Epirb

[Joao carlos]

Which one should i buy with the best cost benefit relation ? Thank you in advance.

[travellerw]

Are you an American?

I ask, as being an American limits your choices. If you register in another country you can have access to EPRIBS out of Australia or New Zealand. They are much cheaper with better service life.

[Joao carlos]

Thank you very much. I live in Brazil and solve my question with a friend that bougtht a EPIRB recentely. It must be by here cause it is necessary a national registration to get the MMSI.

[travellerw]

No worries the Australia EPIRBS are easily registered in most other countries (except the USA).

Here is a link to the one we have aboard.. They also have EPIRBS that are water activated. These EPIRBS are about 1/2 the cost of a USA brand and have a 10 year battery life.

Safety Alert SA1G – kti

Make sure you check with the Brazil beacon registry to ensure you can register it. I would also e-mail KTI as they were super helpful to me!

Here is where I bought mine from.
EPIRB KTi SA1G-International GPS 406 MHz Locator Beacon - SkippersMate

[clownfishsydney]

Make sure it is a GPS one and get the longest battery life available.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by travellerw

No worries the Australia EPIRBS are easily registered in most other countries (except the USA).

Here is a link to the one we have aboard.. They also have EPIRBS that are water activated. These EPIRBS are about 1/2 the cost of a USA brand and have a 10 year battery life.

Safety Alert SA1G – kti

Make sure you check with the Brazil beacon registry to ensure you can register it. I would also e-mail KTI as they were super helpful to me!

Here is where I bought mine from.
EPIRB KTi SA1G-International GPS 406 MHz Locator Beacon - SkippersMate

So what's the deal with registering an Australian EPIRB in the states? Do they not comply with the US FCC regulations?

Anyway, don't you just go online and fill in a form or do you have to include a US FCC approval number or something?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by skipmac

So what's the deal with registering an Australian EPIRB in the states? Do they not comply with the US FCC regulations?

Anyway, don't you just go online and fill in a form or do you have to include a US FCC approval number or something?

OK, I went to the web site for registering an EPIRB and it specified "US Coded beacons" but no explanation as to what that means. Time to call.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by skipmac

OK, I went to the web site for registering an EPIRB and it specified "US Coded beacons" but no explanation as to what that means. Time to call.

OK I called the US office at NOAA that registers the beacon and asked about this.

NOAA - What is your beacon number?

Me - I don't have a beacon number I called with a question about registration.

NOAA - OK

Me - The website refers to US coded beacons. What is this, how do I tell if I have a US coded or other beacon and can I register it.

NOAA - The beacons have a code for the country.

Me - Is that code based on where the beacon is manufactured or where it is purchased?

NOAA - Every beacon has a code for a country and you have to register the beacon in the country it's coded for?

Me - OK but how or when is the beacon coded? Will it be coded for the country where I purchase it?

NOAA - The manufacture codes each beacon for a country.

Me - I understand but when is that code set and will it be set based on where I purchase the beacon.

This continues a bit longer and FINALLY she says that the code number can be checked to show what country the beacon is coded for but by this time I'm ready to give up so didn't ask where one goes to check that code.

[skipmac]

More and better information from the Australian government web site.

Buyer beware: Do not buy a distress beacon from Canada or the USA as they do not meet the Australian Standard and cannot be registered in Australia.

Beacons from Canada and the USA
Canadian Class 2 PLBs

Canada has amended their Standards to allow a Class 2 PLB that is not required to float. This beacon does not meet the Australian Standard and can not be registered in Australia.

United States Coded PLBs

The United States requires all PLBs for use in the US to transmit the letter "P" in Morse over the homing frequency of 121.5 MHz. This is not permitted under Australian Standards nor by the ACMA's miscellaneous Devices Class Licence that references these Standards and therefore these distress beacons should not be used in Australia. Any 406 MHz beacon registered with AMSA is required to be coded with an Australian country code. You may have difficulty recoding a 406 MHz beacon produced for the US market.

There may be beacons manufactured to other national standards that are not compatible with Australian standards. You should make sure that any beacon you purchase will comply with the Australian requirements.

International residents purchasing a distress beacon in Australia should request that the beacon is programmed with the country code of which you are a resident or for which the vessel is registered. Ask for advice from your beacon supplier about coding a beacon for overseas registration, or contact us for further information regarding your circumstances

[Paul L]

I looked at purchasing an Aussie built eprib while in NZ and have it recoded for the US. The distributor said they would recode it for a fee. I ended up buying a US encoded one from the US instead.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Paul L

I looked at purchasing an Aussie built eprib while in NZ and have it recoded for the US. The distributor said they would recode it for a fee. I ended up buying a US encoded one from the US instead.

I think I recall comments that EPIRBs that can transmit on 121.5 MHz like the US models are very useful as SAR aircraft can home in on that frequency as they close in on your GPS location transmitted on 406 MHz channel.

Transmitting on dual frequencies would certainly make US models more expensive.

[alctel]

Originally Posted by skipmac

I think I recall comments that EPIRBs that can transmit on 121.5 MHz like the US models are very useful as SAR aircraft can home in on that frequency as they close in on your GPS location transmitted on 406 MHz channel.

Transmitting on dual frequencies would certainly make US models more expensive.

The Aus one linked above, EPIRB KTi SA1G-International GPS 406 MHz Locator Beacon - SkippersMate seems to transmit on 121.5 as well

I'd actually probably get this one if I can find a way to register in Canada

[ka4wja]

As a side note to this discussion, but a VERY important issue regarding EPIRB's, I hope everyone reading this thread understands 3 things:

1- How the COSPAS-SARSAT EPIRB system works.

2- How your EPIRB (or PLB) actually works.

3- How to use it properly / how to improve your rescue odds.


I will not drift this discussion off track, but I do hope that everyone reading this thread will also click on these links and read the other threads....where proper registration, proper use, and actual real-world SAR (Search And Rescue) procedures are explained.

EPIRB Activation? What happens/How to improve rescue odds

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ds-146617.html


Bottom line here:
-- Be sure to properly register your EPIRB.
-- Understand that a secondary source of direct contact with RCC's (and other vessels), such as MF/HF-DSC Radio or INMARSAT-C, is always important, and in some remote areas (and in all 3rd World areas) it can be 100% vital.
-- Understand that setting off an EPIRB is not like dialing 911 or 999 on a mobile phone on land.



I do hope you all read the above threads, AND click on and read the links provided there, especially those to Beth Leonard's articles and to COSPAS-SARSAT itself!



Fair winds.

John

[Jim Cate]

Well, I'm a bit confused here! EPIRBs are used on vessels that voyage world wide. If one is distressed here in Australia, but have a non-Aussie EPIRB, it will still be responded to, won't it? So, why all the worry about conforming with local standards?

And FWIW, we are Yanks, our boat is USA registered, but we are temporary residents of Australia (this is a long term thing, not "temporary" in the sense of short time).Our MMSI is American in origin. We purchased an EPIRB here and duly registered it with AMSA. No problems were encountered in the process. The EPIRB has no special coding AFAIK, just what came in the box. From some of the comments upthread, this shouldn't have been possible. HEnce my confusion.

Jim

[barnakiel]

There is a new 2016 ACR unit with 10 year user replace'able battery. I like it. I may buy one when we need a new one. We still have an older GME here I will just replace the battery before our next passage.

b.