Thread: PLB's

looking at getting one from the states when i'm over there no issues with doing this or will it not work here ? they sell them here and there on ebay hell of alot cheaper ? ACR PLB 375 Resqlink Personal Locating Beacon with 406 MHz Floating PLB Built | eBay

Plenty of previous threads covering this subject mate. Do a quick search.
By the time you have it re -registered for NZ ( legal requirement apparently) you wont save a kings ransom.

406 MHz PLBs are coded to the country that they are sold in. Globally, any activation will go to the SAR authority it is coded to. If, in the case of an international activation, the registered authority would make contact with the authority covering that region to then effect the search and/or rescue.
I understand foreign PLBs can be re-coded at some cost, the NZ code is 512.
Registering a PLB with the correct authority gives them personal details and points of contact to better ascertain if a distress signal is in fact real, then if necessary co-ordinate the search.
By registering a foreign coded PLB with a foreign authority will likely delay notifcation to the appropriate SAR region authority.
My suggestion is to just buy a NZ coded PLB from a NZ retailer so it will be registered with Maritime NZ and not elsewhere.
Plenty of information.
Distress beacons - Maritime NZ

A few of us have purchased the tiny rescue me plbs out of aussie. Already coded for NZ. Landed for $400 NZ

Do you have a link @GWH , cheers.

I'll dig it up

Should have bought one a few days ago when they were AU$350.

Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB1 New Zealand Coded | PLB | Adventure Safety

+1, 7 year battery.
At that price it would have been same cost as changing the expired battery and re- certifying my Kannad XS3, so much smaller too.

Originally Posted by gadgetman

Should have bought one a few days ago when they were AU$350.

Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB1 New Zealand Coded | PLB | Adventure Safety

I purchased one of these a month ago with the NZ code, cost me about $440 landed and the company puts an estimate value on the package at $200Aus so customs don't slap you with GST for going over the $400 mark. Cheapest and smallest I could find.

sweet as thanks for the info fellas think i''ll just buy one here! sorry i didnt search the forum for a post that was already answered!

ACR ResQLink PLB's can be reprogrammed with the NZ country code by Wilco Marine Services on the Auckland waterfront for $80-$90. I've done that twice now, saving a respectable amount over buying a PLB locally. The ACR 2881 and 2880 model (one floats, one doesn't) can be had for $US240ish (~$NZ300 @ current exchange rate). I can't comment on shipping to NZ, as I have a mate in LA who returns to NZ regularly, acting as my 'Gadget Mule'.

I have just purchased the ACR Resq link from Home - Locator Beacons comes with the additional gear which is of good quality and also a $50 cash back that you mail in.