EPIRB Registration

[jstevens]

DefinitelyMe,
Since Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory and not a country, I would guess that the EPIRB needs to be registered with the UK. Probably the OFCOM agency Evans referred to.
This is getting pretty confusing.

John

[s/v Jedi]

You can register any EPIRB directly into the International database of Cospas Sarsat at www.406registration.com

Also, I once bought a new EPIRB in Holland and registered it in the BVI's. Radio Holland reprogrammed the unit for that.

I just ordered a McMurdo Fastfind 220 PLB which requires yet a different form of registration. I'll post that here as I find out how. Amazon says I have it in my hands on Friday.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

You can register any EPIRB directly into the International database of Cospas Sarsat at www.406registration.com

.

Only if the hex code of the country allows it.

Epirbs are produced with an inbuilt country code and those epirbs are then distributed into local markets. This was all decided before Internet shopping. Some countries databases will accept any hex code , others will not. Since a lot of epirbs are bought in the US online , this may require you register with NOAA if your own country will not accept it.

Some countries will not use the hex code and require mmsi or call sign or both to be encoded onto the Epirb. ( there are 9 protocols available in the beacon )

The flag of the vessel has nothing to do with the Epirb or its registration. However some countries will restrict Epirb registrations to vessels of their flag.

Dave

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Only if the hex code of the country allows it.

No, any EPIRB with valid programming. This is an International database, not a country specific.

[Caribsailors]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I bought my EPIRB in St Martin, the Caribbean, and Australia wanted $30 to register it in Australia so I registered with
www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov for free.
its possible to do as there is an override button when you submit the form.
It cautions you there is an error and then you click accept with errors and it works.

I did the same thing. All correspondence was sent to my CDN mail forwarder. No issues.....other than the EPIRP died on a recert. Removing from Data Base was done online. Caveman easy.

Cheers

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Only if the hex code of the country allows it.

Epirbs are produced with an inbuilt country code and those epirbs are then distributed into local markets. This was all decided before Internet shopping. Some countries databases will accept any hex code , others will not

I think Dave has got it right, although my application is rejected just with the Hex number. I have just tried to register an EPIRB with the sites that have been suggested.

On all sites I get the message "The beacon country is not supported" This is before I have entered any details of my vessel or country of registration so this must be irrelevant to the problem.

Time for a new EPIRB I think, but the old one will be kept as spare so the problem does not completely go away.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

I think Dave has got it right, although my application is rejected just with the Hex number. I have just tried to register an EPIRB with the sites that have been suggested.

On all sites I get the message "The beacon country is not supported" This is before I have entered any details of my vessel or country of registration so this must be irrelevant to the problem.

Time for a new EPIRB I think, but the old one will be kept as spare so the problem does not completely go away.

Hmm... and what country code does your beacon have? Mine had either Netherlands or BVI, I don't dare to be sure anymore. I would expect that they list these requirements then, but I believe "your country" has objected to registrations of "their" EPIRBS into the Cospas Sarsat database. I find that questionable, as this is the guys with the satellites that find you and thus the shortest path.

EDIT: Here it is: http://www.cospas-sarsat.org/en/beac...l-registration

politics

[noelex 77]

The international registration that you kindly provided the link for:

International database of Cospas Sarsat at www.406registration.com

Rejects the EPIRB hex code before it knows, or asks for my country of registration.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

The international registration that you kindly provided the link for:

International database of Cospas Sarsat at www.406registration.com

Rejects the EPIRB hex code before it knows, or asks for my country of registration.

The plot thickens... I just logged in to this database to check my data. I entered it in 2006 and last edited it in 2009. The country of registration registered is "VIRGIN GB 378" which is NOT listed as allowed in the database. All I can think of is that things have changed or I used an override button or similar.

About the beacon hex code, mine starts with: AF49D0...... I believe a country code exists therein too ?

[venturing seagull]

From a thread by Tradewindsailor on ybw.com today, EPIRB stuff at bottom relevant:

According to this facebook thread:
https://www.facebook.com/ninarescue
the NZ searches were concentrated to the NE of an erroneous Iridium position. The last position given by the crew looks to be about 150 miles to the West of the Iridium position and consistent with the actual position reports. This would put them on the NW sector of the low pressure system (low pressures are clockwise South of the Equator) and hence they would be being pushed to the N and NW.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/art-on-...ie/9365965749/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/art-on-...ie/9365967257/

A lot of speculation has focused on that there have been no comms since 4th June. No comms is simply that: no communication. It doesn't mean that there are no survivors, and it certainly doesn't mean that Nina had sunk.

