EPIRB thoughts

[Twister_Ken]

About the only thing left on the shopping list (Hello LIBS) is an EPIRB. My knowledge of the yellow gizmos is non-existent. I note there are some established names, and quite a few newcomers. My inclination is for a 'proper' one, not a PLB, with GPS and user serviceable batteries. Anyone disagree, or have make and model suggestions.

 

[Pleiades]

EPIRB

Hi Ken, my reasoning in buying an EPIRB was as follows:-
Might I need it? - hmmm hope not, but if I ever do need it I want it to absolutley definitely work 100% reliably becasue if I ever should need it I will be in deepest poops. So that meant buy the best I could afford. Didn't fancy the ones without GPS that take ages to acquire and don't pin point your position so that meant a 406mhz GPS enabled one which gives position to less than hundred metres and can be "heard" within a matter of minutes. I did some research on US CG /sailing sites and having read a few wobbly reviews of the McMurdo sets I went for an ACR Cat 2 Globalfix. I feel I can do without the bells and whistles Cat 1 version and hydrostatic release ones which cost hugely. It is a very neat and robust bit of kit and the reported user results from shipwrecked mariners are compelling. I am sure the McMurdo sets are equally up to the job. The down side is the need to replace the batteries every 5 years from installation - that smarts a big bit - have just had mine tested and re-batteried for £263 -ouch!
As to whether or not it is worth having - each skipper has to spend his or her money where they think best. In my case I plod up and down the middle of the Irish Sea and Western Approaches and seem to like to drop the hook in remote anchorages where the vhf does not work so am often out of VHF coverage, so for me tis worth the trauma in the wallet.
Cheers,
Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5

 

[rib]

hi ken,dont know your sailing habits.but i sail on my own a bit mostly with crew,and a fair bit on other boats,my point is a fixed epirb is not much use on your boat if your in the water !!!!!!!!!!!!!!.one in your pocket is good when on own.and a peace of mind if on another boat !

 

[Iliade]

Plb/epirb/spot

...my point is a fixed epirb is not much use on your boat if your in the water !!!!!!!!!!!!!!.one in your pocket is good when on own.and a peace of mind if on another boat !

+1

I have a couple of the 406Mhz GPS PLB, one for me and one for the next most competent person onboard, plus several of the earlier 121.5Mhz PLB for the more disposable 'guest' crew ;0) (because I cannot afford to buy one for each possible guest/crewmember)

I also have a SPOT tracker, www.findmespot.com, which is useful in that it additionally uploads a running fix to the internet. If you 'disappear' then your ICE contact will be able to show the rescue services your track. This does not require you to actively operate the panic button, hence an unconscious person can still be tracked.

 

[Robin]

We too are thinking about this, in our case buying in the USA because the boat is there and registering a UK one with the USCG is difficult. I have also considered the PLB route, perhaps buying two PLBs instead of one fixed as that gives the option of having one in the RIB for when I'm out fishing, sometimes on my own. The differences are that battery life is usually quoted as 24hr max instead of 48hr and some PLBs don't float on their own. However there are GPS fitted fastfind PLBs with greater than 24hr battery life when activated and which float, pretty well all are waterproof without any extra provision. I cannot see that we would need a 48hr battery life as we are not going to be crossing oceans.

Having read the other comment about battery replacement I think I'm going to look again at the specifications, because a user replacable would be best by far!

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

I still have a McMurdo 406 EPIRB but its battery time date is 'up'.

I was advised at an Ocean Safety talk last month, to consider keeping the one I had, as the probability was that the battery would last a good ten years, and to buy a new second one to complement it.

 

[Scillypete]

I have one of these http://www.mailspeedmarine.com/epirbs/gme/mt403-epirb-with-gps.bhtml without the GPS facility it worked for me when it was necessary and I have still got it. Needless to say since I used it the battery had to be replaced and Sartech did that plus testing and supplied a new bracket all for less than 100 quid. I don't know of any that have user changeable batteries and personally I wouldn't want to trust my life to something that had not been professionally maintained and tested.

Still in two minds about whether to get a PLB to keep in my pocket, but it does have merits.

 

[Twister_Ken]

I don't know of any that have user changeable batteries and personally I wouldn't want to trust my life to something that had not been professionally maintained and tested.

My guess is that if it's designed to be user-replaceable the process is pretty idiot-proof and I won't screw up the entire gizmo by swapping out the battery.

There are several user-replaceable models, Kannad for example.

