Three EPIRBs, two PLBs.
- Best EPIRB (~£420): Ocean Signal RescueME EPIRB1 — UK default, 7-year battery, GPS.
- Premium EPIRB (~£600): ACR GlobalFix V5 — 10-year battery, IR strobe, OLED.
- Budget EPIRB (~£330): Ocean Signal SafeSea E101G — manual-only.
- Best PLB (~£280): Ocean Signal RescueME PLB1 — smallest on the market.
- PLB with display (~£330): ACR ResQLink View — OLED confirms GPS lock.
- Most offshore boats want both — a Cat I EPIRB on deck and a PLB on each lifejacket.
EPIRB vs PLB — which one?
Both transmit on 406 MHz to the Cospas-Sarsat satellite network. The difference is who they're registered to, how they activate, and where they live.
EPIRB
- ·Registered to the boat (MMSI / hull ID)
- ·Lives in a bracket on deck
- ·Cat I auto-deploys when submerged; Cat II manual
- ·Larger battery, ~48 h transmission
- ·~£330–£600
PLB
- ·Registered to the person
- ·Worn on the body — lifejacket, harness
- ·Manual activation only
- ·Smaller battery, ~24 h transmission
- ·Use case: man overboard, capsize
- ·~£280–£330
EPIRBs — boat-mounted beacons.
Ocean Signal RescueME EPIRB1
Best EPIRB overallThe UK cruising default for a decade. Manual + water-activated, 7-year battery, integrated GPS, 121.5 MHz homing. Compact for an EPIRB.
One EPIRB on the boat and never think about it again. Reliable, supported, well-priced. The bracket lets you mount it manual (Cat II) or hydrostatic-release (Cat I).
Battery is 7 years from manufacture, not purchase — check the date. End-of-life replacement is dealer-only at ~£170.
ACR GlobalFix V5
Best premiumACR's flagship — 10-year battery (industry-leading), multi-constellation GNSS, integrated strobe, IR strobe for night-vision SAR, and an OLED status display.
Offshore or world cruisers who don't want to think about replacement for a decade. The IR strobe is genuinely useful — SAR helicopters fly on night-vision goggles that a regular strobe blooms out.
Much pricier than the Ocean Signal. The battery edge is real, but if you replace the unit when the boat changes hands you may never use the extra years.
Ocean Signal SafeSea E101G
Budget EPIRBThe cheapest mainstream 406 MHz EPIRB with built-in GPS. Manual-activation only — no hydrostatic release. Shorter 5-year battery.
Coastal cruisers and second-EPIRB use where the boat already has a Cat I auto-release unit and this is the manual backup in the grab bag.
Manual-only means it won't activate if the boat goes down before you grab it. Not suitable as the only EPIRB offshore.
PLBs — personal-carry beacons.
Ocean Signal RescueME PLB1
Best PLB overallThe smallest 406 MHz PLB on the market — fits a lifejacket pocket. Manual-activation, 7-year battery, GPS, 121.5 MHz homing. A cult favourite of solo and shorthanded sailors.
Personal-carry beacon — clipped to your lifejacket. The MOB scenario where the boat sails on without you is exactly what this exists for. EPIRBs stay with the boat; PLBs stay with the person.
Manual activation needs conscious effort. Registered to the person's name, not the boat — make sure yours is registered before you carry it.
ACR ResQLink View
PLB with displayA PLB with an OLED display that confirms GPS acquisition and shows your own position — reassuring when you're drifting in the dark waiting for SAR. Multi-constellation GNSS.
If you want visual confirmation the beacon has acquired position and is transmitting, rather than relying on a strobe alone.
Slightly larger and heavier than the PLB1. Battery is 6 years, not 7. Worth it only if you specifically value the display.
All five at a glance.
What to actually look for.
Cat I vs Cat II — auto-deploy or manual
Cat I EPIRBs sit in a hydrostatic-release bracket — submerged below ~4 m, it releases the EPIRB, which floats up and activates automatically. Cat II is the same EPIRB in a manual bracket. Cat I suits any boat that could sink quickly; Cat II where the EPIRB is always reachable.
Built-in GPS — non-negotiable in 2026
Without GPS, Cospas-Sarsat locates a beacon by Doppler shift to ~5 km — adequate but slow. With GPS, SAR has you to within metres in minutes. Every model here has GPS. Don't save £50 on a non-GPS beacon — that's the difference between 30 minutes and 6 hours.
Battery life — and the date trap
All 406 MHz beacons have a fixed-life battery (5–10 years) dated from manufacture, not purchase. A discounted unit can already be 18 months in. Check the date label. End-of-life replacement is dealer-only at ~30–50% of a new beacon.
Registration — the step everyone forgets
A 406 MHz beacon must be registered before it works properly (UK: the MCA database, free, 10 minutes). Unregistered, it still transmits, but SAR has no name, boat, or contacts — which delays response. Re-register on ownership or contact changes.
121.5 MHz homing — almost universal, still important
406 MHz gets SAR within metres via satellite; 121.5 MHz is what their on-scene direction-finder uses for the last 5 km. All modern beacons transmit both. Avoid any vintage 406-only beacon with no homing.
Multi-constellation GNSS — useful, not critical
Newer beacons acquire from multiple constellations (GPS + Galileo), so faster lock in tough conditions. Worth having; not worth replacing a working GPS-only beacon for.
FAQ.
EPIRB or PLB if I can only afford one?
Coastal day-sailing: a PLB on each crew member's lifejacket — MOB is more common than the boat sinking faster than you can grab the EPIRB. Offshore: the EPIRB is the priority — it transmits longer and from a higher position than a PLB on a casualty in the water. Most cruisers buy both.
What about AIS MOB devices?
AIS MOB beacons (Ocean Signal MOB1, ACR AISLink MOB) are complementary, not a replacement. They alert your own boat's AIS within ~5 NM but don't call SAR. Use them alongside a PLB. The MOB1 fits inside the same lifejacket as a PLB.
Do I register every time I cross a border?
No — register once with the beacon's flag country; it's recognised globally through Cospas-Sarsat. The SAR authority that responds is determined by where you set it off, not where it's registered.
What if I set it off by accident?
Call HM Coastguard (or your national SAR) immediately — they cancel the alert if there's time. False alerts aren't punished if you self-report quickly. Don't just switch it off and hope; SAR may already be mobilising.
Do EPIRBs need self-test?
Yes — every model here has a self-test that confirms battery, GPS, and transmitter health without sending a distress signal. Run it monthly, with a quarterly extended test per the manual.