In prep for my upcoming sailing trip, I bought a new battery for my
406 Mhz EPIRB and ran thru the self test sequence, IT FAILED. This
insanely expensive piece of equipment does not work? This coulda
killed me. I sent it via next day mail to the place here in FL for
examination and they say they might have to send it back to England
costing nearly $300. Like Hell.
Options........hmmm. There is something new out there called SPOT.
For $150, one can buy a beacon that when activated sends a signal to a
satellite (I think it must use the Iridium network) and that sends a
signal to some emergency station with your GPS location. Am not sure
how this differs from EPIRB.
It has other features too. One can use it to send a recorded message
back to home saying "I am ok, my position is........". It can also
send a signal back home so someone can track your path on Google
Earth. It does require a subscription service of $100/yr.
Anybody know about these things?

On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:05:30 -0800 (PST), Frogwatch
wrote:

In prep for my upcoming sailing trip, I bought a new battery for my
406 Mhz EPIRB and ran thru the self test sequence, IT FAILED. This
insanely expensive piece of equipment does not work? This coulda
killed me. I sent it via next day mail to the place here in FL for
examination and they say they might have to send it back to England
costing nearly $300. Like Hell.
Options........hmmm. There is something new out there called SPOT.
For $150, one can buy a beacon that when activated sends a signal to a
satellite (I think it must use the Iridium network) and that sends a
signal to some emergency station with your GPS location. Am not sure
how this differs from EPIRB.
It has other features too. One can use it to send a recorded message
back to home saying "I am ok, my position is........". It can also
send a signal back home so someone can track your path on Google
Earth. It does require a subscription service of $100/yr.
Anybody know about these things?

Yes, I own one, as do several others on "rec.boats.cruising". SPOT
devices differ from EPIRBS in a number of important ways: EPIRBS are
registered and certified; EPIRBS are monitored by an international
organization which has access to rescue resources all over the world;
EPIRBS usually have flotation and long life batteries; etc.

SPOT devices work as advertised although it takes a little practice to
learn how to activate the tracking mode. I'd suggest getting some
experience with it before starting any major cruise. The notification
options can be user customized on a web page.

SPOT has an internal GPS and a satellite transmitter. In tracking
mode it attempts to uplink your current position every 10 minutes. It
is not unusual to have gaps of 20 to 30 minutes every now and then
because of unsuccessful uplink transmissions.

Battery life is good, typically more than 2 weeks, but it uses lithium
AAs which are more expensive than Duracells.

What else would you like to know?

On Nov 17, 9:05*am, Frogwatch wrote:
In prep for my upcoming sailing trip, I bought a new battery for my
406 Mhz EPIRB and ran thru the self test sequence, IT FAILED. *This
insanely expensive piece of equipment does not work? *This coulda
killed me. *I sent it via next day mail to the place here in FL for
examination and they say they might have to send it back to England
costing nearly $300. *Like Hell.
Options........hmmm. *There is something new out there called SPOT.
For $150, one can buy a beacon that when activated sends a signal to a
satellite (I think it must use the Iridium network) and that sends a
signal to some emergency station with your GPS location. *Am not sure
how this differs from EPIRB.
It has other features too. *One can use it to send a recorded message
back to home saying "I am ok, my position is........". *It can also
send a signal back home so someone can track your path on Google
Earth. *It does require a subscription service of $100/yr.
Anybody know about these things?


You can gamble on some things, but not your EPIRB.
Go get a new Simrad
* 406MHz Distress Alert with 121.5MHz Homing Beacon
* Non-Hazardous Battery for easy, low cost transportation
* Five year battery life

Activation Method
Water

Battery Replacement (Years)
5

Built-In Strobe
Yes

Category
I

Floats
Yes

Frequency
406/121

GPS Enabled
No

Operational Life (Hours)
48

Note ...it says life 48 hrs, but most likely you will get 5-6 days.

Joe

In article
,
Joe wrote:

You can gamble on some things, but not your EPIRB.
Go get a new Simrad
* 406MHz Distress Alert with 121.5MHz Homing Beacon
* Non-Hazardous Battery for easy, low cost transportation
* Five year battery life

Activation Method
Water

Battery Replacement (Years)
5

Built-In Strobe
Yes

Category
I

Floats
Yes

Frequency
406/121

GPS Enabled
No

Fully agreed with except:
Get the one *WITH GPS*, EG50 Auto or EG50 Man.

http://www.simrad-yachting.com/Products/Safety/

Time to relay position to MRCCs and initiate SAR response:

with GPS 5 minutes, anytime, anywhere

without GPS 50 minutes average, 100 minutes worst case
add another 100 minutes if you do not register your EPIRB (free) because
a SAR response will then only happen after the second pass.
LEOSAR satellites used to doppler measure the position circle the earth
every 100 minutes

Precision of localization:
with GPS to 0.05 nm, without to 2.6 nm

And by all means avoid the old style 121.5 MHz ONLY beacons as they are
out of service by 2009 because of too many false alarms.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distress_radiobeacon

An EPIRB with GPS can be had from USD 500 up.