Nina had the Iridium phone (non-gps), a SPOT device that reported simple messages including the position, an Epirb, and a VHF.

The VHF is of use only as a line of sight comms ..... up to 17 miles yacht to yacht, more to a ship, and much more to an aircraft (75 miles?).

The Iridium phone had been good up to the 4th. The last message was sent to the Iridium system on the 4th, but not found until about the 25th June from my recollection. Could it be that the Iridium phone was faulty after the 4th? Could the last text message have been stored in the phone only to be sent when it was next turned on? I don't know. One thing I am absolutely certain about is that the Iridium phone was not a reliable means of communication, and an even worse position indicating device. Why was it used by the authorities to base a search when better information was at hand?

The EPIRB. I understand that the EPIRB was a non-GPS unit. No EPIRB emergency signal was received from the Nina. The EPIRB would only be used in circumstances where a MAYDAY would be initiated. If the NINA was floating and navigable, I doubt if the EPIRB would be activated. BUT at sometime between the 4th June and now circumstances must have deteriorated enough for the EPIRB to have been activated. So why no EPIRB signal?:

1 It is possible that the EPIRB could not be reached if they had to abandon NINA quickly
2 The EPIRB may not have generated a signal that was accepted as a bonefide distress message and hence ignored by the system.
3 The EPIRB could have passed the self-test but still failed to operate correctly. The self-test is purely internal to the EPIRB. No transmission is made at all, so it is not a test that checks the entire system.
4 It would take up to 'a few hours' according to the USCG for this type of EPIRB to generate a position fix into the system. I understand that if the position fix is not completed, the emergency message is not sent .... I am awaiting confirmation on this.
5 The antenna would not be checked by the self-test as there is no transmission. There have been failures of antennas in the past ..... cracking of the rubber antenna casing leading to corrosion of the internals. No antenna .. no message.
6 The condition of the battery is not properly checked during the self-test. The batteries generally produce the required voltage even though they may be short on capacity. They are known to self-discharge at much higher rates in warm weather .... and the NINA spent a lot of time in the tropics at around 30 deg C, more if the unit housing was heated by the sun or engine. There are incidences reported on the internet where EPIRBS have failed to send the message due to bad batteries, or have only operated for a few hours .... see 4 above.
7 I have been unable to obtain any data from the authorities where vessels that are fitted with EPIRBS have been lost without an EPIRB message being received, or any other case where EPIRBS have been activated and the message has not been received.
8 What are the effects of weather condition on EPIRB transmissions, especially when operated in bad conditions from a liferaft or in the water?

SO : NO COMMS DOES NOT MEAN "NO SURVIVORS"

I hope the authorities can comment any of the above, particularly if I have made a mistake.

Most of all, I hope the crew are found alive and well. Remember there are cases where survivors have been found after 117 days adrift in a liferaft...... and that the Spirit of Baltimore went down with her EPIRB, but some of the crew were rescued several days later by a passing ship.

[s/v Jedi]

I received my new PLB today. It is a US based one and I was denied into the 406registration.com database. Pointed me to NOAA like it should.

Just read the user manual and found some interresting data:

- waterproof: immersion to 10m/30' for 5 minutes.
- it came with a neoprene pouch that makes it float
- it came with a bigger bright yellow pouch to hold the PLB with float pouch and neck cord. Can be attached to belt/harness.
- transmit duration > 24 hours at -20C (-4F) ; > 35 hours at 10C (50F)
- 406 MHz power: > 5W ; 121.5MHz power: > 50mW
- GPS: 50 channel with ceramic patch antenna
- can flash morse code SOS patterns on button push
- 6 year battery life; mine is good until April 2020 so 6.5 years

I'm pretty happy with the unit and I paid about $250 on Amazon for it. Now I just need to register it with NOAA and perform the self tests

[colemj]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

- transmit duration > 24 hours at -20C (-4F) ; > 35 hours at 10C (50F)

If you keep eating enough of that Southern cooking, you might even survive that long in those conditions

Mark

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by venturing seagull

From a thread by Tradewindsailor on ybw.com today, EPIRB stuff at bottom relevant:

According to this facebook thread:
https://www.facebook.com/ninarescue
the NZ searches were concentrated to the NE of an erroneous Iridium position. The last position given by the crew looks to be about 150 miles to the West of the Iridium position and consistent with the actual position reports. This would put them on the NW sector of the low pressure system (low pressures are clockwise South of the Equator) and hence they would be being pushed to the N and NW.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/art-on-...ie/9365965749/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/art-on-...ie/9365967257/

A lot of speculation has focused on that there have been no comms since 4th June. No comms is simply that: no communication. It doesn't mean that there are no survivors, and it certainly doesn't mean that Nina had sunk.

