What is a PLB (personal locator beacon) and how does it work?

PLB stands for 'Personal Locator Beacon' and is used as in an emergency when in remote areas such as the mountains or out at sea. It is important to start out with some sound advice. The use of PLB's and other emergency devices, and the presence of rescue services and their associated bodies, are there as a back up for unforeseen circumstances that may arise that are life threatening, and should not be seen as a reason to take unnecessary risks, or be a substitute for good planning and smart decision making. Alot of your local rescue services such as the Mountain Rescue and Lifeboat service are crewed by volunteers who drop everything in an emergency, and give up a lot of their free time to be trained to such a high level.

To begin, PLB's come in all shapes and sizes but some of the smallest ones easily fit into the palm of your hand. Their batteries have a varied lifespan, this one is approx 7 years.