Which EPIRB ?

PaulJ

PaulJ

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I seem to remember that some time back, PBO (or was it YM?) did a comparative test on EPIRBs. Unfortunately in the "big clearout" all the old mags had to go and I no longer have that test report /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif. Can anyone please tell me in which issue that appeared or better still, which EPIRB came out best?

Paul.
 
There was a test carried out by BoatUS (IIRC) where the McMurdo had some major criticisms. and has since been modified. Personally I used to favour the ACR versions, and these did do well in the test, However the new kid on the block GME (from Australia takes) a lot of beating
see here
 
Except they do not have a water actuated switch, so do not self initiate if placed in the water like all the others ie you have to physically turn it on (one reason they are so cheap). All others (don't know of any exceptions) self initiate when you send them for a swim.

John
 
The world of EPIRBs has changed a lot over the last two years and I wouldn't go too much on a survey if it is too old.

1st do not buy any 121mhz EPIRB or PLBs as they should be called. This system is being phased out in 2008 by COSPAS/SARSAT and they are also currently banned in some areas of the world.

Most EPIRBs for leisure boats are manually activated although you can get hydrostatically operated ones at an extra cost. It is a trade-off between what you can afford and what price you place on safety. McMurdo do have a good range of manual and automatic ones, if you don't mind manual operation then the Aussie GME one is good.

Finally COSPAS/SARSAT have introduced new geosynchronous satellites that are supposed to pick up the distress signals much more quickly. Being apparently fixed in the sky they are able to monitor the whole world between approx 70 north and 70 south all of the time which means that you don't have to wait for one of the old LEOSAR satellites to pass over you (20 - 40 minutes?). Because they are stationary they need your EPIRB to be fitted with a GPS receiver which then passes your position to the satellite, these are now sometimes called GPIRBs.

Some manufacturers make pretty impressive claims about these, I have seen one report where the delay between being activated and the distress message being printed out in the MRCC being as little as a few minutes. Whilst they are better I would be careful about what I believe. As I am sure you are aware GPS systems that have not been switched on a for while can take some time to pick up your position.

In summary:

1. dont buy a 121.5Mhz system.
2. Can you afford auto activation, if you can then get one which releases and activates automatically.
3. GPIRBs are better than standard EPIRBs but they do cost more.
4 You can buy cheap ones on the internet from far off countries. Be careful!! Different countries use different methods for registering the EPIRB details and you could finish up in trouble when you register it.

Myself, well I have the McMurdo Fastfind Plus, it is small and is strapped to my lifebelt so should be available quickly if I need it, my wife has one on her lifebelt as well. They aint cheap though.

Don't hesitate to email if you want to know any more.

Peter
 
Thanks everybody for your input. and Peter for your very full explanation.... I had read elsewhere about the two sets of satellites and I think I favour an inbuilt GPS which seems to narrow the field down to the McMurdo or the ACR since the Aussie one does not have GPS. I found the BoatUS report mentioned by Talbot which was very disturbing and even though you say the McMurdo has had an ungrade, I notice that West Marine are still not selling them..... So at the moment I think I favour the ACR.

Paul.
 
Most EPIRBs for leisure boats are manually activated although you can get hydrostatically operated ones at an extra cost.

Just to avoid some confusion here - apart from the GME EPIRB mentioned (that is the only exception I know) <font color="red">ALL </font> 406 EPIRB's auto activate when placed in the water (or they can be manually activated if one wishes).

People must not then get confused with the "float free" hydrostatic automatic release EPIRB's whose only difference is they automatically release when submerged - these EPIRB's actuate in exactly the same way as an non float free one (apart from the GME one), that is they automatically turn on when placed in the water. The hydrostatic release does not activate the EPIRB.

So, it is not correct to say that most EPIRB's for leisure boats are manually actuated. Most (all, except for the GME one?) 406 EPIRB's auto actuate.

My understanding of the background to the lesser ability of the GME EPIRB is that ways have been looked at in the specification where the cost could be reduced to make them more affordable for leisure use. One way was to ditch the auto activation. This is particularly relevant in Australia (where GME are) and NZ (and many other countries) as no Sea Area A1 using DSC VHF will be declared, EPIRB's being the primary alerting (in fact, in Australia there is no official VHF telephony either).

Similar to others I use an ACR EPIRB on my own boat. Whether one goes for a manual, such as the GME one, or auto activated one (not talking about "float free" here) is a personal decision. My personal choice is an auto activated one.

