WHAT IS THE DIFFERERANCE BETWEEN EPIRB`S?

[migot1]

there are now many new EPIRB`S on the market. there are different sizes and differant prices. is there any differance in rescue chances between a small $450 EPIRB to a large $1280 EPIRB? does a PERSONNAL EPIRB do the same range of transmition exactly like a FIXED EPIRB? what should be the `guide line` for us all?

migot1

[GordMay]

406 MHz EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon)
and PLBs:

Category I EPIRBs are activated either manually or automatically. The automatic activation is triggered when the EPIRB is released from its bracket. Category I EPIRBs are housed in a special bracket equipped with a hydrostatic release. This mechanism releases the EPIRB at a water depth of 3-10 feet. The bouyant EPIRB then floats to the surface and begins transmitting. If you own a Category I EPIRB, it's very important that you mount it outside your vessel's cabin where it will be able to "float free" of the sinking vessel.

Category II EPIRBs are manual activation only units. They should be stored in the most accessible location on board, where it can be quickly accessed in an emergency.

More Info’:

EPIRB vs. PLB: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-plb-1482.html

and:

EQUIPPED TO SURVIVE - Outdoors Gear, Survival Equipment Review & Survival Information
and
Second 406 MHz GPS Enabled Emergency Beacon Evaluation - EQUIPPED TO SURVIVE (tm)

Equipped To Survive® is the most comprehensive online resource for independent reviews of survival equipment and outdoors gear, as well as survival and Search and Rescue information.

[Meridian]

Migot1

The PLB's (personal locator beacons) function just as the epirb's do, at the same frequencies and ranges. The primary difference is the size, and thus longevity, of the battery. PLB's can transmit for roughly half the time that full-size epirbs can.
Both are available with GPS, a worthwhile investment in my opinion.

[cooper]

The older NON 406 MHz epirbs satelites have to be "in sight" of both the ground station and vessel at the same time. The newer WITH 406 Mhz epirb. the satelite can "sight" the vessel and then hold the data till it finds a ground station. This allows for a much faster response time. 406 s should be registered to an individual vessel in the country of the boat registration. In Australia this is law. In Australia it is also a part of our legal requirements that all vessels travling more than a certain distance off shore must have an epirb on board. It is one of the reasons that they can often be obtained cheaper here than a lot of other countries.

[Paul Elliott]

The Personal EPIRBs also have to be held in the proper orientation for the signal to get out (at least mine does), while the regular EPIRBs will float upright on their own.

I have two internal-GPS EPIRBs on-board; one sealed up in the liferaft, and one that I keep under the dodger. I also have one personal epirb-with-gps, which I sometimes carry on my person. I may get more of these for the crew the next time VALIS sails to Hawaii.

The internal-GPS EPIRBs significantly reduce the search area over the non-GPS units. There are EPIRBs that will take an input from an external GPS, but this seems like a poor option to me (I can see some advantages, but they are far outweighed by the disadvantages).

All of these EPIRBs transmit an additional beacon signal on 121.5 MHz. This can be used with radio-direction-finding equipment for close-in locating. This frequency is no longer supported by the Coast Guard, etc, but it still may be useful in Search and Rescue operations.

[cooper]

....comercial aircraft have the facilities to listen to 121.5 Mhz which can help with detection/location....

[migot1]

Many Thanks

migot1