Many of the charts & tables found on this site are PDFs.

The ACR Global Fix 406 with internal GPS is our top pick, followed by the Pains Wessex SOS Precision. The NAT Satfind is about $200 cheaper but lacks an integral GPS.

We took these three EPIRB units to the Coast Guard in Miami for testing. From left to right: The Pains Wessex SOS Precision 406, the NAT Satfind 406 Pro, and the ACR Global Fix 406.

Dolphin fishing in south Florida takes us far from home, sometimes 60 miles offshore. This places us in a vulnerable position because we are well beyond VHF communications range with any shore station, and our cell phone displays nothing but a “no service” message. In our single-engine 25’ center console Contender, our only option for communicating an emergency so far out is our properly registered 406 MHz GPS-equipped EPIRB. Should we have to activate the unit we would expect to see a USCG helicopter on scene to render assistance in as little as an hour. For those of us who regularly venture far enough offshore to make VHF communications questionable—and…