Safety Beacons (EPIRB/PLB)

406 MHz distress beacons for yachts and crew — personal locator beacons (PLBs) and Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs), plus the matching HRU, battery and pouch spares.
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Choosing a PLB or an EPIRB

A personal locator beacon (PLB) is carried on a person and is typically registered to the owner, while an EPIRB is registered to the vessel and is designed to float free or be manually activated from the boat. Both transmit a 406 MHz distress alert via satellite; AIS-equipped EPIRBs also broadcast a local AIS locating signal to nearby vessels.

Category 1 EPIRBs deploy automatically if the vessel sinks, using a hydrostatic release unit (HRU) that should be replaced at the interval marked on the unit. Category 2 EPIRBs are manually activated. PLB pouches and buoyancy packs keep a beacon on a lifejacket and help it float, and EPIRB battery and HRU kits are the usual service items rather than replacing the beacon itself.

Registration and coding must match the flag state and the person or vessel the beacon is assigned to. Ask us which beacon suits your boat, or the right spares for a G8+ or FastFind already on board.