PLBs Can Save Your Life

[Dan]

Hi Dan;

How did you end up choosing Trionics instead of say Datrex ($133.85 with testing) or Survival at Sea ($149) or just DIY (BBR battery alone is $40). I have a while to go before my PLB1 battery needs replacing, and agree PLB maintenance is not the place to scrimp on a few bucks, so your thoughts are much appreciated.

Also (no snark intended), but at first thought I'm unclear of value in knowing signal received other than peace of mind (possibly misplaced)/nice to have/testing? For example, a US registered PLB alerts NOAA who then alerts whomever (Indonesian/Philippines/Mexican SAR?). Signal received is only the first step. You aren't rescued until local SAR comes and finds/gets you. If adrift at sea after a dive it's not like you have decisions to make/alternatives/anyplace else to go. Backcountry could be different. Thoughts?

Many thanks,

Kendall

Hi Kendall,

Wow, I didn’t know that there would be so much price differences among Ocean Signal dealers for battery replacement services. I wish I were aware of that and shopped around before I had my PLB1 battery replaced.

I need to have it done quickly because I’ll be flying to Buenos Aires this weekend. So I was looking for Ocean Signal dealer within 50 mile radius of my house where I can drive and drop the PLB1 off and pick it up on the next day. From Dealer locator - Ocean Signal Trionics pops up as the only one within the 50 mile radius from my house. Rodney, the Tionics technician, told me that he can do it right away. I can wait for it on site so I don’t have to come back to pick it up on the next day, save some gas & time. He got it done in an hour.

After watching how easy the battery replacement work is, may be next time I just DIY and save me $200.

You have a good point about the Return Link service feature is for a peace of mind that your emergency alert signal has been received and sent out to the local SAR.

Now I have put a new battery to my PLB1, my next improvement project is to reduce the waterproof case size. So I don’t have to carry more dive weight to compensate the air pocket in that case. I have sent my PLB1 case to plastic machine shop to shorten the cylinder length by half. I’ll post the shorter case here when the modification is completed.

 

[Dan]

I found DIY battery replacement for PLB1. The procedure as shown in the video is pretty much the same as what I saw it was done in Trionics.

 

[Dan]

Another pretty good video on how to operate PLB1, below.

 

[Kendall Raine]

After watching how easy the battery replacement work is, may be next time I just DIY and save me $200.

I own a few DIY projects that turned out penny wise pound foolish. Even simple mistakes like reusing single use screws (hello, Suunto). Oops. Just wondering if there was something particular about Trionics' process.

The PLB is catastrophe insurance. As @tursiops said, peace of mind. Priceless.

 

[Dan]

I own a few DIY projects that turned out penny wise pound foolish. Even simple mistakes like reusing single use screws (hello, Suunto). Oops. Just wondering if there was something particular about Trionics' process.

The PLB is catastrophe insurance. As @tursiops said, peace of mind. Priceless.

Trionics had just received the battery replacement from OEM. Rodney showed me the date sticker on the battery is 2034. The battery storage life is 10 years. So, the date verifies the freshness of the battery.

I bought the PLB1 in 2016. When Rodney pulled my old battery out of the PLB1 housing, it had a sticker label “2026” on the battery. That label verifies that battery was freshly installed into the PLB1 when I bought it in 2016.

On its cap it had a label “Sep 2023” for 7-year guarantee that it would still able to send out 5 watts of 406 MHz signal for 24 hours by Sep 2023. Likewise, the new battery comes also with new sticker label “Dec 2031” for 7-year guarantee (from today) to put on the cap, as shown, below.

The new battery also comes with a new cap, o-ring & 5 new screws (2 long screws & 3 short screws). If I want to replace the cap, I had to take the antenna & antenna winder out of the old cap and put them on to the new cap. I told Rodney not to bother with that and just replace the o-ring. He agreed on that idea. The picture, below, shows the new cap with the old o-ring that I keep for spare parts and demo (show & tell).

So, if anyone wants to DIY, make sure you get:
1. Fresh OEM battery (as shown by the storage life date of 10 years from the date of purchase).
2. White expiration date sticker to put on the cap, showing the month & year of 7 years from the date of purchase.
3. A new yellow o-ring.
4. A new cap.
5. Two long screws
6. Three short screws
7. A label for covering over the 3 screws on top of the cap.

