EPIRB registration woes

Yealm

Yealm

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I have at last registered my EPIRB and PLB!

To help others avoid painful cul de sacs I’ve been bogged down in..

It’s not the international beacon registry (for countries without local registry)
It’s not Ofcom (where you register your VHF licence, although apparently your EPIRB data does get listed here)
It’s not Maritime and Coastguard Agency in Cardiff

It IS the MCA in Falmouth!!
 
I registered my PLB with the MCA. Took them 18 months to send a confirmation letter by which time I had already sold my boat. This was about 2 years ago.
 
Rhyddid said:
Did you do it online?.......... asking for a friend :rolleyes:
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No. You send your form off and get an email acknowledgement immediately stating it will take some weeks or months to get an official registration form back. However your device is active and there will be response if it is activated, despite not having an "official" form.
 
I registered my EPIRB recently with the MCA and Ofcom, both online, and the whole process took me a few minutes. As a non UK citizen/resident I thought it a wonderfully efficient and customer friendly system and all for free. Same with obtaining my Ships Radio Licence from Ofcom. I'm not fussed about getting a piece of paper once I know I'm registered and recognised.
 
Its annoying and time wasting. I registered it as a radio device i.e. with Ofcom and only spotted later when I amend my MCA boat details and saw their form, that I should have registered it with the Coastguard also. Joined up thinking? Not from UK government!
 
oldmanofthehills said:
Its annoying and time wasting. I registered it as a radio device i.e. with Ofcom and only spotted later when I amend my MCA boat details and saw their form, that I should have registered it with the Coastguard also. Joined up thinking? Not from UK government!
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I am quite sure, but might be mistaken, OFCOM have no facility to start a search and rescue mission, that is something the Coastguard do. OFCOM do regulate the use of the communications equipment.

It is a bit like having an MOT and registering with the AA.
 
oldmanofthehills said:
Its annoying and time wasting. I registered it as a radio device i.e. with Ofcom and only spotted later when I amend my MCA boat details and saw their form, that I should have registered it with the Coastguard also. Joined up thinking? Not from UK government!
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While these agencies are both government they perform different functions and there is no real reason why they should be "joined up". The beacon registration system is worldwide, not just UK. The coastguard registration is voluntary and has no "official" status.

Falmouth is the co-ordinating centre for beacons and in the event of an activation it is they that liaise with rescue services via the coastguard in the UK if the activation is in the area they cover.
 
LadyInBed said:
It looks like registration can also be done HERE at Cospas-Sarsat.int
It was some time ago now, but I'm fairly sure I registered mine through Cospas
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You can't register a UK coded beacon with Cospas as UK hasn't signed up for registration via their database. The site tells you this here https://www.406registration.com/countriessupported.aspx?CultureCode=en-US . If you've got a beacon with an overseas beacon ID code and that country uses the Cospas database, then you can use their site to register it.
 
Last edited:
Sorry to bump an old thread, but it fits here.
Recently registered a plb (change of ownership) online. All went well. Except no email to say they have received the re-registration. Website worked well. I phoned Falmouth Coastguard and said as a courtesy I was about to perfom a self test on the hour. I also said did I need to make this phone call.
I was told on "no account must I do the test". After explaining that the manual said I could, that the antenna would not unfold, that I was indoors, the man said "oh that is okay then. But don't use the PLB for 10 weeks because we will be looking for the wrong person." I said thank you for help and ended conversation, because even with his posh accent I wasn't going to argue. I know in event of emergency, PLB will work on 406 and 125?MHz and I will be found by SAR, but MCA will be phoning wrong relatives (unless I am alive and tell them correct telephone numbers). It would be worse for new owners because they would be rescued (or found dead), but the MCA would not have the personal details to hand because of 10 week waiting list (as has been the case since 2013 according to google searches and ybw posts.
But the registration is free and anyone coming to help me is a good thing and paid by my taxes I guess? Never had an incident (or PLB) in 25 years, but new tech and all that. A good piece of technology too. At least I know the unit works and I don't need to make the courtesy call again. :encouragement:

Irish Rover said:
I registered my EPIRB recently with the MCA and Ofcom, both online, and the whole process took me a few minutes. As a non UK citizen/resident I thought it a wonderfully efficient and customer friendly system and all for free. Same with obtaining my Ships Radio Licence from Ofcom. I'm not fussed about getting a piece of paper once I know I'm registered and recognised.
Click to expand...

