Strider wrote:The biggest selling point to me is one-handed operation, which is not possible with the McMurdo units. With 10 years battery life, this would be my pick of the current offering:
http://www.fishingtackleshop.com.au/pro ... i-plb.html
dunamis wrote:I think you will find the battery replacement will cost as much as a replacement unit.
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A GME beacon refurbishment is a comprehensive process to ensure your beacon is fit for purpose and meets all compliance standards for a safe boating experience. It is not simply a battery replacement; it involves replacing many parts of the beacon including the battery and an extensive testing regime using specialised equipment covering Ingress Protection (waterproof), 406MHz frequency and 121.5MHz homing signal validation. This ensures your GME refurbished beacon continues to meet Australian Standards.
Bushman_Craig wrote:The battery in my PLB is coming up to its expiry date.
Mark F wrote:There used to be a battery wholesaler in Hobart that had a little machine that welded tabs onto batteries. You will find that normal soldering doesn't work very well.
north-north-west wrote:Bushman_Craig wrote:The battery in my PLB is coming up to its expiry date.
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Isn't the use of a PLB against your 'traditional' walking ethic? Smoke signals would be more appropriate. Or maybe just accepting that one day, you're going to kark it and if that happens out bush, so be it.
keithy wrote:I'm not suggesting that it isn't a good idea to have a working PLB or circumventing the legislation that mandated PLBs need to be serviced by authorised dealers.
Just noting that the pricing for a replacement battery seems to me a bit like price gouging.
I can see why they are doing it though. The PLB manufacturers would like to keep themselves in business - since someone buying a PLB might not be a returning customer for 5-10 years.
Buying good quality Panasonic CR123a batteries in a 20 pack for instance can cost as low as $4.50 each, so 3xCR123A in a battery pack could be under $15 for the batteries alone! https://www.batteriesdirect.com.au/shop ... 3361/.html. I'm sure someone buying them in larger quantities can get them cheaper.
A quick look that there are at least some wholesalers like http://eastarbattery.com/products_show. ... 112&id=474 that sell a 9V 3xCR123a battery pack with connector: https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/ ... 10552.html
If you have the equipment to test the battery pack's voltage though, I think it is doable. I'm not sure if all PLBs give a low battery warning at all.
With a battery pack that I can physically inspect, I can check the voltage and be certain that the PLB has the battery capacity to function in emergencies before heading out. Of course, I'd be using a resistance load to test the battery pack under load, rather than the resting battery voltage.Mark F wrote:There used to be a battery wholesaler in Hobart that had a little machine that welded tabs onto batteries. You will find that normal soldering doesn't work very well.
That is true - soldering the tabs to batteries is not recommended. The best way to do it is with that spot welding machine. I had it done when making a 4xAAA NiMH pack it was far superior than my first soldered battery pack attempt.
Again, if you are not comfortable with this, by all means get a new PLB. My point is that the replacement battery packs are relatively cheap using the same or superior LiMnO2 batteries, so paying the $150 or $200 or more for a battery replacement and test seems excessive.
Mind you, I haven't checked with ACR service as to the cost of replacing the battery and testing the Resqlink - I think the $150 was from US forums when I was researching which PLB suited me.
Oh, for Bushman_Craig - I was trying to find the link from the US forums regarding the PLB battery replacement cost, and I saw quite a few dated posts from Australian kayaker forums saying that the McMurdo distributor also never responded to their queries on battery replacements either.
Be interesting to hear if you ever get a response from them.
But if it is >$250, I'd suggest a new PLB as well. When I was researching PLBs for myself, I recall reading some GME models weren't as waterproof as they claimed - I can't remember which model it was though, might be an old superseded model now.
Bushman_Craig wrote:north-north-west wrote:Bushman_Craig wrote:The battery in my PLB is coming up to its expiry date.
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Isn't the use of a PLB against your 'traditional' walking ethic? Smoke signals would be more appropriate. Or maybe just accepting that one day, you're going to kark it and if that happens out bush, so be it.
Traditional walking is a pastime, not my bushwalking ethic. Is that OK with you, or should I pen a detailed justification for how I choose to experience the natural world?
north-north-west wrote:No, just acquire a sense of humour next time you're passing the appropriate shop. Unless you're allergic . . . ?
Bill P wrote:The Australian agents for Kannad advised me today, that the solution to battery replacement is to buy a complete new unit at a discounted rate from them.
I've never considered the PLB unit as disposable- in fact I haven't even used it yet!
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