Epirb

[barnakiel]

E.g. ours is a NZ unit and registered while in NZ. The paperwork says all boat data is as should be - with boat flag country coded, etc. No mmsi as we did not have one back then.

I think you just buy it then either the dealer programs it or you do it online where they let you register online.

Zero problem for us when we bought ours.

b.

[travellerw]

I posted the links above, but I have no idea why they can't be registered in the USA. However, there was a thread on here a while back and one of the users phoned the manufacturer to confirm. The manufacturer indeed confirmed that the USA registry is not allowing them (a conspiracy, some bribery, who knows). I imagine that a 10 year battery (user replaceable after 10 years), plus GPS and all the other features for 1/2 the cost of a USA brand unit has scared the hell out of 1 or 2 manufacturers.

I had absolutely no difficulty registering mine in Canada. Its a great simple designed EPIRB and an absolute shame that US residents are cut off from it. At the price for a 10 year life (20 if you replace the battery), there is no reason not to have an EPIRB on board, even if you are just a weekender!

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by travellerw

I posted the links above, but I have no idea why they can't be registered in the USA. However, there was a thread on here a while back and one of the users phoned the manufacturer to confirm. The manufacturer indeed confirmed that the USA registry is not allowing them (a conspiracy, some bribery, who knows). I imagine that a 10 year battery (user replaceable after 10 years), plus GPS and all the other features for 1/2 the cost of a USA brand unit has scared the hell out of 1 or 2 manufacturers.

I had absolutely no difficulty registering mine in Canada. Its a great simple designed EPIRB and an absolute shame that US residents are cut off from it. At the price for a 10 year life (20 if you replace the battery), there is no reason not to have an EPIRB on board, even if you are just a weekender!

This does seem to match up with the Canadian registry site,eg

[. How do I know if my emergency beacon is Canadian coded and what does it mean if it is not?
Every emergency beacon contains a unique ID and country code. In Canada, a coded beacon begins with A78, A79, 278 or 279. If your beacon's hexcode begins with one of these combinations, then it is Canadian Coded. If it begins with any other combination, then it is not Canadian Coded and therefore cannot be registered with the Canadian Beacon Registry.

And from the NZ site

A beacon purchased from an overseas supplier is unlikely to have a New Zealand or Pacific Hex ID or UIN code. This is a problem because, unless the beacon is re-coded, it cannot be registered with RCCNZ.

And from the Australian site

If you buy a distress beacon overseas, it will be programmed to that country and cannot be registered in Australia unless it is re-programmed by the manufacturer with the Australian country code

[groundtackle]

No expert but I bought mine in the US and have just sent it away to a guy in Louisiana who can reprogram it for registration in Canada. If the Aussie ones can be programmed for Canada wish I'd just bought one of them instead
Nick


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[alctel]

Originally Posted by travellerw

No worries the Australia EPIRBS are easily registered in most other countries (except the USA).

Here is a link to the one we have aboard.. They also have EPIRBS that are water activated. These EPIRBS are about 1/2 the cost of a USA brand and have a 10 year battery life.

Safety Alert SA1G – kti

Make sure you check with the Brazil beacon registry to ensure you can register it. I would also e-mail KTI as they were super helpful to me!

Here is where I bought mine from.
EPIRB KTi SA1G-International GPS 406 MHz Locator Beacon - SkippersMate

I just got one of these as well - it's half the price of the ones available from Canadian stores, longer battery life AND has the 121.5 beacon as well.

Thanks!

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Well, I'm a bit confused here! EPIRBs are used on vessels that voyage world wide. If one is distressed here in Australia, but have a non-Aussie EPIRB, it will still be responded to, won't it? So, why all the worry about conforming with local standards?

And FWIW, we are Yanks, our boat is USA registered, but we are temporary residents of Australia (this is a long term thing, not "temporary" in the sense of short time).Our MMSI is American in origin. We purchased an EPIRB here and duly registered it with AMSA. No problems were encountered in the process. The EPIRB has no special coding AFAIK, just what came in the box. From some of the comments upthread, this shouldn't have been possible. HEnce my confusion.

