EPIRB @ ExplorOz

What is an EPIRB?	Emergency EBIRB Activation
PLB or EPIRB?	Beacon Hints & Tips
How do EPIRBs Work?	Article Feedback
Important Note on EPIRBs	Related Pages
Register Your 406 MHz Beacon!

In this Article

What is an EPIRB?

EPIRBs stand for Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons and are used in emergency situations to assist Search and Rescue parties locate people who may be in some sort of distress or danger. These tracking transmitters also known as distress beacons or emergency beacons are commonly used to aid in the detection and location of distressed boats out at sea.

EPIRBs do not really allow "communication" as it is essentially an emergency beacon designed only to be used to request emergency response in the case of severe accident when no other form of communication can be made. ERIRBs do not require a network service and will always transmit a beep in any location.

Other Types of Emergency Beacons

There are two other types of beacons and these are: ELTs which stand for Emergency Locator Transmitters which is used when aircraft is in distress and PLBs which stand for Personal Locator Beacons and is used for personal use, where someone in distress is away from normal emergency services.

TIP

ELT’s (Emergency Locator Transmitters) are generally reserved for aviation use, and are permanently fitted in aircraft.

PLB or EPIRB?

For land use, which of course includes 4WD touring, AMSA, (the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, who are responsible for detection and search and rescue in our 52.8 million square kilometre region of world responsibility), recommend the use of a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon). They are smaller and more lightweight than an EPIRB, and are thus easily carried on your person, in a backpack or in the vehicle. EPIRB’s are essentially designed as maritime distress beacons, because they have inbuilt flotation, and an inbuilt strobe light. Generally, an EPIRB will be a larger unit than a PLB.

How much?

A new 406 MHz PLB without GPS capability will set you back in the region of $400. A new 406 MHz PLB with inbuilt GPS capability will set you back in the region of $600. But when you look at the fact that a GPS capable unit reduces the search radius to about 100 metres, it’s got to be the way to go. When you really need to be rescued, every second counts, so the smaller the search area, the quicker you should be found.

TIP

A PLB is not a substitute for a 406 Mhz Marine EPIRB. Where Australian & International Law require a 406 Mhz EPIRB to be carried, this product does not meet these requirements.

How do EPIRBs Work?

EBIRBs as well as ELTs and PLBs interface with Cospas-Sarsat, the international satellite system for Search and Rescue. When activated, these beacons send out a distress signal that, when detected by non-geostationary satellites, can be located by triangulation similar to the way GPS satellites let GPS Units know where their position is.

Beacons that transmit in the 406 Mhz frequency, transmit digital signals and this signal can be uniquely identified almost instantly (via GEOSAR) and a GPS position can be encoded into the signal, therefore providing both instantaneous identification and position. This signal can then be homed in by Search and Rescue aircraft, boats and/or ground search parties who can come to the aid of the distressed boat, aircraft or person.

Important Note on EPIRBs

The International Cospas-Sarsat System will cease satellite processing of 121.5/243 MHz beacons from 1st February 2009. It will instead only process the 406 Mhz digital beacon signals. Therefore, all beacon owners and users should begin taking steps to replace their 121.5/243 MHz beacons with 406 MHz beacons as soon as possible. Now this date is not too far down the track so if you are still using a 121.5 MHz beacon, then you should start planning to upgrade to a 406 MHz beacon now. With that said, the 121.5 MHz beacons are generally no longer sold.

If you already have a 406 MHz beacon then you need not worry as long as it is registered. If you are relying on a 121.5 MHz beacon, you could upgrade when your beacon's battery is due to be replaced or you could simply make the change now. 406 MHz beacons are only slightly more expensive than 121.5 MHz beacons but offer far more features. Regardless of the price, if it saves your life, it is cheap insurance.

Why Switch?

Cospas-Sarsat made the decision to cease satellite processing at 121.5/243 MHz in response to guidance from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). These United Nations organizations mandate safety requirements for aircraft and maritime vessels and have recognised the limitations of the 121.5/243 MHz beacons and the superior capabilities of the 406 MHz alerting system.

The digital 406 MHz beacons offer many advantages over analog 121.5/243 MHz beacons. With a 406 MHz beacon, the position of the distress can be relayed to rescue services more quickly, more reliably and with greater accuracy.

