The smallest ever personal locator beacon now in Australia

by Sail-World Cruising round-up on 4 Mar 2014 One of the things about personal locator beacons is that, because they are best carried on the person at all times, size and lightness is everything. So when British-based Ocean Signal introduced the smallest PLB in the world, it was pretty hot news. (See Sail-World Story). The problem was, there was no representation in Australia. The company has now remedied that.

Melbourne-based All Sat Communications will exclusively distribute Ocean Signal’s rescueME PLB1 in Australia, which should seriously improve the customer experience.

The Melbourne-based company, specialising in satellite communications, will have exclusive responsibility for marketing and supplying Ocean Signal’s ground-breaking rescueME PLB1 to the outdoor, marine, aviation and industry-based markets.

Communications and safety at sea specialist Ocean Signal is targeting Australia as a key region for its versatile rescueME PLB1, and is planning to increase sales and awareness across sectors encompassing recreational, government and corporate customers.

Ocean Signal managing director Alan Wrigley says: 'Australia is a huge market for the rescueME PLB1 for all kinds of outdoor activities and also for workers in industries such as oil and mining who may be working in very remote regions. We are looking forward to working with All Sat Communications to further increase sales and awareness so that we can maximise all the opportunities for the PLB in Australia.'

Easy to use and 30% smaller than other personal locator beacons, the rescueME PLB1 is suitable for a range of activities in the commercial and leisure segments and will complement and enhance All Sat’s current product range.

Established 14 years ago, P I Plus Pty Ltd, trading as All Sat Communications, is the Australian distributor for a range of products including personal satellite communicators and satellite phones.

'It is very exciting to be selected by Ocean Signal as the exclusive distributor for the rescueME PLB1. This product will fill the void in our range for a 406 MHz emergency beacon,' says All Sat Communications manager Ian Veitch.

'The rescueME PLB1 is certainly an excellent product and we were immediately attracted to it as the world’s smallest and lightest PLB,' he comments. 'The market response to the product has also been overwhelming from both land and marine users. Its size and features make it a very attractive safety product within the market place. It is much in demand by lone and remote workers in particular and for reasons of occupational health and safety in general, as well as by anyone travelling or participating in any outdoor activity.'

Weighing just 116g (4.1oz) and with dimensions of 77mm (3in) (height), 51mm (2in) (width) and 32.5mm (1.3in) (depth), the rescueME PLB1 is very unobtrusive and specifically designed to be small and light enough to carry or attach to clothing for instant access to emergency services at the press of a button.

The rescueME PLB1 has been designed to withstand the harsh marine environment and is waterproof up to a market-leading depth of 15m, with an exceptional operating life of 30 hours (typical) even at -20C (for those of you sailing to Antarctica some time soon).

All Sat Communications will be showing the Ocean Signal rescueME PLB1 at this year’s Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in Queensland from Thursday, May 22 to Sunday, May 25.