Mcmurdo Fast Find 220 Personal Locator Beacon (Plb) (45016)

mcmurdo fast find 220 personal locator beacon plb 45016

McMurdo FAST FIND 220 Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) (45016)

406/121.5MHz plb
Easy to operate
No subscription needed
High brightness LED SOS light
Minimum 24hr continuous operation

Buy Now : McMurdo FAST FIND 220 Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) (45016)

Brand : McMurdo
Category : Electronics,GPS, Finders & Accessories,GPS Trackers
Rating : 4.3
Price : US $249.33
Review Count : 133
ChildASIN : B008OPJGBC,B0BZ7YCPWX,B0BRMFPBHY,B0BB6CF5QY

mcmurdo fast find 220 personal locator beacon plb 45016

McMurdo FAST FIND 220 Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) (45016)

No monthly fees on this personal locator. If you are a hiker, camper, hunter, logger or go anywhere there is limited cell service, this can save your life. If you are in your car, and there is a huge storm etc and you need help it could save your life. Many people have died because they were injured and couldn’t get help. Check out Missing 411 on YouTube. I’m a single mom clearing land deep in the forest and I saved until I could purchase it. It stays strapped on my belt. Once activated, search and rescue will be alerted and help will be sent. I hope I never need it but I sure feel safer and my family feel safer knowing I have it. If someone you love could benefit from one of these it would make a great gift.
I would like to give this 5 stars for peace of mind, or no stars for poor battery, bottom line is I purchased this PLB in Jan of 2015. Never had to use it though I carried it on my Harley and on my kayak. Knowing help was as far away as my like jacket was comforting. Now it\'s Dec 2016 and when I depressed the test button, nothing happens. Do I have a dead battery (after less than a year) or do I have a dead PLB?Finding a service center takes a little doing but after some investigative web work, I tracked down a place to inquire. The email was received the next morning with various service centers listed. A couple of phone calls and I had a place to send my dead PLB (220) for service. If it is the PLB that is dead it should be covered under the warranty, if its the battery, this can be replaced for around $125. That\'s right, $125 for a one year battery! That is around $85 for that battery and the rest is the labor and shipping. Keep in mind they estimate battery life at 6 years! Mine did not make 11 months. After this plays out I will either edit this or add an additional review.
I purchased the McMurdo FastFind 200 because I frequently singlehand my sailboat and participate in long distance sailboat races. The cost of plbs has come down so much that I decided it was a no-brainer to get one. There seem to be two major competitors in this market, McMurdo and ACR. Their products are very similar and probably work equally well. I selected the McMurdo because I like the idea of the soft neoprene float case that can be removed for non-water activities. The ACR has a hard plastic flotation back that is permanently attached. The two devices are about the same size, but the soft case on the McMurdo cushions it a little when attached to my harness.One comment that might be helpful to new purchasers: the unit requires a GPS verification to confirm it is working properly. The button used to do this is much harder to press than I expected. I almost returned the unit, but decided to give it one last try. There is a definite \"click\" when the button is pressed-push it hard until you feel it and don\'t let up until you have held it long enough.
First of all let me say I have never activated my Fast Find in an emergency. I have tested it and it tested just fine. I actually own both the ACR and now the Fast Find. The wife picked up the ACR for our 21\' foot whaler. I recently bought the Fast Find for my small sailboat. I go offshore solo a lot and I strap my Fast Find to my harness. I like the Fast Find better than the ACR for one simple reason - it is smaller. If I go overboard I want my epirb on me, not in my backpack. The fact that it comes with the neoprene holder/flotation is a nice bonus. The size is 4.5 x 1.5 x 2 inches with neoprene holder. No antenna wrapped around the outside, it is a nice tight package. It fits in one of those iPhone dry bag cases. I put it in one of those and keep that in a small dry bag strapped to my harness. Yes it is waterproof but why get it wet if you don\'t have to. Same goes for my VHF. I have a waterproof VHF but I keep it in a waterproof case. I can operate all the controls through the dry bag. Protect your emergency devices. Salt water destroys electronics - period.
Sure is prettty.
What I like: the peace of mind! As an elderly person who hikes alone, it\'s worth the money to know I don\'t have to make sure I always have a cell phone signal wherever I am. Also; there\'s no subscription service fee, so no additional bill to juggle!What I don\'t like; the instructions aren\'t that clear, IMO, and no YouTube vids were helpful. I finally did manage to get a good test indication, verifying that the battery and the 2 frequencies are confirmed.Registration with NOAA takes a few minutes, but is pretty straightforward.All in all, an excellent value.
I hike alone. I need this thing. I\'ve had for almost three years now, and the battery is still at full charge. I can\'t tell you how well, or even IF it works. You only get to use it once. The two simple tests you run on it indicate it\'s working, so I\'m taking it on faith. It is well-built, small, waterproof and light weight, all important features for a backpacker. With luck I\'ll leave this thing in my pack until the battery dies in another few years and then throw it away and buy another one. If my luck runs out, I\'ll update this review.
Received notice to rate this item. Truly don\'t know. If I have to ever use it, I hope it works beyond belief. If I use it and it doesn\'t work, it means I probably died. I cannot rate battery life or accuracy. Again, better work great.