why reregister an epirb?

[jim99]

So you buy a boat with an epirb that was registered in the UK. Why re-register the beacon -- if you are sinking and turn it on, an alert is still sent to the UK EPIRB Registry. Nothing changes except they don't know your details -- no one is going to fly over, yell down "Jimmy are you there?" and fly away if Jimmy doesn't answer.
Not that I have anything against re-registering, happy to, but don't see the point. Am I missing something?

 

[Sea Devil]

I think the registering is mainly to help the system work - the biggest problem with epirb alerts is that something like 87% are false alarms - The theory is that when an Epirb alert goes off the relevant authority telephones the named relations/people on the registration form to make certain the vessel making the alert is in fact at sea. This clearly saves huge amounts of money in search and rescue.
It also links the alarm to a particular vessels name -

Registration costs nothing and for USA Epirbs can be done on the net so I think it is a worth while effort...

Michael

 

[Ships_Cat]

You are missing something. When you register the 406 EPIRB you will have to provide 3 (usually) nominated contacts. If there is an alert from the EPIRB you then they will be contacted first, if immediately available to determine if the vessel is at sea.

If there is any confusion, such as the contacts not even knowing you (as may happen if the old registration details are the ones held), a rescue will likely be delayed while the authorities determine the voracity of the alert and its ownership. The purpose of the Cospas/Sarsat system is that they know the boat, its owner and 3 contacts and with that you will be rescued anywhere in the world.

Why ask the question? In all countries I know of it costs nothing to correct the information on the register and one should do so every time your nominated contacts change (and I would have thought blindingly obviously whenever the EPIRB changes ownership).

You should register it the country your boat is registered or if not registered in the country normally domiciled in and not in any other.

John

 

[Oldhand]

So if they don't fly over in time and you have sunk there is going to have to be very expensive and time consumming investigation into who drowned with the boat.... The original owner should cancel his registration of the EPIRB on its transfer of ownership so there will be no details relating to the EPIRB for rescue services to refer to and thus it could be regarded as a hoax or accidental test transmission.

Can't understand why you even have to ask the question, there's no cost involved if you already have a vessel radio license. You could have done it in the time it took you to place this post!

 

[jim99]

That's what I was missing. Preventing full-scale sea searches in case of false alarms is the obvious reason. I wasn't thinking. Also, the UK epirb registry tells me that I will have broken the law if I don't re-register -- and it goes off and they contact the former owner's contacts...

OK, I'll re-register the damn thing! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif