Given the enormous size of our great brown land and the vast distances between population centres, there are times the outdoor enthusiast or weekend camper will head out into new areas to find solace or to simply just get away for a few days, often beyond mobile phone range.
An essential piece of equipment often overlooked are Personal Locator Beacons or PLBs. PLBs are devices that will allow you, via satellite, to transmit your location to the search and rescue authorities in the case of an emergency.
To ensure you and your family are safe while adventuring outdoors, we will show you the best PLBs on the market in Australia so you can make the best decision when purchasing this potentially lifesaving device.
| Spot Gen4 Satellite GPS Messenger | Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB1 | ACR ResQLink 400 PLB | ZOLEO Global Satellite Communicator |
---|---|---|---|---|
best value ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
$15.35 per month | $0 | $0 | $32-80 per month | |
68 x 24 x 88 mm | 51 x 33 x 77 mm | 52 x 38 x 12 mm | 66 x 91 x 27 mm | |
Rugged Plastic | Rugged Plastic | High impact UV resistant Plastic | Rugged Plastic | |
Impact, dust and water-resistant @ 2m depth for 30 mins | Submersible to 15 Metres for 1 Hour | 5m for 1 hour, 10m for 10 min | Dust & Water Resistant - Up to a depth of 1.5 m for up to 30 minutes | |
4 x AAA Lithium included | Lithium Manganese Dioxide | Non-hazmat Lithium batteries | Rechargeable internal Lithium-Ion | |
0.142 kg with batteries | 0.116 kg | 0.148 kg | 0.150 kg | |
With 100% view of sky - SOS: 13 days | Tracking @ 60 minute intervals 24hrs/day: 52 Days | 24+ hours | 24+ hours | 200+ hours | |
1 year | 7 years | 5 years | 2 years |
Best PLBs Australia
Spot Gen4 Satellite GPS Messenger

Best Value