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Product Description
Manufacturer's Description
The McMurdo range of PLBs are designed to be carried by individuals as a last resort safeguard against any life threatening incidents that may occur anywhere in the world.Whether alone or within a group, on holiday, at work, carrying out your sport or hobby, if you ever find yourself in a remote area, land or sea, without any other form of communication, the Fastfind PLB comes into its own. Once activated it transmits a unique identification signal via the international search and rescue satellite system operated by COSPAS SARSAT on 406 MHz. The signal is then quickly passed to regional search and rescue authorities who can rapidly get to the scene.
FAST FIND is the most versatile 406 MHz emergency location beacon available. It is waterproof to 10 metres, only 106mm long and weighs just 150g. It will slip into the smallest pocket and users can be confident of being able to alert professional search and rescue services if they are unlucky enough to encounter life threatening situations, even in the most remote parts of the world.
FAST FIND complies with tough international standards. It operates on the global COSPAS SARSAT 406MHz search and rescue satellite communication system. The system is supported by international government search and rescue authorities around the world, so a call for help will be acted upon and fast.
Product Description
Fastfind 210 GPS PLB
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
I bought this on the day that the British legislation changed, 12th January, such that a PLB can be used on land rather than purely at sea or in the air. I walk by myself, except for the dogs, in the hills of Scotland where there is no mobile phone coverage. This has always till now been a bit of a trade-off between the anxiety of knowing that you are on your own if something goes wrong and the pleasure derived from doing it. This is no longer the case. This is the perfect companion and offers a new degree of confidence that in emergency, aid can be called.
Initially I had thought about buying the 200 model, however this would appear to have some potentially serious issues because there is no GPS function. I did not appreciate that the search area without GPS can be as much as 25 square kilometers. Not so bad in an ocean, but trapped down a gully a different matter all together. I did some research and found this site: [...]. It compares GPS and non-GPS signals and whilst it is an American site, it is authoritative and contains some revelatory information. For instance first response times tend to be slow when the signal is a 121.5 locator signal alone because of the number of false alarms, which have been known to be caused by pizza ovens and ATM machines! Also the 121.5 signal is anonymous, whereas the GPS locator tells the authorities not only exactly where you are, but also who you are and who to contact in emergency. If you are wondering which one to buy this will make up your mind to get the 210, the extra money is well worth the peace of mind, and not a lot extra considering it may save your life!
I did find one small niggle, I thought mine was dead when I came to test it. The test button has to be pressed quite hard to initiate, you can feel a distinct click when you press hard enough, took me a while to work this out. I suppose it prevents accidental tests which would run the five year battery down, but it would be better if this was explained.
McMurdo have made a significant contribution with this instrument toward the safety and welfare of everyone who enjoys the great outdoors - well done!
Initially I had thought about buying the 200 model, however this would appear to have some potentially serious issues because there is no GPS function. I did not appreciate that the search area without GPS can be as much as 25 square kilometers. Not so bad in an ocean, but trapped down a gully a different matter all together. I did some research and found this site: [...]. It compares GPS and non-GPS signals and whilst it is an American site, it is authoritative and contains some revelatory information. For instance first response times tend to be slow when the signal is a 121.5 locator signal alone because of the number of false alarms, which have been known to be caused by pizza ovens and ATM machines! Also the 121.5 signal is anonymous, whereas the GPS locator tells the authorities not only exactly where you are, but also who you are and who to contact in emergency. If you are wondering which one to buy this will make up your mind to get the 210, the extra money is well worth the peace of mind, and not a lot extra considering it may save your life!
I did find one small niggle, I thought mine was dead when I came to test it. The test button has to be pressed quite hard to initiate, you can feel a distinct click when you press hard enough, took me a while to work this out. I suppose it prevents accidental tests which would run the five year battery down, but it would be better if this was explained.
