EPIRB Q

[vas]

hello all,

due to a dubious change of legislation down here, in order to validate (or rather re-issue) my VHF licence I need to have TWO bleeding VHF DCS units WITH GPS embedded. Yep, and that's on a private owned boat, NOT chartered! Funny thing is that my neighbour with a nice old westerly 28ft will also have to have two devices...

Means my trusty (and practically unused) Garmin VHF200 is no longer accepted.

Them being thick, the AIS600 transceiver which does have a GPS antenna and a distress button can be wired to it, is not accepted.
I did buy a ICOM whatever which I'll have to install in the nice spot I'd left for the 7oies Sailor original VHF which now is in a shelf in my office (and gets strange looks from the students...)
To make things worse, they wont accept a handheld device (which would be handy to have on the rib when going somewhere to communicate back to the boat). I guess there are no handhelds with embedded GPS, dunno and it's almost impossible to get a straight answer from these bureaucrats in Athens.

However I'm not happy buying a Garmin 215 VHF because I'll have to also scrap the wired second station installed in the f/b plus the exercise will cost me more than 600euro that i'm not happy to pay for a perfectly functional system.

So, I'm thinking of getting a cheap(ish) EPIRB with AIS/GPS/the works and be done with.
The reason for the cheapish one is that really at 25C+ of water, no sharks or funny other animals, a decent rib and in mobile coverage, I really believe the whole thing is a joke and I'm not planning to spend much on this.

So, Q, is there something I should avoid, only found 5 models on sale here and they all seem to be from the same brand, cannot be right, must be more brands doing that stuff, right?
Cheapest I found here is a MOB1 Ocean Signal 72252 for 275euro, which I guess is going to be scrapped in 5 yrs and a new one bought. Cannot replace batteries although I'm sure by the time the battery expires these idiots will bring another legislative act and ask for something more.

cheers

V.

 

[Mr Googler]

https://www.bottomlinemarine.com/pr...MInJSxn5mM5QIVENreCh0Utg5OEAQYBCABEgKP3_D_BwE

In built GPS receiver

 

[Portofino]

Get a proper ERIPB that can be “ serviced “
It will last ( as batts are renewable) .Thing is the service centres know how to charge .
Mine was about €185 or was it €275 can’t remember?
It comes back with correct paperwork to show officialdom .Thats the crucial bit the paperwork behind it .
Aside it’s a nice thing to carry around ........you never know !!
We have a PLB ad well so 2x the chance of a heli rescue .

 

[petem]

Get a proper ERIPB that can be “ serviced “
It will last ( as batts are renewable) .Thing is the service centres know how to charge .
Mine was about €185 or was it €275 can’t remember?
It comes back with correct paperwork to show officialdom .Thats the crucial bit the paperwork behind it .
Aside it’s a nice thing to carry around ........you never know !!
We have a PLB ad well so 2x the chance of a heli rescue .

PLB batteries can be replaced as well.

 

[Portofino]

PLB batteries can be replaced as well.

Yes I know P .
I investigated DIY bat replacement as per U tube etc with the EPIRB , but what I actually was after was the supporting documentation.This comes back with it from from an official service centre .

As regards PLB if the “ service “ + documentation is around £185 or what ever , might as well buy a new one .
Which is what VAS is thinking with his pricing , chuck it when the bat life allegedly expires as opposed to “ service “ with regards to a EPRIB .

Incidentally has anyone on here actually ripped a EPRIB or PLB apart and successfully ( as far as they know ?? ) done a DIY bat replacement.

Vaguely remember in a Sod’s law kinda way there’s a multitude of different bats on E bay so the risk of getting the incorrect ones was high .

Was wondering if an invoice from a bat supplier ( once you have successfully navigated the correct bat dilemma ) would suffice with high handed officials?

But the “ service “ also includes a authorised test as well as documentation.
So I guess the DIY route could be a false economy and bear a risk the thing might not work anyhow.

Hope I haven’t stated an anchor thread debate

 

[vas]

thanks guys

Farsco, I'll check with them if they accept it (very much doubt it!)
Porto, yep, I actually need an annual inspection for the EPIRB and a certificate, so it's not that simple, will have to check also the cost of that and weigh it in...

cheers

V.

 

[Mr Googler]

thanks guys

Farsco, I'll check with them if they accept it (very much doubt it!)
Porto, yep, I actually need an annual inspection for the EPIRB and a certificate, so it's not that simple, will have to check also the cost of that and weigh it in...

cheers

V.

Well it’s a stand alone VHF DSC with internal gps......what more do they want!

It floats too but I haven’t tested that.....yet

 

[Fantasie 19]

Well it’s a stand alone VHF DSC with internal gps......what more do they want!

It floats too but I haven’t tested that.....yet

:encouragement: if they'll accept it there's quite a few handhelds with in built GPS now...

 

[vas]

an update...

well, it's not that simple (as always)

when I first heard it in August, I was fuming and extremely annoyed as from past experience with Greek public sector and it's employees/servants assumed that some of the local dealers bribed some arse in the right ministry office and got a new order for embedded GPS receivers of VHFs and for good measure doubled the number of stations...