Nina had the Iridium phone (non-gps), a SPOT device that reported simple messages including the position, an Epirb, and a VHF.

The VHF is of use only as a line of sight comms ..... up to 17 miles yacht to yacht, more to a ship, and much more to an aircraft (75 miles?).

The Iridium phone had been good up to the 4th. The last message was sent to the Iridium system on the 4th, but not found until about the 25th June from my recollection. Could it be that the Iridium phone was faulty after the 4th? Could the last text message have been stored in the phone only to be sent when it was next turned on? I don't know. One thing I am absolutely certain about is that the Iridium phone was not a reliable means of communication, and an even worse position indicating device. Why was it used by the authorities to base a search when better information was at hand?

The EPIRB. I understand that the EPIRB was a non-GPS unit. No EPIRB emergency signal was received from the Nina. The EPIRB would only be used in circumstances where a MAYDAY would be initiated. If the NINA was floating and navigable, I doubt if the EPIRB would be activated. BUT at sometime between the 4th June and now circumstances must have deteriorated enough for the EPIRB to have been activated. So why no EPIRB signal?:

1 It is possible that the EPIRB could not be reached if they had to abandon NINA quickly
2 The EPIRB may not have generated a signal that was accepted as a bonefide distress message and hence ignored by the system.
3 The EPIRB could have passed the self-test but still failed to operate correctly. The self-test is purely internal to the EPIRB. No transmission is made at all, so it is not a test that checks the entire system.
4 It would take up to 'a few hours' according to the USCG for this type of EPIRB to generate a position fix into the system. I understand that if the position fix is not completed, the emergency message is not sent .... I am awaiting confirmation on this.
5 The antenna would not be checked by the self-test as there is no transmission. There have been failures of antennas in the past ..... cracking of the rubber antenna casing leading to corrosion of the internals. No antenna .. no message.
6 The condition of the battery is not properly checked during the self-test. The batteries generally produce the required voltage even though they may be short on capacity. They are known to self-discharge at much higher rates in warm weather .... and the NINA spent a lot of time in the tropics at around 30 deg C, more if the unit housing was heated by the sun or engine. There are incidences reported on the internet where EPIRBS have failed to send the message due to bad batteries, or have only operated for a few hours .... see 4 above.
7 I have been unable to obtain any data from the authorities where vessels that are fitted with EPIRBS have been lost without an EPIRB message being received, or any other case where EPIRBS have been activated and the message has not been received.
8 What are the effects of weather condition on EPIRB transmissions, especially when operated in bad conditions from a liferaft or in the water?

SO : NO COMMS DOES NOT MEAN "NO SURVIVORS"

I hope the authorities can comment any of the above, particularly if I have made a mistake.

Most of all, I hope the crew are found alive and well. Remember there are cases where survivors have been found after 117 days adrift in a liferaft...... and that the Spirit of Baltimore went down with her EPIRB, but some of the crew were rescued several days later by a passing ship.

Its very unlikely that all comms onboard failed. What's much more likely is a massive sea overwhelmed the yacht and she foundered, lost with all hands.

Dave

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by colemj

If you keep eating enough of that Southern cooking, you might even survive that long in those conditions

Mark

LOL I listed these times and temps because many cruisers are concerned that these small PLB's don't meet the 48 hour SOLAS requirement but in the tropical conditions we're in it might even transmit longer than 48 hours.
I find this McMurdo PLB a good deal and with Niña missing I remembered my EPIRB expired years ago and needs reprogramming too. It doesn't even have GPS so I'm retiring it.

We're heading for the Rocky Mountains so we might get cold yet Colorado here we come; got a metal detector and gold pans ready to haul in the motherload

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

LOL I listed these times and temps because many cruisers are concerned that these small PLB's don't meet the 48 hour SOLAS requirement but in the tropical conditions we're in it might even transmit longer than 48 hours.
I find this McMurdo PLB a good deal and with Niña missing I remembered my EPIRB expired years ago and needs reprogramming too. It doesn't even have GPS so I'm retiring it.

We're heading for the Rocky Mountains so we might get cold yet Colorado here we come; got a metal detector and gold pans ready to haul in the motherload

There isn't a 48 hour requirement for epirbs or PLBs. Merely that IMO GMDSS compliant epirbs have at least 48 ability

Dave