year for peace of mind.
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Re: PLB with user replaceable battery!

Postby peregrinator » Thu 07 Dec, 2017 10:21 am

I've seen a few references to battery life expectancy being linked to storage conditions, with temperature being an issue. For example: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_store_batteries

If such suggestions are true, and if you're keeping a PLB in a car, it might be useful to examine the battery sometime prior to the end of the claimed life span.
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