Jim

Hi Jim,

If your EPIRB is registered with the country it is coded for [US in your and my case...] you are good world-wide.

Regarding the confusion between 'Australian' and 'US' EPIRBS, there was a thread late last year on this topic. Here is the link to the synopsis I provided at the time attempting to clarify everything I had read, but not finding one definitive resource. [And I haven't looked since...]

The bottom line is Aus and NZ [only] allow a 3rd class of EPIRB to be registered; one that is not automatically activated when it hits the water. [Not to be confused with the type of bracket it is mounted in- auto or manual deploy... see link above...] The EPIRBS that are not auto activating typically have the lower price point we all see. But supposedly even if recoded for another country [e.g., US] they cannot be registered because the encoding also informs the authorities it is not auto-activating in water. I have no proof that this actually is the case... I only confirmed the requirements and the reasons... not the enforcement...]

In hopes this helps clarify things a bit further, vs. confuse things...

Cheers!

Bill

PS: It is also worth noting we can still buy EPIRBS without built-in GPS. This also lowers the price, but is not worth the savings for me; I want it to keep reporting its actual position for as long as it can...

[skipmac]

From my research the difference between US EPIRBs and models certified for Australia (and probably most other countries) is US certified models must transmit (in addition to the 406 MHz primary frequency) on 121.5 MHz as a final homing frequency.

USCG: EPIRBS

If I understand the web site for Australian regs correctly they only allow EPIRBs that transmit on 406 only claiming digital 406 MHz with GPS is all that's needed.

https://www.amsa.gov.au/search-and-rescue/rcc/

[Lantau]

To repeat something said above, you definitely want to get an EPIRB with GPS position reporting. That gives your actual location (well, the location of the EPIRB) to rescuers instead of an area to search.

And, as you seem to know, you want to be sure the MMSI is registered fully -- and then wait a good length of time for it to work its way through bureaucracies -- before heading to remote locations. Naturally, you want to be so well prepared that you almost certainly never need to use the EPIRB.

I'm a bit confused myself about 121.5 on these things. I am quite sure that most of today's EPIRBs do NOT use this frequency for alerting at all; they use the SARSATs. But I think they still have a homing signal (or some of them do) to help guide aircraft to your location (which of course will have changed since the bureaucracy processed your GPS position -- unless they are talking to a shore station, which they will be in the USA and Europe, and some other places, but probably not if your rescue airplane is from a developing country). VHF frequencies are crap for any kind of alerting, not least from an antenna that's inches above the water at the best of times (when the EPIRB is on a wave crest).

My two cents' worth...

[alctel]

Originally Posted by alctel

I just got one of these as well - it's half the price of the ones available from Canadian stores, longer battery life AND has the 121.5 beacon as well.

Thanks!

A few days later I got an email saying they no longer sell to International buyers. Damn.

[ka4wja]

Lantau,
As I wrote back in April...
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2102792
I see lots of confusion here, regarding what EPIRB's do, and how they do it...as well as a lack of understanding of how the COSPAS-SARSAT system works....
And, this is why I posted the links that I did...
If everyone actually goes there, reads those threads, AND follows the links there (specifically the COSPAS-SARSAT andBeth Leonard's Cruising World links), this will all become quite clear...

EPIRB Activation? What happens/How to improve rescue odds

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ds-146617.html


BUT...
But, I realize that many don't have the time to read thru all the details....so, here are just some brief clarifications...

Originally Posted by Lantau

To repeat something said above, you definitely want to get an EPIRB with GPS position reporting. That gives your actual location (well, the location of the EPIRB) to rescuers instead of an area to search.
While having a GPS-enabled EPIRB is always a good idea, understand that the GPS position data is ONLY received by the GOESAR satellites, and of course only in short data bursts...
And, while this DOES narrow down the search area, it does NOT allow the SAR teams to fly directly to you...
(as much as some might think so....it just doesn't work that way..)