 

[Kendall Raine]

Trionics had just received the battery replacement from OEM. Rodney showed me the date sticker on the battery is 2034. The battery storage life is 10 years. So, the date verifies the freshness of the battery.

I bought the PLB1 in 2016. When Rodney pulled my old battery out of the PLB1 housing, it had a sticker label “2026” on the battery. That label verifies that battery was freshly installed into the PLB1 when I bought it in 2016.

On its cap it had a label “Sep 2023” for 7-year guarantee that it would still able to send out 5 watts of 406 MHz signal for 24 hours by Sep 2023. Likewise, the new battery comes also with new sticker label “Dec 2031” for 7-year guarantee (from today) to put on the cap, as shown, below.

View attachment 867133

The new battery also comes with a new cap, o-ring & 5 new screws (2 long screws & 3 short screws). If I want to replace the cap, I had to take the antenna & antenna winder out of the old cap and put them on to the new cap. I told Rodney not to bother with that and just replace the o-ring. He agreed on that idea. The picture, below, shows the new cap with the old o-ring that I keep for spare parts and demo (show & tell).

View attachment 867135

So, if anyone wants to DIY, make sure you get:
1. Fresh OEM battery (as shown by the storage life date of 10 years from the date of purchase).
2. White expiration date sticker to put on the cap, showing the month & year of 7 years from the date of purchase.
3. A new yellow o-ring.
4. A new cap.
5. Two long screws
6. Three short screws
7. A label for covering over the 3 screws on top of the cap.

This is exceedingly helpful, Dan. Thank you for sharing.

Finding the non-battery replacement parts at the hardwear store, particularly the gasket (o ring), could be challenge in any DIY extravaganza (note the DIY video above makes no mention of it). I could see going with the old cap and doing without the new stickers (screws are easy), but risking a leak from a worn out (compressed) gasket on a piece of "absolutely gotta work" emergency gear would worry me constantly (not worth the $100 savings). Besides, pretty sure it voids any warranty...

 

[Dan]

This is exceedingly helpful, Dan. Thank you for sharing.

Finding the non-battery replacement parts at the hardwear store, particularly the gasket (o ring), could be challenge in any DIY extravaganza (note the DIY video above makes no mention of it). I could see going with the old cap and doing without the new stickers (screws are easy), but risking a leak from a worn out (compressed) gasket on a piece of "absolutely gotta work" emergency gear would worry me constantly (not worth the $100 savings). Besides, pretty sure it voids any warranty...

Yes, it is important to get the OEM battery replacement kit, not just third party battery that you can buy from eBay with questionable battery age for $40.

FYI
Trionics charge:
1. Battery kit (incl. the above 7 items) = $128.95
2. Labor = $80.
3. Hazardous battery disposal =$10

They have indoor testing unit (about the size of 2 iPhone 14 Pro Max’s stacked up together). To test the PLB1 with the new battery indoors, you won’t need to pull out the antenna, just press and hold the test button. After a few seconds the indoor testing unit will display a message that it receives the test signal.

Per PLB1 manual, my next test would be:
1. Beacon Test (once a month) on 25 November.
2. GPS test (once a year) on 25 October 2025. This GPS test should be done outdoor with unobstructed view of the sky.

 

[Dan]

I have flooded my underwater case when I didn’t screw the cap tight enough to flatten the o-ring for a good seal. I saw the water in the case through the clear acrylic case. Luckily it was not flooded completely. Some air space was still present inside the case. So when Rodney removed the PLB1 cap, the housing inside was still bone dry.

 

[Dan]

I tried using a soft case once and learnt that the crushing pressure of 102 feet of water would be enough to turn on the red button of the PLB1. So, don’t use a soft case.

 

[Umuntu]

I have flooded my underwater case when I didn’t screw the cap tight enough to flatten the o-ring for a good seal. I saw the water in the case through the clear acrylic case. Luckily it was not flooded completely. Some air space was still present inside the case. So when Rodney removed the PLB1 cap, the housing inside was still bone dry.

Putting the PLB in a double zip lock bag before you put it in the underwater case will protect it from getting wet, although it will not help against pressure.