ResQLink V FastFind PLBS

Fox Morgan takes a closer look at the PLBs with Return Link Service

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McMurdo was the first company to adopt the much-awaited and frustratingly delayed Return Link Service (RLS) system, integrating it into their FastFind PLB. The next to arrive, roughly a year later, was the ACR's ResQLink at the 2021 METS trade show, winning a design award for manufacturing and engineering (DAME).

These are the only two beacons currently offering the Return Link Service. RLS is a major development which gives anyone who has activated a PLB a reply confirming that their beacon signal has been received and help is on its way (see panel, previous page).

Both units are a similar size. The FastFind has a rubberised bumper around the bottom and feels more robust than the ResQLink, which is texturized hard plastic.

Antenna deployment