The TracMe Beacon is a large part of the “why” I created this blog. I’m concerned that people might purchase this product and expect a satellite-based response (COSPAS-SARSAT) and not get one. As I did the research for this post, I found that I am not alone in these concerns.
If you are unfamiliar with the TracMe Beacon, I need to tell you it is pretty new to North America. I believe the units started selling in July of 2007 in the United States, possibly earlier. This product uses FRS Channel 1 (462.5625 MHz) in the US and Canada (other channels in Australia and Europe.) It broadcasts a voice saying “Help. . . Emergency” every 15 seconds until the battery goes out, which the manufacturer claims can be as long as seven days. It is very small, smaller than most FRS radios. I have seen one in person at the SARScene 2007 conference in Victoria and it is smaller than you would expect. This unit does not activate the COSPAS-SARSAT network of satellites that results in notification to search and rescue responders. It simply broadcasts the emergency message on an FRS channel with an output of less than 10mW (most FRS radios output around 500mW). This device relies on the searching party to know that the missing person has this device and has likely activated it. The box supplies a card you can leave on the dash of your car that lets people know you have this unit.
Doug Ritter of Equipped to Survive has an in-depth review of this product and a few blog posts regarding TracMe North America’s usage of the term “Personal Locator Beacon” in marketing this device. I encourage you to read all you can on this product and make up your own mind.
A few other sites with either information or interesting discussions regarding TracMe include:
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