As part of preparation for the DHF race in March, I checked the stickers on my 12-yr-old personal locator beacon (an ACR PLB-200). Sure enough the NOAA registration was about to expire and the battery expiry date was last August. I easily updated the beacon registration online and then called a local marine electronics company (great place: Oceanaire Electronics/Santa Barbara) to get the battery replaced. I was told they could get the replacement battery within a week, but a rebate program from ACR, meant that for about $50 more I could get a new PLB, the PLB-375 ResQLink. And the new PLB price was less than half what I paid 12 years ago! The next day I walked in and bought the new PLB. I brought the old one to compare and am amazed how much smaller the new one is, and it has loops so it can easily be strapped to a PFD or harness. But this isn't the reason for this post....

As my order was being written up, I (for some reason) decided to test the battery in the old PLB. Well, I did, but not how I expected too! Within a few (3?) minutes my phone rang and I answered the 510 area code number… “This is coast Guard Alameda, we’ve received a 406 beacon activation from a beacon associated with this number and need to confirm the nature of your distress.” (something like that) I explained that the nature of my distress was embarrassment over accidentally activating the PLB and apologized sincerely. The CG caller was pleasant and polite and thanked me for answering my phone promptly, asked me to confirm the beacon UID and then thanked me again – after asking me to make sure the beacon was silenced. I held the off button down until the red indicator stayed dark, and, just as I thought the incident was behind me, my phone rang again, this time a 916 area code: “Hello this is the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services….” Déjà vu all over again, another pleasant and polite caller asking me the nature of my distress…. The second caller did ask different ‘security’ confirmation questions; my favorites were “Are you near Harbor Way in Santa Barbara?” (I was), and “When did you last register your beacon?” I answered “yesterday.” He said “I guess it is you all right. Please make sure the beacon is deactivated.” In less than 10 minutes I learned these lessons: The government response to a 406 MHz beacon activation is fast and professional. The GPS signal encoded in the beacon signal is accurate. The expired battery in my old PLB still works. And I need to put on glasses and read the beacon label—twice—before pushing buttons.

https://goo.gl/photos/BgMECv1HiiYRe7Q58