 

[FishyInverness]

Kannad and Ocean Signal are both User Replaceable, seen the Ocean Signal one, even I could do it!

 

[Sailfree]

About the only thing left on the shopping list (Hello LIBS) is an EPIRB. My knowledge of the yellow gizmos is non-existent. I note there are some established names, and quite a few newcomers. My inclination is for a 'proper' one, not a PLB, with GPS and user serviceable batteries. Anyone disagree, or have make and model suggestions.

I had one on the boat but battery date expired. On investigation battery replacement was almost as expensive as a personal one with GPS so I bought one at SIBS and have it permanently on my lifejacket belt. That way I am protected if I go overboard and don't have to go below to retrieve it and release it in an emergency.

 

[ChrisE]

We have both a ship EPIRB and a PLB on Rival Spirit. They are both now out of date by about a year but the test button shows that there is some battery left.

In terms of user battery change, I'd look at the cost of the device vs replacement battery costs. Neither device cost more than £300 and I beleive the replacement battery costs are about £100. BTW bought both from the US at $ for £ prices and specified that we wanted them tuned for the UK which was done at no extra cost. Both ACR, PLB with GPS boat one not.

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

My guess is that if it's designed to be user-replaceable the process is pretty idiot-proof and I won't screw up the entire gizmo by swapping out the battery.

There are several user-replaceable models, Kannad for example.

some may be soldered in and so heat sinks etc are required to protect battery

 

[Twister_Ken]

some may be soldered in and so heat sinks etc are required to protect battery

Push-fit connectors on the Kannad.

 

[Scillypete]

Push-fit connectors on the Kannad.

Interesting to note there are some self change ones out there push fit would indeed be fairly simple and as I recall after having been picked up although I turned our epirb off it continued to transmit as it had been immersed (water activation kicked in) and I had to dismantle it and disconnect the battery connection to stop it transmitting which was fairly straightforward.

The big question is how confident after changing a battery would you be that all is working correctly, can you trust the test function totally? I like the reassurance of having it changed by the professionals who have the facility to test the thing live after doing it and getting a proper readout that all is as it should be should I ever need to use it again . . . . I hope not.

Lots of angst over a piece of kit that in all likelihood should just look pretty on the bulkhead forever and a day, but I know where my priorities lie in this regard and a hundred or so quid every five years is a reasonable price to pay methinks.

 

[KellysEye]

>user serviceable batteries

None have user serviceable batteries, they are bespoke and rightly not sold to the public as far as I am aware. Rightly so, the EPIRB needs to be tested and doing it yourself will seriously annoy the coastguard.

 

[FishyInverness]

Sorry KE, will have to once again be the bearer of the opposite opinion....

Kannad and Ocean Signal both have User-Changeable batteries, fact.

http://www.oceansignal.com/product.php?id=3
http://www.kannadmarine.com/en/safelink-epirb-with-gps

 

[GrahamM376]

>user serviceable batteries

None have user serviceable batteries, they are bespoke and rightly not sold to the public as far as I am aware. Rightly so, the EPIRB needs to be tested and doing it yourself will seriously annoy the coastguard.

I obtained and changed the battery in my Pains Wessex EPIRB and they have a self test function which does not annoy the coastguard.

 

[wizard]

Push-fit connectors on the Kannad.

I have the McMurdo with GPS and a self check for battery level/GPS position aquisition and is always in the grab bag. Just had the thing serviced and batteries changed.

The point about the service is that they check that the self check system works ok (and zero the counters) that the GPS gets the signal and that it transmits the correct position!

That gives me piece of mind knowing it should work when required.

 

[pandroid]

My knowledge of the yellow gizmos is non-existent..

That's odd. Mine is orange.

Just read Fatal Storm about the Sydney to Hobart race. You'll never leave port without one of these get-out-of-jail-free devices again.

Its true the batteries are expensive, but I've never understood the logic of buying a safety device, and then penny pinching it. As Michael O'Leary once said, if you think safety is expensive, try having an accident.

FWIW, ours is a Jotron. The battery change is only every 5 years and isnt rocket science, but for the same price as the battery if you send it to them they test it. (The device does have a self-check but that doesnt check it actually transmits correctly!).

The basic options are 24 or 48 hour battery, float free or not, GPS or not, EPIRB or EPIRB+PLB. Pays your money...

 

[Chuteman]

Manual vs Auto

Went with ACR EPIRB first because it was Auto(hydro static) activation and will add PLB which uses manual activation in 2012.

Have not seen/found an auto activated PLB.
Just in case, someone might not be capable of Activating immediately