ACR Electronics Terrafix 406 GPS I/O Personal Locator Beacon Review
TerraFix 406 GPS I/O PLB
The most advanced Personal Locator Beacon on the market, the TerraFix 406 GPS I/O PLB includes an internal GPS, exclusive FastACQ GPS relay technology and an external GPS optical interface, giving you, the user, unparalleled versatility.
- Internal GPS acquires your coordinates when the unit i…
A very inexpensive way to save a life!
Reviewer Comments: I bought this unit in August 2005. It’s been dead weight in my pack until yesterday on Mt. San Antonio, California, when I came across a hiker that had fallen down a steep rocky slope and was in terrible condition. I activated the ACR Terrafix and left it with the injured hiker’s companions. We continued our hike to the summit. Two helicopters were involved in the rescue. They got the guy to the hospital, but I don’t know his condition. A sheriff’s deputy contacted me at home and said the ACR Terrafix probably saved the guy’s life. He said they received perfect longitude and latitude coordinates from the PLB, which is why I checked “Accurate.”
My family was contacted within minutes of PLB activation, since the PLB is registered in my name. Needless to say, this caused some anxiety for my family until I could contact them later to say I was OK.
I am utterly impressed with the PLB system and the efficiency of the people involved: Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, who received the satellite signal and relayed the message to an agency in Sacramento, California, who then contacted the sheriff’s search and rescue team in San Dimas, who extracted the hiker from difficult terrain. This device is a very cheap insurance policy. If the hiker’s friends mail it back to me, I will send it in for new batteries, and will never hit the trail without it.
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