John
 
Hello Ships Cat of course there is VHF telephony in Australia for maritime use.
This is not however used by many pleasure boaters because of the availabity of the 27 mhz AM maritime band. This is a very cheap (modified CB radio) system you can be fully set up for less than 100 quid. On this basis anyone venturing off shore more than 3NM is required (at least in West Oz) to carry a radio telephone, There are many official and volutary coast guard stations that monitor these channels. VHF is used mostly by commercial shipping yes without DSC as I understand it. olewill
 
Sorry but I feel that it is adding some confusion. I keep with what I said that most EPIRBs aimed at the leisure sector are manually activated. If you look at the McMurdo range they start with this type and then offer variants if you require auto release or aut activation. My own one is certainly manual as are a lot of the others.
 
why have auto activation if the EPIRB can't float free or is not worn on a lifejacket? It's not much trouble to flick the switch as you unclip it from its holder and drop it over the side. You need to have manual activation to cover situations like dismasting when out of radio range where you don't drop it over the side or tie it to the liferaft.

We have the GME mounted near the companionway and one thig I like about it (compared with the 121MHz one it replaced) is that it has a test switch. A light tells you it's transmitting correctly but not up the aerial. Thought about mounting it outside but then it's something else you have to remember to take below when locking up the boat.

VHF is the main form of yacht communication on the east coast. 27MHz range is poor and it's subject to skip interference from asia. There's a substanial government inspired fog surrounding DSC. Commercial vessels have it but there's no facility for yachts (or MOBOs) to register a DSC VHF. Why they will happily register your EPIRB but not a VHF beats me.
 
I hope the new EPIRBs do continue to have a 121.5 transmitter, otherwise SAR assets cannot home to you. Do you need a GPS one? I gather that the satelites can get a rough fix from the beacon alone. Having said that, it is a good idea to have the GPS version since it will speed recovery.
 
I hope the new EPIRBs do continue to have a 121.5 transmitter, otherwise SAR assets cannot home to you.

They do.

John
 
You need to have manual activation to cover situations like dismasting when out of radio range where you don't drop it over the side or tie it to the liferaft

All auto activation 406 EPIRB's for marine use have manual activation as well (they all also have test switches, the GME one is not alone in that). The manual activation ability is not only for the case of when abandoning one may want to manually actuate it oneself, but also the SAR people are likely to ask one to activate the EPIRB even if your distress alert has been made by radio, that so searchers can home in on the 121 MHz beacon (eg in poor visability). What many do not know, is that if the EPIRB is in a holder, it should be always mounted with the antenna vertical so that is effective for homing (and outside the boat, if the boat is metal).

I am in NZ but have worked in marine in Australia. There is no "Government induced fog" whatsoever regarding VHF and DSC in Australia. There is not and will not be any official (ie AMSA) VHF service, either telephony or DSC, that being left to the states and private shore stations to do. The only official service (putting aside INMARSAT) is provided by the two DSC MF/HF stations. All that is explained quite clearly on the AMSA internet site. Also, if you go to the internet site of the Australian Maritime College in Launceston you will find an excellent booklet for downloading covering maritime radio and its operation in Australia that is used for teaching.

Given the length and sparse population of much of Australia's long coastline what Australia has done seems an very sensible decision. As I said, that is, I understand, the main driving force behind the lesser specification GME EPIRB as 406 EPIRB becomes, for small vessels, the primary alerting device for official SAR.

I am not opposed to the lesser specification of the GME EPIRB, but think people need to be aware of its limitations compared to the more expensive ones.

John
 
It seems that once activated, most EPIRBS have a minimum battery life of 48hrs (legal requirement?). It occurs to me that if you were a very long way from land you may want to extend the battery life by switching it on and off at regular intervals. I assume that a manually activated beacon can easily be switched off but can an automatically activated EPIRB be switched off ?

Paul.
 
Hi Paul

Automatically activated EPIRB's can also be activated manually and manually turned off as well. However, I think the universal recommendation is that once activated the EPIRB must stay activated until rescued in order to avoid confusion both as to the urgency of the alert and the positional fixes.

You would be very unlucky to not have an aircraft over you or a ship beside you outside of 24 hours anywhere in the world one was likely to sail. In NZ's SAR Region, which is one of the largest in the world (in rough terms stretches from near the equator to Antarctica, mid Tasman to halfway across to Chile), most who activate their EPIRB's are off their boats within 24 hours and would almost certainly have a search aircraft over them in much less time than that.

