Mc Murdo Fastfind PLB
As Personal
Locator Beacons go on getting smaller and cheaper, Mc Murdo have given
their
old, curvy Fastfind a 48-hour battery, and have renamed it as the
“Fastfind
Max”.
Taking over
the Fastfind name is a new, more angular version, scarcely bigger than
a mobile
phone. The new version – formally known
as the Fastfind 210 – includes an integral GPS and a 24 hour battery,
but
although it only weighs 150g (just over five ounces) it is so small
that it
doesn’t float.
Staff on
the McMurdo stand pointed out that the words PLB stand for Personal
Locator
Beacon, and that if you’ve got it attached to your lifejacket or in its
optional belt pouch, it doesn’t need its own buoyancy.
The
recommended retail price is £225, plus £40 for the
Government’s usual tax on
safety (VAT).