On Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:44:29 -0800 (PST), Frogwatch
wrote:

Replaced the battery in my McMurdo Fastfind Plus (406 Mhz EPIRB with
gps) and did the self test. Did not work. Tried old battery, same
thing. All it does is make an eeeeeeeeeeeeee noise, nothing else.
So, now, a week before a cross Gulf Of Mexico trip I am without an
EPIRB. Damn thing prob has not worked for the past year and I carried
it the whole time. They say send it to Jacksonville, FL for repair.

If you need something in a hurry you can get a SPOT device from West
Marine and set up your web profile in a half hour or so. The SPOT is
not really a substitute for a registered EPIRB but is a whole lot
better than nothing.