Personal EPIRB

G_ute

G_ute

Well-Known Member
Albynsw said:
My boat one is about up for renewal as well, I think I will just replace it rather than get the battery done.
For piece of mind I think I rather have a new one onboard if ever needed
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Perhaps donate the old one to a VMR or something - they might be able to get a discount or free battery swap. Be a shame to scrap it.

Also I have heard of EPIRB's going off in rubbish dumps, triggering fake rescues. Scares the seagulls o_O
 
Albynsw

Albynsw

Well-Known Member
G_ute said:
Perhaps donate the old one to a VMR or something - they might be able to get a discount or free battery swap. Be a shame to scrap it.

Also I have heard of EPIRB's going off in rubbish dumps, triggering fake rescues. Scares the seagulls o_O
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Yes good idea. I will probably still carry it as a backup just in case. I do that with my out of date flares too.
 
Albynsw

Albynsw

Well-Known Member
mac_man_luke said:
Not sure how true but read something about out of date flares being illegal to possess due to being "unstable"
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Never heard that before, the other issue is what do you do with them? To my knowledge there is no disposal method offered by the gubberment
 
cam04

cam04

Well-Known Member
Neil Watts said:
You're bang on there, I have a Garmin Inreach and the subscription can be as low as $25 per month, when its not needed you just suspend the subscription. It has GPS navigation/SOS button that triggers search/you can txt from it and communicate the status of your situation with rescuers/TXT family to alert them/plots your location on a map so anyone you give the link to can see where you are. In my opinion, it's in some ways better than a sat phone.

Personally I wouldn't wast my money on an EPIRB, I had over 30 years in the Marine Safety Equipment game and once they were invaluable. The problem with them is they trigger a search and use resources that may not be needed. EPIRB's are designed to be used in water, they rely on the water surface to bounce the signal, this can also be achieved by positioning on the roof or bonnet of a car. PLB's are designed in the same manner but can't be called an EPIRB as a EPIRB must be able to transmit for 48 hours, or that's what it used to be as I've been out of the industry for some time now. Not to mention that you used to have to register them with AMSA, renew the registry, notify AMSA if you sold it/disposed of it. Just my opinion but I think they are a piece of antiquated equipment as far as land based use, they still have their place in the offshore yachting fraternity as a cheap insurance policy.

At least with the Inreach plotting capability if you were to be rendered unconscious it would be possible to see that you hadn't move over a period of time and hopefully that would alert a friend or family member to your situation.

Again, just my opinion.
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You are right, you've been out of the game a while. The 406 MHz digital beacons which have been in use for over 10 years don't need water to attenuate the signal.
I've probably been out about as long as you. I worked for AMSA in the 90's.
 
sharkcaver

sharkcaver

Well-Known Member
So one person in this thread has said he has no idea if his plb is good or not, cause he has never used, it. Two people in this thread have said their PLB is a good piece of kit. How do you know that.....have you used it?
 
jtb2879

jtb2879

New Member
sharkcaver said:
So one person in this thread has said he has no idea if his plb is good or not, cause he has never used, it. Two people in this thread have said their PLB is a good piece of kit. How do you know that.....have you used it?
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People "use" their PLB's every day in all sorts of circumstances.

Putting it in my truck or backpack is using it as far as I'm concerned, clearly your definition of use is simply pushing the ACTIVATE button. My use revolves around longevity, ease of carriage, ease of deployment if required, ease of showing others on my trip how to deploy and use it, in case I'm the one who's banged up and need someone to press the button on my behalf.

There's more to the use of PLB's than pushing the button when the excrement goes into the revolving blades.
 
EffieC

EffieC

Member
We have the GME epirb, (later renamed plb by someone with too much time on their hands), have had it since 2010 test button works fine, had to change out battery when expired date came around, no hassles local mob sent back to GME new battery fitted and retuned with a new warranty. It stills appears brand new but that is because we look after it and store it within its oringal package
 
Petunia

Petunia

Well-Known Member
I don't own one,

but,

I have a 9volt battery stolen from a smoke detector[how ironic] and steel wool, and a woolen blanket with the short cut to morse code written on it with a crayon, the plan is fraught with danger of placing both the first two in the same pocket by mistake., but if you do and nothing happens you know the battery needs replacing.:cool:
 
Petunia

Petunia

Well-Known Member
G_ute said:
The old Bear Grylls shows would be a lot shorter if he had a PLB.
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He is my hero, I learnt how to skin a snake from him, but I don't know what he did when his back faced the camera, because my snake skin sure didn't have water in it, nothing!
 
Albynsw

Albynsw

Well-Known Member
An Epirb is a different device to a PLB. A PLB is not recognised as a safety device in the marine environment.
They both use the same technology but have different uses

They both have test buttons on them to check they are functioning correctly
 
mac_man_luke

mac_man_luke

Well-Known Member
Yea EPIRB battery has to last longer (more important when your in the ocean moving with currents etc) and they have to float in the right orientation
but that makes them much larger
 
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