EPIRB Registration

[psneeld]

It's really hard to understand how some EPIRBs would fail...the USCG Air Station had a contest going on to find an old 121.5 EPIRB that was in the area, was signaling for about a week yet no one could home in on it accurately.

One day after our training mission we had a few minutes and I joined in the game....tryig to home and low fly/searching. My almost brand new crewman asked what an EPIRB looked like...I decribed a generic one and he replied I think I see it.

So we hovered, scooped it up with the rescue basket and took it back to the station.

The problem with homing in on it was the antenna was broken off giving very erratic signals but what was amazing is the bottom had come undone and the battery was just dangling by the wires.

So in mild NJ waters, the thing sent signals for about a week and frustrated search crews but with any additional signaling device would have been good enough to rescue a shipwrecked crew.

If you get an unreliable EPIRB...maybe it's just your time...

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by psneeld

It's really hard to understand how some EPIRBs would fail...........

If you get an unreliable EPIRB...maybe it's just your time...

I would certainly agree

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by 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

Just registered my Ocean Signal E100G today. I had a hell of a time registering until I discovered their password requirements...beware...it will spit you back if you don't get it right.
So Jedi...I'm wondering...If you use your PLB, doesn't that make you a sheep calling a sheepdog?...just checking my friend.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Just registered my Ocean Signal E100G today. I had a hell of a time registering until I discovered their password requirements...beware...it will spit you back if you don't get it right.
So Jedi...I'm wondering...If you use your PLB, doesn't that make you a sheep calling a sheepdog?...just checking my friend.

Hmmm wouldn't that make the sea the wolf?

[s/v Jedi]

And I have now received and activated my DeLorme InReach SE. There are some negative reviews out there about activation and firmware upgrades, but all went perfectly well by following clear instructions. For the firmware upgrade, you need to connect an USB cable and install a browser plugin. I use a Mac laptop and can't tell how easy this is with Windows; probably a pain like always. DeLorme shows Macs in all their brochures too.

My problem is that I know too much about computers and from scanning reviews already know that Windows users with problems are using security software that blocks the plugin etc. Mac users don't have that.

The InReach SE works when I put it behind the windshield in my motorhome but a but further in the signals get blocked by all the A/C's and gadgets. When I walk outside to a clear view of the sky, operation is instant.

I opted for the Safety subscription which is $9.95 per month.

I need more experience before I can say if this could replace a PLB. I first want to see how reliable it is.

Together with the PLB, I now spent $550.- on the two safety gadgets plus I have the $10 per month subscription fee, for which I get to send 10 messages per month for fun besides unlimited safety traffic. Not a bad deal compared to what I paid 11 years ago for my EPIRB that I will destroy.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

And I have now received and activated my DeLorme InReach SE. There are some negative reviews out there about activation and firmware upgrades, but all went perfectly well by following clear instructions. For the firmware upgrade, you need to connect an USB cable and install a browser plugin. I use a Mac laptop and can't tell how easy this is with Windows; probably a pain like always. DeLorme shows Macs in all their brochures too.

My problem is that I know too much about computers and from scanning reviews already know that Windows users with problems are using security software that blocks the plugin etc. Mac users don't have that.

The InReach SE works when I put it behind the windshield in my motorhome but a but further in the signals get blocked by all the A/C's and gadgets. When I walk outside to a clear view of the sky, operation is instant.

I opted for the Safety subscription which is $9.95 per month.

I need more experience before I can say if this could replace a PLB. I first want to see how reliable it is.

Together with the PLB, I now spent $550.- on the two safety gadgets plus I have the $10 per month subscription fee, for which I get to send 10 messages per month for fun besides unlimited safety traffic. Not a bad deal compared to what I paid 11 years ago for my EPIRB that I will destroy.

Although I love my Dell laptop, I know it is dated and a metter of time (short) before it gives up the ghost. I'm thinking "tablet" these days. I see the Ipad (4?) runs alot of Nav software as well as being a phone and internet. I was surprised when I unplugged my dock cord and am running strictly with my inverter for charging the laptop, that it is a biggest power pig on the boat. Th tablets look like they use 1/4 the power.

[leftbrainstuff]

This is a classic case of nation states trying to create unicorn solutions that are used within a global detection system.

In Australia I have seen the creation of unique Australian Standards by so called industry experts who primary role is to create a monopoly for their product, vendor or protocol. Occasionally there are academics on these standards committees who do the right thing and are savvy enough to force the issue.

COSPAS / SARSAT have a single HEX / UIN database but the issue lies with the encoding of a country code in the UIN. This is a fundamental flaw in the current EPIRB standards. It's easily resilved. This is a basic error that those organizations who manage globally distributed systems using GUIDs.

We should all advocate to deprecate the current multiple nation state databases for a single register. This is how internet namespace is managed.

The country code and other metadata can the be managed as child attributes to each beacons GUID. This is how Amazon, for example, manages billions of IoT devices on AWS for many customers.