The Pacific between NZ and Chile is, I think, the widest expanse of ocean in the world. Chile takes over part way, and my understanding is that they are just as efficient. For NZ SAR Region (in which there are at least 3 or 4 EPIRB initiated blue ocean yacht evacuations each winter) I do not recall in recent times where the crew have even got to abandoning the yacht for their liferaft before being picked up.

Some have said in these forums that some less responsible nations do not respond to 406 EPIRB's. That is alot of rot as the alert is forwarded by COSPAS/SARSAT to both the nation responsible for SAR in the Region the alert is in (and all those nations allocated SARR's are responsible ones - they are also responsible for aviation alerts in their region as well) and to the nation in which the EPIRB is registered in. So for a UK vessel the alert will always be known to Falmouth regardless of where-ever in the world it is as it is they that would have to contact the registered contacts to confirm the vessel is at sea so not a false alarm.

John
 
Lot of changes in the last few months, so any survey likely to be apocryphal.

When I was looking to replace my time-expired ACR this year, the consensus appeared to be between ACR and the McMurdo being the best.
(Opinions from 2 national regulators and 3 suppliers)

It's OK buying in the States, that's where my first one came from 12 years ago, tho' getting the battery replaced was a bit of a marathon.

Of the 3 varieties, (own internal GPS, GPS feed from main receiever & stand-alone) most appeared to feel the 1st two were gilding the lily.
 
COSPAS/SARSAT say that the average accuracy of the doppler fix for non GPS fitted EPIRB's is 1-3 nm, so is pretty good.

John
 
Thanks for your responses..... There is such a wealth of knowledge on this forum!

I know they were before the days of EPIRBS but having read the books by the Robertsons, Steven Calaghan and the Baileys I am only too aware of the "worst case scenario". I think if (God forbid!) I were to find myself in such a predicament, I would leave the beacon on for the first 24 hrs and after that switch it on for say 10 mins at intervals of two or three hours. It would have to be a GPIRB in order to ensure that the position is received within the 10 min window......

I guess it would not be too helpful if you were to switch it off just as help was getting close but then they would already have a position that was no more than three hours old and as soon at you hear an aircraft approaching, you would switch it on again. At what height would an SAR aircraft fly when searching a long way from land and at what range would someone in a liferaft be likely to see or hear it?

Paul.
 
If there is a ship that can steam to the position within a reasonable time (and this is usually the case in most places sailing boats go) then it will get the task and they are limited to searching by visual and radar.

Certainly in NZ's SAR Region, even though one of the biggest and sparsely populated, the vast majority of offshore EPIRB alerts do not have to be flown as a ship can usually get there within 24 hours (and often much less) as many ships can usually easily steam 500 or more nm in a day and after all, a ship is going to have to make the rescue anyway. If you consider the Atlantic, for example, and start drawing 500 nm dia circles over it, one does not need many ships to be around to get 24 hour coverage - in fact there will be many more ships than that.

It has been said on these forums that ships ignore requests for such assistance from SAR, but that is not so - the vast majority of ship crews would take great offence at such suggestions (especially a friend of mine who on a container ship rescued the crew of a dismasted yacht south of Cape Horn in a snow storm and 12 m seas - they were asked to sail to the fix in pretty much zero visibility and almost ran the yacht down before seeing it).

If an aircraft it will fly to the fix position and within range of the 121 MHz beacon will fly down the beacon - I suspect that if you are the ones to be rescued the first thing you would know about the plane would be it flying straight onto you (ie no patterned search) assuming that you have left the EPIRB on. In most (all) SARR's the aircraft can drop extra rescue equipment (including anything necessary for maintaining location if the rescue is delayed) if they think it necessary or is asked for if VHF contact is made.

I think you would find that if you turned the beacon off and on you would run the risk of confusing the search and would certainly confuse an aircraft if approaching on the beacon. The advice is that it must be left on unless told otherwise (ie if told to do so if also in radio contact as is sometimes the case).

I have heard a number of SAR aircraft crews here state that one of the best things one can do to assist final location is to have an area of the deck painted in rescue orange to aid visual location in heavy seas. Even for coastal cruising we carry a big square of rescue orange sail cloth with ties and marked with our sail number (we are on a voluntary national register for that, ones radio callsign is an alternative).

John
 
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