PLB-Why register?

[ffiill]

A provocative question but with a reason.
If you buy an EPIRB in the UK it will have a unique identifying code with a UK serialised protocol plus a UK location code.
Register it with the MCA giving personal details and with Offcom no problem.
The same is true of a PLB if bought in the UK.
However if you take advantage of very competitive prices in the US and currently Australia the PLB you get will be preprogrammed with that countries location code.
You can in most cases have it reprogrammed but at cost.
You cannot register a PLB in the UK with the wrong location code but why does the location code matter when the SAR system is international?
I could pick up a good quality PLB whilst I am over in Australia for about £150 and register it in Australia with my daughters address or just not register it?
Either way if I fall over the side somewhere off the west coast of Scotland the beacon will alert the SAR to where I am.
The MCA and offcom might not be happy but in that emergency situation does it matter?
Adendum-just noted the other post relating to this one

 

[stuarta]

When you can get a good quality PLB in the UK for £169.95 and register it with OFCOM including personal details and on CG66 with other information such as emergency contact details, boat colour and other equipment carried why would you want to take the chance for £19.95? Plus dealer support if you need it.

I'd need to check the details but isn't the 'anything to declare' limit something like £135 so in theory you'd need to pay import duty on it. Could be wrong on that, I accept.

 

[prv]

The country prefix on the code determines which earth station the alert arrives at. For a UK coded beacon (whether or not registered) the alert will be received by Falmouth Coastguard. An Australian one will alert wherever is the Australian equivalent. One would hope that any civilised country will contact the authorities nearest to wherever one of "their" beacons went off, but it's an additional level of indirection, delay, and confusion, especially if the beacon isn't registered.

Pete

 

[Neil]

I bought a UK coded PLB and registered it with Falmouth, but giving all my Irish contact details. Big difference between Ireland and the UK and between the UK and Australia, though.......

On the other hand if I was crossing the Atlantic and sank off the Bahamas, Falmouth would still have to get word to the other side of the pond.......

 

[prv]

On the other hand if I was crossing the Atlantic and sank off the Bahamas, Falmouth would still have to get word to the other side of the pond.......

They would, but at least with the beacon being registered they'd be able to tell the Bahamian rescue folks (which seems to be this guy:

, available 9am to 5pm) what they should be looking for. They'd also be able to phone your shore contact and confirm that you were indeed sailing across the Atlantic and a call from that part of the world is probably you.

Pete