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Old 03-03-2015, 13:20   #31
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Re: Missing Cat

No, bad info being repeated. The Cat 2 don't self-activate - usually there is a magnetic switch. From the referenced article:
Quote:
EPIRBs in a Category II bracket need to be manually deployed and activated.
Personally I prefer to have control over it rather than run the risk of an accidental auto-activation.

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Old 03-03-2015, 13:43   #32
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Re: Missing Cat

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Originally Posted by pierrrre View Post
Hi RTB

Isn't it what I tried to explain in layman's term?
Maybe it's me that is confused here. Can someone answer what manually deployed and activated means? To me, it means that I have to actually activate it by moving a switch physically (CLass II)....yes or no?

An Epirb is on my to buy list soon. We've survived without one so far, but you never know. Maybe I should not have watched "All Is Lost". Or read the threads about Rainmaker and a few other recent rescues.

Ralph
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Old 03-03-2015, 14:25   #33
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Re: Missing Cat

Very hard to see how they could still be alive. Even if dismasted and no power, surely if you were this late (over a month now) you would set off your EPIRB to let people know you were safe and to get some assistance.

Also, the vast majority of EPIRBs used by recreational boaters, including the most popular ones I have seen, need to be manually released AND activated.

Very sad event.
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Old 03-03-2015, 14:30   #34
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Re: Missing Cat

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Originally Posted by pierrrre View Post
Hummm, not really. All EPIRBs are automatically activated. Sometime it is by removing them from their container and flipping them upright, sometime it is by touching the water. I believe you are talking about Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), not EPIRB.
I actually have my EPIRB with me at home as I was checking it out before we take off for the South Pacific. You are correct. Our EPIRB will activate when it is in the water BUT you first have to take it out of the bracket which is down below.

I guess the only way I would consider this automatically deployed is if the boat was awash in water but did not sink and just enough of the antenna was close enough to the surface for the signal to get through. All rather far-fetched.

My thinking with this ACR Global Fix Pro 406 MHz GPS EPIRB was I would rip it out of its bracket, activate it by opening and breaking the tab then jump (up) into the life raft with it.

I hope I never have to try this and report back on how it worked....

Dhillen
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Old 03-03-2015, 14:33   #35
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Re: Missing Cat

Boatman-thought you may be interested if you didn't already know. I called the Spot people and they said if the device is plugged into the usb, it preferences this power over the batteries. It was important to me to know so that I can ensure that the batteries in the SPOT will always be fresh. For your extended travels though, I can see why you'd strap a few extra battery packs to it!


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Old 03-03-2015, 14:44   #36
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pirate Re: Missing Cat

LOL... I thought it recharged the batteries when you did that..
Was I pissed when my rechargables died...

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Old 03-03-2015, 15:05   #37
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Re: Missing Cat

Hahahaha! It might do that as well, I don't know! I'm using standard alkalines for the longer life in case I ever need it ...


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Old 03-03-2015, 15:36   #38
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Re: Missing Cat

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Hahahaha! It might do that as well, I don't know! I'm using standard alkalines for the longer life in case I ever need it ...
Spot comes with lithium batteries - at least my 5 year old one did - and spot recommends lithium for its extra long storage life.
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Old 03-03-2015, 15:55   #39
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Re: Missing Cat

Yes you're right, sorry. They are lithium, but they are not rechargeable according to the packaging. My understanding from r/c is that fresh non rechargeables have a longer active life than rechargeables.


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Old 03-03-2015, 16:07   #40
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Re: Missing Cat

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Originally Posted by clownfishsydney View Post
Very hard to see how they could still be alive. Even if dismasted and no power, surely if you were this late (over a month now) you would set off your EPIRB to let people know you were safe and to get some assistance.

Also, the vast majority of EPIRBs used by recreational boaters, including the most popular ones I have seen, need to be manually released AND activated.

Very sad event.

No news is good news in my world. At least for a few more weeks.

I am a big fan of my Spot.


