OLD EPIRB

[bikedaft]

Having read the sensible suggestions above, i'm not sure of my logic - but i put the old Epirb in the grab bag. the new one is grabbed on the way to abandoning.

(i checked the battery/epirb, tested ok)

 

[goeasy123]

How do I find out i) that it is registered and ii) where is that database?

If I remember the SOLAS correctly you should not be asking that question and you probably need to avail yourself of the rules and processes related to ships radio devices.

As the owner of a boat with and EPIRB on it you are required to register it with two authorities (probably on two databases) in the country your boat is registered in. There is a regulatory requirement, as for most countries its a radio transmitting device that requires a license. And if it's not registered with the appropriate SAR organisation in your country of registration they don't know anything about what they're rescuing apart from it has or had an EPIRB. The SAR registration will have, boat details, your contact details and next of kith or kin details. They will attempt to contact you to establish what you need before they dispatch anything.

Your EPIRB may in fact not be registered at all. In which case you may have been carrying around a useless piece of equipment!!

Also... as I remmber.... if you remove the EPIRB from the boat or loose it you are required to deregister it. A change of ownership also requires a change in registration.

Why not activate it a see what happens... (this statement comes with a disclaimer... for the avoidance of doubt I AM NOT BEING SERIOUS)... and see what happens. You might get to see a nice big helicopter and a fancy coast guard cutter turn up, followed shortly by an officer of the law with an arrest warrant.

 

[William_H]

Quote goeasy.. Your EPIRB may in fact not be registered at all. In which case you may have been carrying around a useless piece of equipment!!
That is an interesting question. The big advantage of a EPIRB that is identiofied and authorities can contact a person who may know if you are likely to be in trouble. Assets can then be deployed with confidence it is not a false alarm. If an EPIRB is detected but is not registered then yes there will be more relectance to bring out expensive assets but possibly they will look anyway. So yes make sure EPIRB is registered but may be still useful if not registered. ol'will

 

[goeasy123]

Quote goeasy.. Your EPIRB may in fact not be registered at all. In which case you may have been carrying around a useless piece of equipment!!
That is an interesting question. The big advantage of a EPIRB that is identiofied and authorities can contact a person who may know if you are likely to be in trouble. Assets can then be deployed with confidence it is not a false alarm. If an EPIRB is detected but is not registered then yes there will be more relectance to bring out expensive assets but possibly they will look anyway. So yes make sure EPIRB is registered but may be still useful if not registered. ol'will

This being a sailing forum with some of us owning boats with EPIRBs on them should the OP and others in this thread not know the processes and regulations relating to their flag state w,r,t, radio equipment?

I would imagine the use of an EPRIB without a Ships License is an offense in most countries. It is in mine.

As an example, in some regions if the previous owner deregistered a boat's EPIRB then SAR may not respond at all.

If you're in international waters, out of helicopter and cutter range and they have no way to determine anything other than an EPIRB has been activated very little is going to happen. At best they'll issue and all ships area alert to look out for a vessel of unknown type. On the other hand if your details are registered, you've filed a plan and your shore contact has your satphone number you're going to get an optimum solution.

If an EPIRB is not registered, which is easy to do and must cost nothing in most countries, I'd rely on ot being pretty much useless.

 

[rogerthebodger]

My EPIRB Battery had expired, and I went to the local agents to have it tested and a new battery fitted I was told the supplier do bot supply batteries for my EPIRB any longer, so I got it tested and a new battery fitted by a local battery supplier and the retested and recertified.

Last time I was in the UK I visited SARTECH UK who replaced the battery and rested and certified my EPIRB Befort I had it registered with MRCC

Battery replacement by local supplier of the same batteries as supplied by manufacturer cost a fifth of when the manufacturer wanted to charge, and the shelf life was longer by local supplier.

EPIRB Servicing