Cospas-Sarsat decided back in 2000 to cease processing 121.5MHz analogue signals by satellite on 01.02.2009. The 121.5 beacon analogue signal has an accuracy to 20kms. These new 406 digital beacons have a global accuracy to within 5kms. However if you get the one that has GPS included this goes down to 45m. However this one is around $160 dearer.
The good thing about these new beacons is that they are registered in your name and when activated will identify you, if you're a boat owner the description of your boat is also identified.

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Register Your 406 MHz Beacon!

406 MHz beacons are smarter and safer because they can also identify their owner. They transmit a unique code, unique that is to your beacon. So if you register your beacon with AMSA, they will know exactly who you are; what make and model of vehicle you are in; its colour and registration number. And they will have contact details for you including your HF callsign (if you have one); your sat phone number (if you have one); mobile telephone number(s); and whether you have UHF capability. (As a 4WD club member, you should at the very least, have good UHF communications).

If you have registered with AMSA, the moment they first detect your emergency signal, they will know from the unique code that the transmission is from your vehicle. They can immediately begin to try to contact you to ascertain firstly; that it is indeed an emergency; secondly, where you are and the nature of the emergency. So if you have HF or sat phone capability, the whole rescue process could be in operation before the satellites have confirmed your position. (They may be able to phone or call in to you, even though you may not have been able to get a call out from your position). This could sometimes spell the difference between life and death.

So, ensure you REGISTER your details with AMSA. It’s a FREE service.

In an emergency, HF radio or sat phone are far better options than simply activating your beacon. The two-way communication capability of HF or sat phone provides the certainty of knowing that someone is actually coming to assist you. And, you can inform potential rescuers of the exact nature of the problem. However, if all you have is a distress beacon, the first indication you may have that someone is coming to assist you, is when a search aircraft or helicopter over flies you, or a ground party comes over the hill. And of course, they won’t know the nature of your emergency until they actually get to speak to you, probably on your UHF. So your beacon should be considered as a device of last resort to be used in the event that you have no other method of contact, or your other communications processes have either failed, or are ineffectual.

If you are using a sat phone or HF radio in an emergency situation, it’s highly likely that you will also be asked at some stage to activate your distress beacon (if you have one), so that searching aircraft can home in on your exact location.

And remember, in many emergency situations assistance is sometimes sought far too late. Sadly, this has also meant on a few occasions that help has also arrived too late. So assess your situation, make a decision, and act on it. Just don’t leave it too late.

AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority)

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is a largely self-funded government agency with the charter of enhancing efficiency in the delivery of safety and other services to the Australian maritime industry.

AMSA will generally pick up a distress signal from a 406 MHz beacon (whether GPS enabled or not) within about 5-10 minutes of activation if the distress beacon is in sight of one of the satellites in geo-stationary orbit over the Equator. However, an actual location from a non-GPS beacon may take a little longer to be established as an over flight of a Polar orbiting search and rescue satellite is required. Polar orbiting satellites pass over the Australian region (on average) every 90 minutes, with actual passes being anywhere from minutes to (up to) 5 hours apart depending on the orbit of the satellites. So if the first satellite location is inconclusive, it may take hours rather than minutes before your location is resolved by a second satellite pass. Conversely, GPS capable beacons automatically transmit a GPS location over the satellite uplink frequency so an accurate position can be gained with the initial distress signal alert from satellites in geo-stationary orbit over the Equator. This could be a huge advantage in an emergency.

Want more info?

More information can be gained from the AMSA Web Site or call 1800 406 406 (office hours) and speak with the AMSA team.

Beacon Hints & Tips

Which Brand of Beacon?

AMSA will tell you that every unit on sale in Australia meets the appropriate standard, and thus will do the job efficiently and effectively. It is simply a matter of your personal preference as to brand, size, shape, features, etc., and of course, price.

Know Your Beacon

Make sure you know exactly how your beacon is activated for maximum effect. Aerial position and the ground location where you activate the unit can be critical to ensure good connectivity with the satellites. And make sure you regularly test the unit, and replace batteries, in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations.

Disposal of Old Beacons

When you buy your new beacon, DO NOT THROW YOUR OLD ONE IN THE BIN!! Binned beacons have been known to go off accidentally. It can then be a heck of a job to find the beacon in a garbage dump somewhere to shut it off. Battery World stores will happily accept your old beacon for disposal. Alternatively, most retailers of new beacons will also accept your old one for disposal.

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What Others have Posted

Member - Craig M (QLD) : 4 Apr 08 07:42

Been looking at EPIRBS on ebay. I did some research on the subject a...

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