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Emergency Locator Beacons
EPIRB, PLB or SPOT Satellite Messenger You need one of these emergency location devices if you go offshore or out of VHF and Cell phone range. Satellite locating devices will keep you communicated, out in the deep ocean, or even 20 miles offshore.
EPIRB, PLB or Spot satellite emergency rescue signal devices
We look at the latest offerings in distress signal devices: EPIRBs, PLBs and compare them to SPOT
the satellite messenger service.
Remember if you have either one of these emergency signal devices with
internal GPS you will get picked up very quickly. How? because you register
the device, it has a GPS, the SAR authorities can call your emergency
contact to confirm you are missing, and then send out rescue services to the GPS
coordinates.
Without an emergency signal it can take days. Your family tells the
authorities you have not returned and they have to search for a needle
in a haystack.
GMDSS the Global Maritime Distress and safety system was developed in
1999. With this came EPIRBS and PLBs, which in an emergency, send
coded signals to the COPAS-SARSAT satellite network. From here the signal
is relayed to a ground station.
The emergency locator transmitters use 406Mhz signals so look for that notation when
buying EPIRBs and PLBs . Since Feb. 1st 2009 the 121.5Mhz
devices will no longer be active
This does not include SPOT which is a private
enterprise, a division of Globalstar. SPOT uses a different call center,
see below.
It is important to
register
your emergency signal devices as the next step after the signal is
received by the ground station, is to contact your emergency contact to
determine if this is a real emergency or a false alarm. You emergency
contact say give your trip plan which will help the SAR (search and
rescue) authority. You can
This
article from the marine electronics describes, VHF/DSC, EPIRB, PLB, GMDSS, SARTs, LEOSAR, GEOSAR, and
COPAS-SARSAT, SAR etc. OK enough of the
acronyms already.
SAR stands for search and rescue.
Mention safety and survival to mariners and they picture liferafts and PFDs—personal flotation devices. So far so good, but if electronics don’t come to mind also, you could be missing the boat.
What is an EPIRB
A
properly operating EPIRB Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon, will
alert rescue agencies such as the Coast Guard and provide them your location.
It does this by sending signals to satellites passing overhead. The
quickness and accuracy of the fix depends on the satellite coverage in
the area. EPIRBs come in a variety of types.
EPIRBS are often mounted in a float free mount, so that if a vessel
sinks the EPIRB can float free and immediately start signaling.
 Globalfix iPro is an example of the latest in EPIRB emergency locator beacon. GlobalFix iPRO, a patented, next generation 406 MHz EPIRB w GPS featuring breakthrough technology that makes it the first EPIRB in the world to offer an exclusive Digital Display Screen and Dual GPS capabilities When activated, the GlobalFix iPRO EPIRB displays latitude/longitude coordinates on the screen for the user. If the endangered person has another means of communication, the lat/long data can be provided to rescuing parties. The screen can be very helpful during emergencies such as reminding the user of what to do to assure that the distress signal is sent and continues to be sent. Even under conditions where it is difficult to get a GPS location fix, for instance during a severe storm, the 406 MHz signal is always sent and the rescue satellite system will begin to extrapolate the location, by triangulation. Typically, internal GPS coordinates are acquired within the first 100 seconds of activation.
One issue with EPIRBs and PLBs is testing, how do you know if its operating?
Safelife is a service which can check your EPIRB and PLB. If you currently own a PLB, ELT, or EPIRB 406MHz emergency alerting beacon, or are intending to purchase a beacon, you can benefit from Safelife. Safelife Systems can help ensure that your beacon is ready when you need it most.
What is a PLB
Weighing about a pound and just larger than the palm of your hand, a waterproof Personal Locator Beacon 406 PLB, can be carried in a pocket and activated in a man-overboard situation. The emergency location & distress signal is transmitted on 406 MHz, sending unique digitally coded signals via satellite, just like the EPIRB.
 The fast find is one example of the latest in PLBs. The Fast Find is a 406 MHz Personal Location Beacon (PLB) that should be carried by individuals, who are embarking on trips into areas around the world where there is little or no other forms of communication or where other forms of communication are unlikely to work. The Fast Find acts as your personal Emergency Location Beacon, it is your last resort communication to the national and international search and rescue bodies and it should not be mis-used. The Fast Find is designed as a direct communication, to the 406 MHz Search and Rescue satellite system, its signal indicates that you are in need of urgent response and assistance. McMurdo has this PDF file for the operation and use of Distress beacons.
What is SPOT satellite messenger
SPOT
inc is a subsidiary of Globalstar. Spot personal tracker is a more than
a tracker it allows messages other than distress to be sent.
Spot uses
the simplex side of the Globalstar network so may not be influenced by
the poor duplex Globalstar coverage of late.
SPOT does not connect you to SAR but to
GEOS Alliance. By
pushing the 911 button a signal is sent to GEOS call
center.
The emergency call center works like the SARSAT system, by contacting your
emergency contact first, to confirm the alarm and then passing the
information including location to the appropriate SAR authority.
There are additional features of SPOT and the GEOS alliance including non
distress satellite text messaging.
For more on SPOT and Globalstar and how it compares to an PLB or EPIRS
go to the
Equipped to Survive blog.
SPOT Satellite Messenger
Video
Globalstar coverage area is not worldwide unlike a EPIRB or PLB, see map below
Additional SPOT services;
SPOT Expands SPOT Assist by Partnering With BoatU.S. Towing Service. Boaters Can Notify BoatU.S. On-Water Vessel Services Regardless of Remote Locations or Limited Communication with SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger .
You can also get roadside assist for when your are in your car, between boating trips.
I will lay out my thoughts here, as they have changed over the last year, after I have seen how each is used, or not used.
Each if these emergency signal devices are getting smaller and more powerful, with better battery life. However none of them are any good, if people do not use them.
These emergency devices are among the safety products we probably will never use. But even though we do not use them (except in an emergency) we must make sure that they are well maintained and the batteries are working. This is all redundant stuff.
Take two incidents recently. Three football players died after their fishing boat capsized, and they were out of cell phone range. They probably did not know what an EPIRB or PLB is. The second incident out of bounds skiers got lost and SAR took 10 plus days to locate them. We do hear of stories of lives being saved by and EPIRB, but unfortunately there are many more.
SPOT has been actively marketed on cable TV. With these ads on TV programs, more people are likely to know what Spot does and what it can do for them in an emergency. With popular marketing SPOT can have many units in the field.
In summary SPOT is more user friendly i.e. it has other uses and is costs less and its more popular, where an EPIRB or PLB has only one use.
However the coverage of SPOT is not worldwide, as The Globalstar map will shows. But if SPOT or similar devices became popular we may get better coverage for worldwide use.
No need to buy an EPIRB just for one trip. Here are two major players in the emergency distress signals rental business.
BOATUS;
Providing Low-Cost Boating Safety Equipment since 1997 Your crew relies on you to have the essential safety
equipment when you go boating – and that takes a reliable partner. At the
BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water we have the largest
inventory of rental EPIRBs in the country. We have also added GPIRBs to our
rental fleet. Place your order online or by phone and we will get the
equipment to you when you need it.
PLB Rentals, LLC is a company founded in 2003 with the intent of making emergency location equipment available to the general public. It is our goal to help save lives and to minimize the search time and difficulty in locating someone lost or injured by giving the outdoor adventurer a simple and affordable means of getting help if they need it.
121.5 Mhz
The COPAS-SARSAT network will not be tracking 121.5 by satellite anymore. The 406 Mhz is now the standard for search and rescue.
If you see a device that mentions 121.5 Mhz it is for localized rescue where it is used as a homing device.
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