I want to buy new EPIRB, please help!!!

[MidLandOne]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Simpler said than done. I assure you I have tried

Ah, but trying is not good enuff. You have to DO IT .

If you need to get a beacon reprogrammed you should have no problem just a little work. I have had beacons programmed in Australia for other countrys - it is done all the time.

If you need to get your EPIRB programmed and onto the NOAA register then try this -

Contact the main service centre in Australia for your make of EPIRB. Tell them your boat's nationality and that you have an EPIRB of their make bought in a foreign country that needs to be reprogrammed so that you can register it on the NOAA database. They should agree to do so and will, of course, charge a fee - in the unlikely event that they do not agree then complain to the manufacturer. If you have bought some odd make of EPIRB and there is no service centre in Australia then you may have to use one in another country.

If in the likely circumstance that the service centre doesn't sort out the programming requirement themselves on your behalf then email NOAA and state your boat's nationality, that you have a such and such make and model of of EPIRB and give them the manufacturer's serial number off it (I am assuming yours is type approved for use by US vessels - you deserve a if you've bought a dud in that department ) which you purchased in a foreign country, that the Australian service centre (name them) of the manufacturer will program it for you. Ask for NOAA's instructions including the required Country Code and the Protocol. The service center should be able to explain to you all the normal process for getting such information too and may introduce some little variation of their own but with the same main thrust. If you don't know the correct contact details within NOAA then you should be able to find them on the COSPAS/SARSAT websites list of register contact points.

The register people should respond to you with the requested information and perhaps give additional instructions (eg they may ask for a copy of the test verification certificate after the EPIRB has been programmed). Give the NOAA requirements to the service centre with the EPIRB. It will come back from them with a test verification certificate upon which will be the new 15 digit Unique Identifier for the EPIRB. Unless instructed by NOAA otherwise go to the NOAA registration site and enter the details on the form - you should have already known all of those apart from the Unique Identifier which you now have. It may be that NOAA will require you to register the EPIRB by post with a copy of the test verification report attached so then download the form from the NOAA site and print it out.

Fulfil any other instructions that NOAA may of made of you when you emailed them for the information.

If your boat's nationality is other than American, then just do the same as above but communicating with your own country's beacon register (there is a list of contact details for all nations on the COSPAS/SARSAT website).

Sounds like alot but is not much at all, is simple and should work like clockwork. That unless the USA has some silly requirment that all their EPIRB's must be programmed in the USA but I would be amazed if that were so. If you are interested in trying the above or need to try it, let us know if that doesn't work (or hasn't worked if you have done all the above already).

[Wotname]

This is getting all a bit esoteric for most of us and I am partly guilty of making it so.

Most of us can just buy an EPIRB already correctly programmed (with unique hex id, country code etc) from a shop in the same country we live in for a boat in the same country and we register it with our national authority. Simple isn't it

[multihullsailor6]

Originally Posted by Wotname

This is getting all a bit esoteric for most of us and I am partly guilty of making it so.

Most of us can just buy an EPIRB already correctly programmed (with unique hex id, country code etc) from a shop in the same country we live in for a boat in the same country and we register it with our national authority. Simple isn't it

Thanks everyone who responded to my programming question, as I'm in a multi-nation situation the replies have shown up the right way for me to go with my new EPIRB.
Roger

[mrlee]

Hi, Great info but the epirb mentioned above is now $519USD I thought the $3something price was a bit cheap...Any other cheaper units available??
Thanks for all the info guys...It really helps us wanna-be's

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by mrlee

Hi, Great info but the epirb mentioned above is now $519USD I thought the $3something price was a bit cheap...Any other cheaper units available??
Thanks for all the info guys...It really helps us wanna-be's

There appears to be rebates of up to $100 on some ACR models.

[model 10]

Also check out what a new battery will cost you someday. Some models are pretty cheap and some like mine are $300 something.