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
This story is from the Summer 2022 edition of Practical Boat Owner.
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This story is from the Summer 2022 edition of Practical Boat Owner.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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