I'm a bit confused myself about 121.5 on these things. I am quite sure that most of today's EPIRBs do NOT use this frequency for alerting at all; they use the SARSATs.
Yes, you are correct that the "alerting" is done at 406mhz, primarily thru the polar-orbiting LEOSAR satellites (which simply signal the RCC's that an EPIRB has gone off, and using their Doppler-ranging, they can get an "area" of possible location....which can be VERY LARGE area!!!!)
Then (if your EPIRB is floating out in the open / in the clear) once your EPIRB has acquired a GPS fix, it will also send this out, and the GEOSAR satellites will (again assuming your EPIRB is floating out in the open / in the clear) be able to receive your position...

BUT...
But, since the 406mhz signal is just a short data burst, SAR aircraft and SAR vessels cannot use this to "home it" on you....(some very new / modernized SAR aircraft do have 406mhz data receivers, that will allow them to get your GPS position data IF THEY ARE CLOSE to you already), but most SAR Aircraft and all SAR vessels will use the 121.5 signal (which is a constant carrier, with a warble audio-tone) to home-in on you....as they all carry 121.5mhz Direction-Finding receivers, that are designed to do just this....

This COSPAS-SARSAT system DOES work, and DOES work very well...
(Please read the referenced threads, AND the links there...and you'll see...)


But I think they still have a homing signal (or some of them do) to help guide aircraft to your location
Yes, aircraft and vessels use the 121.5mhz signal to find you!!! Not the 406mhz signal...

(which of course will have changed since the bureaucracy processed your GPS position -- unless they are talking to a shore station, which they will be in the USA and Europe, and some other places, but probably not if your rescue airplane is from a developing country).
FYI, except for "1st world. maritime nations", do NOT expect any SAR aircraft at all....let alone any that are equipped with working beacon DR receivers!!!

Now, if I could politely make a comment/obswervation on this??
US, Canada, UK, France, Portugal, NZ, Aus, and a couple others (such as possibly Japan, China, etc.) do have the assets to do these SAR missions, AND also provide significant resources to these efforts....AND, they go above and beyond their international obligations...
AND, my observations over the past couple decades, when a US-flagged vessel (or Canada, UK, France, etc. - flagged) has declared an emergency, even in remote 3rd world areas, they go even further....BUT...
But, many times in these 3rd world areas, you are still going to rely on those 3rd world nation's capabilities...which are slim to none!!
And, this is why having a way to signal OTHER vessels directly, of your distress...is so important in these remote areas....and this is in addition to the fact that even in areas served directly by US SAR (USCG, etc.), once you are more than 200 miles offshore the US, UK, etc., you will be rescued by some merchant ship, and getting THOSE very merchant ships notified of your distress many hours before an RCC has found them via AMVER, etc. can be of great importance...
{yes, you DO want to signal your distress to the RCC's, via EPIRB, MF/HF-DSC, and/or INMARSAT-C....but MF/HF-DSC is what will signal other vessels directly that you need assistance!! Also, note that there are > 450 MF-DSC Shore Stations and > 80 HF-DSC Shore Stations, worldwide, that are listening for DSC-Distress calls, and are either run by the RCC's or have direct contact with the RCC's...so use of an EPIRB and MF/HF-DSC are both complimentary / redundant ways to signal your distress to the RCC's AND the MF/HF-DSC signals other vessels directly!!}
Again, please read the referenced thread, and follow those links...
EPIRB Activation? What happens/How to improve rescue odds

VHF frequencies are crap for any kind of alerting, not least from an antenna that's inches above the water at the best of times (when the EPIRB is on a wave crest).
Please understand that the 406mhz (low-UHF frequency) is even worse for this!!!
And, this is also why you MUST let your EPIRB float / or keep it out in the clear (NOT under a wet bimini top, nor under a liferaft canopy!)....
And, this is also the reason that PLB's (which need to held up, out-of-the-water, above the water, above the waves, etc., in order to get their signal to the GEOSAR satellites), are not a substitute for an EPIRB on an offshore boat!


My two cents' worth...

Hope you don't mind the clarifications...

Fair winds..

John