McMurdo have made a significant contribution with this instrument toward the safety and welfare of everyone who enjoys the great outdoors - well done!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I was coming down Bruach na Frithe - the "easy" one of the Black Cuillin on Skye - four days ago when I foolishly took myself down a snow gully which exited over a cliff. Weather conditions were poor and I was on my own. Horrible to realise that I'd made a life-threatening mistake in letting myself down over sections of vertical rock that I couldn't climb back up. Happily I now started to make some sensible decisions and very luckily indeed I had mobile reception (often not the case in Scotland ... a major reason I carry the McMurdo 210 PLB). Surely with the McMurdo I didn't need my mobile? Well no. Here's a problem. Well down in a deep gully, the PLB tends not to broadcast location accurately. It did alert the coastguard who rang my registered next of kin. Now my wife knew the route I was planning to walk that day. What I should have done is asked her - in the very unlikely event that she was rung saying my beacon was transmitting - to ring the Mountain Rescue involved to tell them the route she thought I'd be taking. I'd left a copy of the route on the dashboard of my car and told the caretaker at the Sligachan campsite where I was going, but I would probably have been long dead before these potential sources of help kicked in. With the mobile I was able to let the helicopter know where I was as it was following a bit of a wildgoose chase trying to locate the PLB in the mountain landscape. So what's the message? The PLB is great, but realise that if you're down a gully or crevasse or other steep-sided location it will probably not pinpoint your location well (at least potential rescuers will know you're in serious trouble). If you have let the person (who will be contacted if there is a PLB alert) know where you plan to walk, then do clarify to them that - if a crisis occurs - it might be helpful to find out which rescue team are looking for you and give them your route information in case you're somewhere the PLB has difficulty transmitting accurate location information. Hope you never find yourself needing these suggestions! Very luckily I'm fine and a lot wiser ... and very grateful to Mountain Rescue.
Amazon Verified Purchase
I normally go sea-kayaking with a buddy and we're building up to simple expeditions. This has involved looking at some safety equipment.
We both bought a VHF handheld radio, but this is limited to "line of sight" between the two radios and even with DSC/GPS is a little fiddly in an emergency. As a result, it's great for communicating with each other, getting latest weather forecasts, reporting in to the coastguard station if relevant, etc. but won't be much use in an emergency if we go somewhere more isolated. As a result, I've bought a McMurdo Fast Find in the hope we'll never need to use it, bt for safety...
I chose this model as:
+ it's waterproof
+ small enough to fit in a pocket
+ simple to use
+ has good reviews
+ works internationally
+ able to test the battery without setting it off
+ is bright yellow so difficult to lose
+ can replace the battery so should last well beyond 5 year life of battery
+ no subscription charges
+ can also use it on land so can take it hill walking.
The negatives that bring it down a star for me are:
- it doesn't float, which is strange for a waterproof product that's primarily designed for use at sea. Got round this by buying a Mcmurdo Buoyancy Pack (No Lanyard) - Yellow/Black. It wasn't clear to me from the site which colour I'd get, but ended up getting both the hi-vis yellow and the more discrete black. The McMurdo fits snuggly so that solves that issue for an extra £10.
- there's no lanyard included. For kit like this, if I capsize I'd prefer it attached to me so I don't lose it with cold fingers in an emergency. I may have to spend and get the lanyard, but would prefer it clipped to me.
Overall summary, I hope never to use it, but feel safer having it on me when trying more challenging trips...
We both bought a VHF handheld radio, but this is limited to "line of sight" between the two radios and even with DSC/GPS is a little fiddly in an emergency. As a result, it's great for communicating with each other, getting latest weather forecasts, reporting in to the coastguard station if relevant, etc. but won't be much use in an emergency if we go somewhere more isolated. As a result, I've bought a McMurdo Fast Find in the hope we'll never need to use it, bt for safety...
I chose this model as:
+ it's waterproof
+ small enough to fit in a pocket
+ simple to use
+ has good reviews
+ works internationally
+ able to test the battery without setting it off
+ is bright yellow so difficult to lose
+ can replace the battery so should last well beyond 5 year life of battery
+ no subscription charges
+ can also use it on land so can take it hill walking.
The negatives that bring it down a star for me are:
- it doesn't float, which is strange for a waterproof product that's primarily designed for use at sea. Got round this by buying a Mcmurdo Buoyancy Pack (No Lanyard) - Yellow/Black. It wasn't clear to me from the site which colour I'd get, but ended up getting both the hi-vis yellow and the more discrete black. The McMurdo fits snuggly so that solves that issue for an extra £10.
- there's no lanyard included. For kit like this, if I capsize I'd prefer it attached to me so I don't lose it with cold fingers in an emergency. I may have to spend and get the lanyard, but would prefer it clipped to me.
Overall summary, I hope never to use it, but feel safer having it on me when trying more challenging trips...
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