EPIRB or PLB

dunedin

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Two PLBs, near UK waters. One in pocket if solo (cant do that with an EPIRB) and the previous one in the grab bag.

The extra battery life of an EPIRB is irrelevant unless in blue water a long way from any rescue services / shipping route.
 

Boathook

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I purchased an epirb for the boat earlier this year as I got rid of all the flares apart from a single smoke one. My LJ has a PLB.

With the cost of PLB's slowly decreasing it is possibly at the stage where if regular crew have their own LJ, waterproofs, etc, maybe they could have there own PLB?
 

dunedin

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I was at a CA seminar and the same question was asked of a coastguard presenter. He answered "if you sail in the Channel and we haven't picked you within the battery life of a PLB, then we are not coming".
Spot on. And pretty much the same anywhere in UK coastal waters - even out at St Kilda or Shetland. Certainly I had my PLBs with me there, but no EPIRB.
 

Alicatt

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Question, In the UK do you or the boat require a licence for a PLB and/or EPIRB?

We are required to have them added to the ship's licence here in Belgium and that is separate from registering the device with the 406 database.
 

Boathook

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Question, In the UK do you or the boat require a licence for a PLB and/or EPIRB?

We are required to have them added to the ship's licence here in Belgium and that is separate from registering the device with the 406 database.
Need a radio licence which they are added to and I seem to remember it also allowed to register the device at the same time with yours and the boats emergency contact details. It was 9 months ago I registered my epirus so can't remember the precise details !
 

Momac

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Question, In the UK do you or the boat require a licence for a PLB and/or EPIRB?

We are required to have them added to the ship's licence here in Belgium and that is separate from registering the device with the 406 database.
The same in the UK.
Also RADAR and AIS should be on the ships radio license, if fitted , as should any handheld vhf.
 
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