ACR Electronics ResQLink AIS Personal Locator Beacon wins Miami Innovation Award
by ACR Electronics 17 Feb 2023 08:22 PST
February 15-19, 2023
ACR Electronics' Mikele D'Arcangelo, Vice President of Global Marketing and Product Management (left), and Shawn Pariaug, Marketing Manager © ACR Electronics
Praised by the judges as "the holy grail of safety equipment", the ACR Electronics ResQLink AIS Personal Locator Beacon is the winner of the 2023 Miami Innovation Award in the Consumer Safety Equipment category.
The ACR Electronics device was named amongst this year's ground-breaking new consumer marine products in an announcement by The NMMA and Boating Writers International (BWI) during the Miami Industry Breakfast at the Discover Boating® Miami International Boat Show®.
Judge Jennifer Brett said: "For many boaters, an AIS equipped personal locator beacon was the holy grail of safety equipment. In the ResQLink AIS PLB, ACR has achieved this in a compact form-factor device that can attach to an inflatable PFD."
ACR Electronics' most recent award demonstrates the company's continued leadership in emergency rescue beacon innovation, recognizing the integration of multiple levels of signal technologies in one compact package. The ACR AIS PLB combines the global response of the 406 MHz Cospas-Sarsat satellite rescue services with the transmission of AIS signals for local assistance from nearby vessels. ACR also won the Safety Equipment category during Miami Show 2020 with the ResQLink RLS PLB.
Mikele D'Arcangelo, Vice President of Global Marketing and Product Management for ACR Electronics, said: "Our primary motivation is to offer our customers the most advanced and easy to use safety products to save more lives and aid the rescue services in locating and helping casualties. Recognition and praise by experts in the industry validates all the work that goes into the design and development of our evolving devices and we are delighted that the Miami Innovation Award judging panel has singled out the new ResQLink AIS PLB. We are looking forward to engaging with visitors at the show this year to explain the significant benefits of the new beacons."
ACR Electronics' mobile connected ResQLink AIS PLB, and also its GlobalFix V5 AIS EPIRB, are Cospas-Sarsat and FCC approved and available to the U.S. market.
The units feature GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) positioning, 406 MHz Cospas-Sarsat distress signal with MEOSAR compatibility and 121.5 MHz local homing signal, along with integrated AIS (Automatic Identification System), NFC (Near Field Communication) technology for use with the free ACR mobile app, and compatibility with Return Link Service (RLS) alerting.
The Discover Boating® Miami International Boat Show® Innovation Awards, managed by NMMA and judged by Boating Writers International, is one of the industry's most prestigious honors recognizing manufacturers and suppliers who bring new, innovative products for the boating industry to market.
This year, there were 10 recipients and three honorable mentions after the eight judges from BWI evaluated entries in 22 categories from more than 40 companies. The panel comprises Ben Stein, editor of Panbo.com; Zuzana Prochazka, executive director of BWI; Alfred Boer; Jennifer Brett, communications manager for Sailors for the Sea; Kate Bush, editorial director of Lakeland Boating; Glenn Hayes; Tim Murphy, education project manager for the American Boat & Yacht Council; and Gary Reich, editor-in-chief of Soundings Trade Only.
Visit ACR Electronics at Miami International Boat Show on Booth MB3014 to view the new units.
For more information on ACR Electronics beacons and other safety equipment, go to www.acrartex.com.