"you've had long enough.....

[Ships_Cat]

Re: A lot of worthless handhelds then?

Providing it is not physically abused, is serviced and the self test works there is very little chance a 406 EPIRB is not transmitting as it should.

A worrying thing I have only recently come across is that I disassemble and check the HEX string for EPIRBS we put on boats - recently have had two that have had to be returned twice in order to be correctly programmed (first 2 times they didn't even get the country MID correct). This was not in NZ I hasten to add and I suspect not a very common occurance.

John

<hr width=100% size=1>I am the cat but I am only 6.

 

[Evadne]

Re: A lot of worthless handhelds then?

Flares are nearly invisible in daylight, unless you're looking in the right direction. I am going to be seriously looking at an epirb this boat show, despite the expense. Best option is not to sink.

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[ChrisE]

Re: A lot of worthless handhelds then?

Don't write off your HH just yet. I've used mine to chat to CG Sea King that was over 12 miles away. I wasn't in distress, just taking part in an exercise, but we could them and them us clearly.

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[graham]

Re: "you\'ve had long enough.....

Bedouin Hello. That is precisely what I understand ie there will no longer be a dedicated headphone watch on 16 but there are no plans to discontinue the speaker monitoring of chanel 16.

You would think by now that you could get a set where the DSC alarm could be muted or set to operate a warning light instead.

Screeching Alarms are fine on the bridge of a ship(They probably help keep the poor overworked sods awake)but less than a meter from the offwatch crew trying to sleep in a yacht is not really ideal.

If they start not responding to routine calls on 16 they will be swamped with people using mobile phones to call in passage plans etc.This will create even more work for them.



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[Keith]

Re: A lot of worthless handhelds then?

your right and culdrose SAR picked them up on a mobilephone signal, apparently (don't ask me how) they flew down the "signal" until they found the raft.......keith

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[iangrant]

Re: "you\'ve had long enough.....

Listen to Solent Coastguard b*llocking radio checkers and others (Portsmouth Harbour Yacht Club) anouncing race markers on CH 16 and this will convince you beyond any reasonable doubt that they listen on it....

Solent transmissions are generally clear across the channel.

You could always use an SSB for the longer distance stuff of course.

Ian

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[Sybarite]

Re: \"you\'ve had long enough.....

Ushant also picked me up -"Station travelling 350° at 5 knts...." - without me contacting them for reasons I have alraedy outlined here before.

Sorry I missed you at Cherbourg.


John


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[Robin]

Re: \"you\'ve had long enough.....

Sorry we missed you too John.

Ushant this year seemed very quiet, maybe because with AIS they can call ships direct using their MMSI and don't often need to call on 16. Strange thing is that when the same ships reach Jobourg's jurisdiction up Channel there is much more calling on 16, albeit less than previously, yet presumably they have the same AIS info. Being a simple yottie too I wonder why they have to warn all ships (via their SCREAMING DSC alarm) that a deep draft vessel is in the TSS and they should give it a wide berth. Firstly the TSS is in very deep water so what IS the draft problem, is it manouverability? Secondly if it wasn't deep draft does that mean they condone tailgating or M25 style carve-ups?

Robin



<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>

 

[escape]

Re: \"you\'ve had long enough.....

So you aint got 300 squid to spend on a new vhf ?
How long do you need to save your pennies ?

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