After half an hour on the phone with a v. helpful and polite person in the ministry, he explained that they simply have to adhere to EU regulation and that my Garmins are indeed compliant to directive 1999/5/EC, but now and since x months or something GR has to adhere to the newer legislation 2014/53/EC. (or 93 I scribbled it in a paper and not sure as there are docs for both...)
He also explained that this in not really a GPS onboard issue but a series of things (downloaded the 100+ page document and closed it after the third page, bloody thing deals with ALL i MEAN ALL frequencies used from DECT home phones to anything imaginable) and I believe him.

The 2 stations or one station plus EPIRB is a rule for crafts over 12m, mine is registered as 12.95m

to make things worse, the cheap thing I asked is not an EPIRB but a Personal beacon whatever thing, so doesn't work either. Learned that PBL are registered to a person, EPIRB to an MMSI, so that's what I want.

So, either looking for the cheapest EPIRB in the market or I'll bit the bullet and go for a new garmin, rip half the salon upholstery to through in a new cable for the f/b station and fit a new GHS11 second station... Not at all happy for sure.

And farsco, nope they wont accept handhelds fullstop. BTW, the one you suggested declaration of conformity states 1999/5 and not the new one, I'd not be impressed if all handhelds don't do the 2014 directive though.

cheers

V.

 

[Portofino]

You not selling continued EU membership to us :
Sorry couldn’t resist ^^^ .

Q - what’s the service regime of the EPIRB under the new directive ?

Currently I understand it’s 5 years which is palatable and reasonable imho .Or was last Feb 19 when I had mine serviced.

As regards any Red ensign ( or any other funny colour UK ensigns hanging on the stern of forum members currently perched in the Med I wonder if this will ever be dusted down and applied rigorous from Brussels?

Foreign flag / safety

This argument regularly crops up. I think you need to read Uncloss 11 and other international agreements. The coastal State can impose whatever conditions it wants on vessels NOT on innocent passage. Portugal for instance requires pleasure craft there for more that 6 months to carry the same safety equipment as Portuguese registered ones although unlike a few years ago, it's rare these days for checks.

So your pain might be felt by few more

Suppose because other modes of transport like cars sold in the EU have safety gear standards I guess there’s an inevitability that mind set in Brussels will seep across ( think it’s already there’s ) to boats .
Not just the construction as now but expand into the safety gear .
This is what we are seeing .
If it can be retro fitted , away from the original factory.........why not ? That’s what they are thinking .
The boat stuff makes the car triangle, first aid kit , gilette jaun and bulb kit seem peanuts .

 

[petem]

2014/53/EC is not new (clue is on the 2014 prefix).

Whilst this legislation may provide standards for EPIRB's etc, I doubt it includes the rules requiring such equipment to be carried (which I suspect are Greek law).

Pete

 

[vas]

2014/53/EC is not new (clue is on the 2014 prefix).

Whilst this legislation may provide standards for EPIRB's etc, I doubt it includes the rules requiring such equipment to be carried (which I suspect are Greek law).

Pete

well, you may well be right Pete, as is Porto above.

Unless I'm mistaken (could well be, cannot spent my life reading legislative docs and I'm not even trained for that so cannot go through them quickly enough) the 2014 means nothing in terms of EU, it was DRAFTED back then, then put on open discussion and eventually ratified or whatnot in 18. I read that somewhere

V.

 

[Portofino]

2014/53/EC is not new (clue is on the 2014 prefix).

Whilst this legislation may provide standards for EPIRB's etc, I doubt it includes the rules requiring such equipment to be carried (which I suspect are Greek law).

Pete

No Pete it’s both .
1+ the standard *
2 + implementation of the directive......eventually . Laws , “ directive s “ cascade down from Brussels not sent up by member states .

*
Saw it in the 90 ,s with surgical instruments .
They EU tend to settle on the gold standard of a process / way of manufacturing/ material / technology.Often regardless of cost implications.
We used a bone cutter that had a brass thread bit on the hand piece .On to this you would screw your choice of cutting tip .
Theses tips were made of S Steel .All Autoclave able ( goes in a sterilising machine )
To get a powerful clean cut ,and quick it relies on the tip connectivity.Brass and SSteel bind nicely when torqued up by hand .One often would change tips several times during a case .
One day a EU directive came down regarding changing the brass thread to titanium .Something to do with fatigue fractures eventually from multiple heat cycles sterilising and surgeons over tightening them .
I never experienced any of this btw .
The new hand pieces with titanium threads were 10 x the price .
The old SSteel tips were incompatible in the sense you only found out at operation when you attached a tip and realised it not work .This is because the harder Ti unlike the softer brass could not bind enough with the SSteel tips .
Often juniors would destroy ( expensive tip ) unknowingly by x threading it .
Lists had to be cancelled .Patients you read about in the papers sent home .
It ( duff tip,) would then appear unknowingly at the next procedure.
New tips would suddenly fail in your hands because they would come loose because two hard metals cannot ever bind tight enough.Grr Argh .Bless EU directives .

Yes theoretically with a brass threaded hand piece a gorilla somewhere else in the EUncould snap a tip off , but coming out with the Ti threaded hand piece directive caused huge NET harm .

Spoke to suppliers / managers etc and like VAS got a loaf of EU “ directive “ Stuff back .