epirb battery

E

eagle160

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 Dec 2012
Messages
75
Visit site
Hi I know there are a few topics on this already but none can give me to info I'm looking for. My mcmurdo g4epirb needs a new battery according to the label but have been quoted ridiculous prices, the cheapest being £220 by sartech, which I consider daytime robbery! I've been trying to find an aftermarket replacement together with new gasket which I understand is needed for waterproofing but no luck at all despite hours googling.

Anyone any tips for me to get it done at a more reasonable price somehow?

Thanks!
 
Remove the batteries and source by the type number - it may involve a wee bit soldering to connect. Gasket - "o"-rings are available via eBay and the like if you know the size.

Sartech also test the EPIRB for the £220, something outwith kitchen-table capabilities, though you could always set it off "accidentally" and wait for the Falmouth phonecall then apologise profusely.
 
eagle160 said:
Hi I know there are a few topics on this already but none can give me to info I'm looking for. My mcmurdo g4epirb needs a new battery according to the label but have been quoted ridiculous prices, the cheapest being £220 by sartech, which I consider daytime robbery! I've been trying to find an aftermarket replacement together with new gasket which I understand is needed for waterproofing but no luck at all despite hours googling.

Anyone any tips for me to get it done at a more reasonable price somehow?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/McMurdo-F...tEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item35bcca7dd1
£72.50 but that is for a Fastfind.
Might do what you want as well.
 
eagle160 said:
My mcmurdo g4epirb needs a new battery according to the label ...
Click to expand...

You won't find an "official" battery replacement much cheaper than that. You could take it apart and replace the batteries yourself, although I suspect they may be encapsulated.

Alternatively, my guess is that the battery life expectancy is much longer than the date on the label, so you might take the view that it will still be OK for a number of years to come. EPIRB prices are reducing steadily, so perhaps the answer is to wait another few years and then replace it with a new one. Your G4 will still have some value on eBay.
 
Thanks for responses, the eBay battery is for the plb that has a replaceable battery.
It tests alright maybe I should just keep it until tests fails and then buy new one...
 
Thanks for responses, the eBay battery is for the plb that has a replaceable battery.
It tests alright maybe I should just keep it until tests fails and then buy new one...
 
As others have said, it is not just battery life, these things can age and should be tested.
Do not rely over much on the self test, that does not tell you that it is transmitting anything useful, just that there is a roughly the right power at the PCB.
What reaches the aerial could be degrading into weak gibberish at the wrong frequency.
A proper test will check the modulation and decode the beacon ID and GPS position.
It is likely that the battery will still work a while beyond its stated life, but its capacity will drop off over time. If you are going to the southern ocean and need it to run for 48 hours, you are in a different position to cruising the English Channel, where you might expect help in a couple of hours max.
But if you go to France, they take a dim view of short cuts and out of time safety toys.
I'd rather have one a year over its time than no EPIRB if a wheel came off, but if it's more a matter of delaying purchase for a year I'd bite the bullet and trade it in for a new one.
Equally, 99% of the sailing I do, I'd be happy to not have one at all.
Perhaps the question is, what do the people who sail with you expect?
 
As others have said, it is not just battery life, these things can age and should be tested.
Do not rely over much on the self test, that does not tell you that it is transmitting anything useful, just that there is a roughly the right power at the PCB.
What reaches the aerial could be degrading into weak gibberish at the wrong frequency.
A proper test will check the modulation and decode the beacon ID and GPS position.
It is likely that the battery will still work a while beyond its stated life, but its capacity will drop off over time. If you are going to the southern ocean and need it to run for 48 hours, you are in a different position to cruising the English Channel, where you might expect help in a couple of hours max.
But if you go to France, they take a dim view of short cuts and out of time safety toys.
I'd rather have one a year over its time than no EPIRB if a wheel came off, but if it's more a matter of delaying purchase for a year I'd bite the bullet and trade it in for a new one.
Equally, 99% of the sailing I do, I'd be happy to not have one at all.
Perhaps the question is, what do the people who sail with you expect?
 
Just as a matter of interest and thread drift. Local authorities here have legislated that from Jan 1 2014 all boats venturing more than 2Nm from shore will be required to carry an EPIRB.
Obviously in date battery (just like now required in date flares).
With boating so popular that will put the cat among the pidgeons. olewill
 
Seems many of these devices use unusual batteries.
I'm sourcing a replacement battery for a liferaft light. An unusual C size 2.8V one. Found it easier to convert to 3.8V and change the bulb too. Though even the 3.8V C cells are about £12-15 each.
 
Sartech sold me a service kit & battery around 7 years ago for our (non GPS) Pains Wessex, very simple to fit, around £100 at the time. When it was due another battery 2 years ago, I bought a GPS PLB as a replacement at less than the cost of a battery & test. The old unit still self tests OK with 7 year old battery so keeping it as backup.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top