SOS Beacons & Flares

Our SOS emergency beacons act as direct lifelines in an emergency situation at sea. Their sole purpose is to alert search and rescue services to your location. Some beacons are manually activated at the push of a button, while others automatically activate when fully submerged in water.

Easy to use. No subscription.

With no subscription costs and an affordable one-off purchase price, our SOS beacons are a great value for money option to address a life-of-death situation. Our Search & Rescue Transponders (SARTs) and Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) are ideal for zoning in on particular vessels, however, Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) are the most flexible option as they can be used on land or at sea and don't have to be assigned to a specific boat. Our SOS beacons all come with global coverage, offering peace of mind that wherever you are in the world, your distress call will be heard. They are dust-tight, waterproof up to depths of 5 metres, and some are small enough to be attached to a life jacket. Our Ocean Signal beacons will transmit your location to search and rescue operators for up to 48 hours, while our ACR ResQlink 400 PLB will guide rescuers to within 100m of your location. So, whichever device you take to the open waters, you know you are reliably and consistently tracked if an emergency takes place.

SOS Beacons Key Differences

	PLB	EPIRB	SART	AIS
Transmits Via	Satellite	Satellite	Radar	AIS
Transmits To	Emergency Services	Emergency Services	X Band Radar equipped, Vessels in vicinity	AIS equipped, Vessels in vicinity
Ongoing Subscription	No	No	No	No
Maritime Use	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Land Use	Yes	No	No	No

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EPIRBs

Although a PLB can be used at sea it is preferable to carry an EPIRB because, when you register your EPIRB, you will be required to enter vessel details. This will give authorities more information on your situation if you do activate the beacon. Automatic models have a higher price but will activate on their own upon submersion in water, while the manual models require the user to activate.

PLBs

For land usage, a PLB is the best option available as you do not have to register with vessel details. McMurdo Fast Find Ranger is a great option, a low-cost device with no unnecessary marine features. For use on land or at sea, consider a maritime PLB such as ResQLink or AquaLink which have additional safety features such as buoyancy and being watertight for up to an hour at a depth of 5 metres.

SARTs

SART Transponders transmit your location to vessels in the vicinity with X Band radar. Your location will show on their radar system with specific symbols to alert them you are in an SOS situation and require assistance.

MOB

AIS Man Overboard (MOB) devices are designed for use by individual crew members or passengers to activate in case of emergency. These small and lightweight beacons can be attached to a lifejacket. Once activated the beacon will transmit your location to any vessels in the area with AIS equipment on board informing them you require assistance.