Got my new EPIRB Today!

[montenido]

Hi all,

As my cast off date approaches, I am working hard to wrap up loose ends. One of them was wrapped up today with the arrival and registering of my new EPIRB. I ended up going with an ACR Globalfix Pro with GPS. Got a pretty good deal from Hodges Marine. I will mount it tomorrow before heading out for a couple of days of sailing. My life raft will arrive shortly, another thing to check off the list .

Hopefully, neither one will get any use.

Cheers, Bill

[Viking Sailor]

Hi Bill,

I suggest you test the EPIRB soonest. My Globalfix failed its self test right out of the box.

Best of wishes on your cruise,

Paul

[MarkJ]

I sugest you do not test it. Its takes a fair bit of battery power.

Mark

[rebel heart]

I have the same EPIRB as you. It, and a life raft and other offshore gear definitely gives the boat a feeling like you're ready to round Cape Horn. Well, the boat is ready anyway.

[Viking Sailor]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I sugest you do not test it. Its takes a fair bit of battery power.

Mark

Hi Mark,

Joking...right? If not please be so kind as to expound upon your rationale for going to sea with an untested device. Especially considering that a brand new unit has been reported to have failed its self test.

If Bill should find that it does not work he will at least have time to get it repaired/replaced.

Best regards,

Paul

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Viking Sailor

Hi Mark,

Joking...right? If not please be so kind as to expound upon your rationale for going to sea with an untested device. Especially considering that a brand new unit has been reported to have failed its self test.

Ed Zakery
Designed to function in an emergency for how many hours?
Self test takes how many seconds.....?
And self test doen't actually transmit....

[MarkJ]

Mine, also an ACR says the test, if done at all, must only be done once as it consumes too much battery power.

I don't have the paperwork with it still, and its about five years old, so things may be better, but mine is a PLB and I would like the best run time possible. As the penguins says, it doesn't transmit anyway, so what are you testing?

What do others think?

[banjoship]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Mine, also an ACR says the test, if done at all, must only be done once as it consumes too much battery power.

I don't have the paperwork with it still, and its about five years old, so things may be better, but mine is a PLB and I would like the best run time possible. As the penguins says, it doesn't transmit anyway, so what are you testing?

What do others think?

My PLB and EPIRB are both GME. The manual for each recommends monthly test. The test is of the battery and internal circuitry, clearly it is not a test involving transmission. I believe the test involves minimal power draw.
Lee

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Mine, also an ACR says the test, if done at all, must only be done once as it consumes too much battery power.

I don't have the paperwork with it still, and its about five years old, so things may be better, but mine is a PLB and I would like the best run time possible. As the penguins says, it doesn't transmit anyway, so what are you testing?

What do others think?

From my 3 year old ACR PLB manual...

CAUTION: For PLB-350C models, the following test cannot be performed more than sixty times during the life of the battery pack. Once this GPS testing feature reaches 60 times, the feature will be disabled by internal software.

it actually say test once a month or a couple weeks before every cruise...60 times for the GPS testing which uses quite a bit more than just the normal self test...so once before a trip seems like it won't be a huge issue.

Especially for GPS PLBs/EPIRBs and coastal cruisers wo can expect quick rescue after the GPS posit is transmitted.

[colemj]

These units have two tests available to them - a simple battery and internal test that does not transmit or use much power at all and a GPS test that does transmit and uses a good deal of power.

Mark

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Ed Zakery
Designed to function in an emergency for how many hours?
Self test takes how many seconds.....?
And self test doen't actually transmit....

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Mine, also an ACR says the test, if done at all, must only be done once as it consumes too much battery power.

I don't have the paperwork with it still, and its about five years old, so things may be better, but mine is a PLB and I would like the best run time possible. As the penguins says, it doesn't transmit anyway, so what are you testing?

What do others think?

Originally Posted by banjoship

My PLB and EPIRB are both GME. The manual for each recommends monthly test. The test is of the battery and internal circuitry, clearly it is not a test involving transmission. I believe the test involves minimal power draw.
Lee

Originally Posted by psneeld

From my 3 year old ACR PLB manual...

CAUTION: For PLB-350C models, the following test cannot be performed more than sixty times during the life of the battery pack. Once this GPS testing feature reaches 60 times, the feature will be disabled by internal software.

it actually say test once a month or a couple weeks before every cruise...60 times for the GPS testing which uses quite a bit more than just the normal self test...so once before a trip seems like it won't be a huge issue.

Especially for GPS PLBs/EPIRBs and coastal cruisers wo can expect quick rescue after the GPS posit is transmitted.

OK, just for the record, the beacon does transmit during a self test.
This is a requirement to comply with COSPAS/SARSAT design.

Both transmitters (406 & 121.5) transmit during self test.
The 406 transmitter sends one transmission of approximately 500 milliseconds duration. The first transmission of any beacon is coded as a test transmission and does not activate a SAR response. Subsequent transmissions (about every 50 seconds) are then genuine emergency transmissions.

Most (but maybe not all) beacons consider a self test to use 1 minute of battery life. Beacons should fail a self test if a cumulative total of one hour of battery life has been consumed.

This is why the ACR (and most other) beacons suggest to keep testing to a reasonable minimum.

[MarkJ]

OK I trucked through all my instrustion books!



I re read the page before and it does say you can do the other test monthly, so I stand corrected on that.

So read your instruction books and re read them sometimes!

[Viking Sailor]

ARC Globalfix EPIRB replacement lithium batteries. Three required ($8.89 ea call and ask for wire leads):

Saft LO 26 SX Lithium Battery | SEPBatteries.com