Not sure about the 'recognised' bit / well for at least 10 weeks anyway:)
 
ltcom said:
Sorry to bump an old thread, but it fits here.
Recently registered a plb (change of ownership) online. All went well. Except no email to say they have received the re-registration. Website worked well. I phoned Falmouth Coastguard and said as a courtesy I was about to perfom a self test on the hour. I also said did I need to make this phone call.
I was told on "no account must I do the test". After explaining that the manual said I could, that the antenna would not unfold, that I was indoors, the man said "oh that is okay then. But don't use the PLB for 10 weeks because we will be looking for the wrong person." I said thank you for help and ended conversation, because even with his posh accent I wasn't going to argue. I know in event of emergency, PLB will work on 406 and 125?MHz and I will be found by SAR, but MCA will be phoning wrong relatives (unless I am alive and tell them correct telephone numbers).
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Well the concern is probably less that they phone the wrong relatives to tell them you have croaked. As awkward as that might be. The concern is lets say your PLB was registered to John Smith and you are Joe Bloggs. Joe Bloggs goes out and sinks, activates his PLB. First action from Falmouth is to identify the owner and call him (John Smith as far as they are concerned). Now there are three possibilities: he calls John and John says - erm actually I sold my PLB to a bloke on the internet and so its not me in trouble it might be him. That adds a delay but nothing too disasterous perhaps. Or John says - "No I'm not at sea, I can assure you my boat is not at sea. It must be a false alarm" not realising this is his old PLB and not the new one he bought as a replacement and so no-one goes looking for Joe Bloggs (Bad). Or John is at sea. He doesn't get the phone call. But his wife Sally does. She says he was only going from Falmouth to Plymouth. The PLB hasn't yet fixed a satellite (its not always as instant as we would all like) - so CG tasks assets from Falmouth and Plymouth. Not knowing that Joe who is really in trouble is somewhere off Wales - it will get sorted out in the end - but it may take a bit of time and might get searches running in both areas.

It would be worse for new owners because they would be rescued (or found dead), but the MCA would not have the personal details to hand because of 10 week waiting list (as has been the case since 2013 according to google searches and ybw posts.
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I'm told if they get an unregistered one - they search the pile waiting to be entered. It feels like a typical government pharce. For new registrations the data should just be input directly into their Oracle database. I could write the registration form and data validation to do that in a day.
For changes of registration there may be more challenges to ensure not deleting critical info and the owner really is the owner.
But the registration is free and anyone coming to help me is a good thing and paid by my taxes I guess?
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Yes but why are they manually transcribing? And why are they behind? They told me in an FOI this would all be sorted by now.

At least I know the unit works and I don't need to make the courtesy call again. :encouragement:
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Well... you know the unit self tests OK. You don't know if it will actually manage to transmit - we all hope it will...
 
All good points.
Google search has private aviators complaining about the registration delay since 2013. Could you write the program for them and give it to them?
 
ShinyShoe said:
I'm told if they get an unregistered one - they search the pile waiting to be entered. It feels like a typical government pharce. For new registrations the data should just be input directly into their Oracle database. I could write the registration form and data validation to do that in a day.
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My thoughts are similar. It's just typical government IT stupids, having people manually re-enter data from a months-old backlog for no good reason.

A former colleague of mine went to work as some kind of technical manager at GDS about the time they rolled out from beta into production. I asked him whether there was any possibility of influencing what services got a GOV.UK revamp, and if so could the beacon registry be included because it's such an obvious and easy little job to fix. Sadly but not surprisingly, that wasn't something he had any control over.

ShinyShoe said:
For changes of registration there may be more challenges to ensure not deleting critical info and the owner really is the owner.
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I'd make it writeable for more than just changes of registration. Assuming sane user management (and yes, there are a few wrinkles to iron out when beacons change hands) the owner should be able to log in any time they want and easily update the record. No obligation for people to do any more than keep the ownership and contact details up to date, but those who want to should be able to fill in details about where they are and what they're doing. My PLB is normally on a Maxi 34 somewhere around the Solent or central Channel, and the Falmouth record says so, but if for example I were to take it on a workboat in Norway for two weeks then I might like to add a note to the Coastguard to that effect, just to help avoid any confusion were I to activate it.

Pete
 
ltcom said:
But don't use the PLB for 10 weeks because we will be looking for the wrong person." I said thank you for help and ended conversation, because even with his posh accent I wasn't going to argue
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I can see your point :)

Just shows how under funded the GC is.
 
chanelyacht said:
It's not underfunded, it's just that management have long since stopped thinking their budget is for service delivery, when you can have new buildings you pay vastly over the odds for instead.
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Are the new buildings called Hubs by any chance or have Community in their title like the local "Community Fire Station"?
 
Oooh no, the new (ex failed Fire Control project) building is very definitely not a Community anything...

Yes, they've renamed some existing buildings "hubs", which seems to translate as no-one is there any more...
 
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