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Old 04-03-2015, 06:52   #41
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Re: Missing Cat

Quote:
Originally Posted by RTB View Post
Maybe it's me that is confused here. Can someone answer what manually deployed and activated means? To me, it means that I have to actually activate it by moving a switch physically (CLass II)....yes or no?

An Epirb is on my to buy list soon. We've survived without one so far, but you never know. Maybe I should not have watched "All Is Lost". Or read the threads about Rainmaker and a few other recent rescues.

Ralph

Well, No. EPIRB are constructed based on IMO standards. http://www.imo.org/blast/blastDataHe...me=812(19).pdf

They are made to activate automatically as well as manually. "Activate" meaning to transmit distress signal to SARSAT satellites. EPIRB are usually contained in a container or bracket (often time wall mounted).

With a CAT I EPIRB, or more accurately, CAT I container, the EPIRB will float free of the boat (or deploy) automatically when the boat sink and then, it will activate (send signal) on its own. They also have a little switch to be manually activated if you wish to (i.e. if you take the EPIRB with you in a liferaft before the boat sinks, you can manually activate it).

With a CAT II EPIRB, or more accurately a CAT II container/bracket, the EPIRB will not float free (or deploy) on its own. Somebody will have to manually take it off its bracket/container. Again the EPIRB will automatically activate if thrown in the water or if manually activated.

That being said I heard years ago of EPIRB that do not automatically activate. I am yet to see one of those animal and obviously these do not meet IMO standards but would do for pleasure craft since they do not need to meet SOLAS. But, why would a manufacturer bother developing a substandard EPIRB anyway that can't be sold to SOLAS vessels? A floating PLB would be just that.
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Old 04-03-2015, 07:17   #42
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Re: Missing Cat

I use (2) with the hydrostatic releases and automatic activation. In the event that circumstances are such that I am unable to get to the EPIRB prior to abandoning ship. The same is true for my life raft.
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Old 04-03-2015, 07:26   #43
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Re: Missing Cat

Regarding SPOT batteries...

I was "texting" messages to a guy crossing the Atlantic last year and somehow, I can't remember exactly, I could see the battery status of his SPOT. Some of us who were texting the boat told the owner to check his battery status due to what we were seeing regarding his batteries. Maybe we were seeing some information in the texts we received from him? He was not always aware that his batteries were getting low.

Later,
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Old 04-03-2015, 08:34   #44
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Re: Missing Cat

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dhillen View Post
I actually have my EPIRB with me at home as I was checking it out before we take off for the South Pacific. You are correct. Our EPIRB will activate when it is in the water BUT you first have to take it out of the bracket which is down below.

I guess the only way I would consider this automatically deployed is if the boat was awash in water but did not sink and just enough of the antenna was close enough to the surface for the signal to get through. All rather far-fetched.

My thinking with this ACR Global Fix Pro 406 MHz GPS EPIRB was I would rip it out of its bracket, activate it by opening and breaking the tab then jump (up) into the life raft with it.

I hope I never have to try this and report back on how it worked....

Dhillen

Hi Dhillen

What you have is a Cat II EPIRB (or more accurately CAT II container). It is not meant to float free. It is meant to be picked up (deploy) by a crew member before abandoning ship.

CAT I EPIRB/container would be equipped with a small hydrostatic release device that would let the EPIRB go free when reaching a certain depth. Obviously, those should be mounted outside where the chance to get foul by rope and rigging would be minimal. Don't laugh, I have seen a CAT I EPIRB laying on the bottom of the ocean in 300 feet of water beside a vessel that had sank the previous week. It seems that the EPIRB got stuck on something on the vessel and went down with her. At a certain depth , the foam making the EPIRB float was crushed enough by the water pressure to loose its floatation characteristic and the EPIRB kept on going to the bottom. The EPIRB container was not mounted on the monkey island but beside the wheelhouse door underneath an overhang.
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Old 04-03-2015, 11:10   #45
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Re: Missing Cat

Most hydrostatic releases are set to activate at 6' of submersion. Any mount should be set well clear of rigging so it doesn't get fouled, same for the life raft.
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