And get VHF too - priceless to talk to and guide the helicopter
searching for you as reported about a month ago in this newsgroup.
It is not easy to locate a liferaft in less than ideal conditions.

HTH

Marc

--
remove bye and from mercial to get valid e-mail
http://www.heusser.com

After reading the many posts that skip and others experince with SPOT
i would ont consider it as emergency equipment.

You got a boat.

You want to get found?
You want to get your ass pulled out of the water like Joe et al?
You want this to happen asap?

Go ask the USCG Search and Rescue guys what they recomend.... Youll
find them a very helpful group with lots of information for
recreational yachters. My thinking is make the SAR guys job easy.

Buy another EPIRB and move on. I nevef understand why people will spnd
$1000s on usless stuff but squeek at a $400 EPIRB.

Bob

"Bob" wrote in message
...


After reading the many posts that skip and others experince with SPOT
i would ont consider it as emergency equipment.

You got a boat.

You want to get found?
You want to get your ass pulled out of the water like Joe et al?
You want this to happen asap?

Go ask the USCG Search and Rescue guys what they recomend.... Youll
find them a very helpful group with lots of information for
recreational yachters. My thinking is make the SAR guys job easy.


Lame, Bob, lame! A real sailor thinks the best course of action is to render
the SAR guys' job obsolete. This is accomplished by prudent seamanship.
Something Joe seems to know little about, BTW.


Wilbur Hubbard

Lame, Bob, lame! A real sailor thinks the best course of action is to render
the SAR guys' job obsolete. This is accomplished by prudent seamanship.
Something Joe seems to know little about, BTW.

Wilbur Hubbard


You are so correct my esteemed mariner..............

However ever prudent mariners should have the EPIRB onboard. The
problme is that so many use the USCG as a taxi service and are not
aware of the USCG SAR mission.

Time to go for a swim,
bob

On Nov 17, 4:06*pm, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:
"Bob" wrote in message

...



After reading the many posts that skip and others experince with SPOT
i would ont consider it as emergency equipment.

You got a boat.

You want to get found?
You want to get your ass pulled out of the water like Joe et al?
You want this to happen asap?

Go ask the USCG Search and Rescue guys what they recomend.... Youll
find them a very helpful group with lots of information for
recreational yachters. My thinking is make the SAR guys job easy.

Lame, Bob, lame! A real sailor thinks the best course of action is to render
the SAR guys' job obsolete. This is accomplished by prudent seamanship.

For you Nealbur prudent seamanship is accomplished by never sailing
anywhere. Thanks....well done.

" You can usually find him drunk down at the
Lorilie Bar, just look for the heavily rusted Toyota pickup parked
outside. " or at his flop house on Cathrine street"

" When he's on his boat he parks the rust heap over on Mastic St where
the rust stains are embedded into the pavement. "

Face it Nellie, you're nothing but a Capt. Kangaroo wanna be.
You've been chained to cedar bucket mound for the last 15 years
according to some locals in your town. The best you could muster was a
day sail with a Okie you described as having "cottage Cheese
Thighs"....

If every mariner followed you by example then the SAR would indeed be
obsolte.

Joe


Something Joe seems to know little about, BTW.

Wilbur Hubbard

On Nov 17, 5:13*pm, Bob wrote:
Lame, Bob, lame! A real sailor thinks the best course of action is to render
the SAR guys' job obsolete. This is accomplished by prudent seamanship.
Something Joe seems to know little about, BTW.
Wilbur Hubbard

You are so correct my esteemed mariner..............

However ever prudent mariners should have the EPIRB onboard. The
problme is that so many use the USCG as a taxi service and are not
aware of the USCG SAR mission.

Time to go for a swim,
bob

Let me guess you're in Tongo Tongo surrounded by naked maidens,
worshiping you as the master mariner you are. `

Damn Bob you progressed from a bum on the street begging for the
humble and noble job of scrubbing ****ters on any boat, to a jet
setting licenced 200 Ton master mariner in only 6 mo. And you did it
workings as a "slave"in the oilfield that you hate sooooo much. U R
awesum bobby. Just think if you were in that big union you could be
running the worlds largest super tanker by now!

Joe

On Nov 17, 8:52*pm, Joe wrote:
On Nov 17, 5:13*pm, Bob wrote:

Lame, Bob, lame! A real sailor thinks the best course of action is to render
the SAR guys' job obsolete. This is accomplished by prudent seamanship.
Something Joe seems to know little about, BTW.
Wilbur Hubbard

You are so correct my esteemed mariner..............

However ever prudent mariners should have the EPIRB onboard. The
problme is that so many use the USCG as a taxi service and are not
aware of the USCG SAR mission.

Time to go for a swim,
bob

*Let me guess you're in Tongo Tongo surrounded by naked maidens,
worshiping you as the master mariner you are. `

Damn Bob you progressed from a bum on the street begging for the
humble and noble job of scrubbing ****ters on any boat, to a jet
setting licenced 200 Ton *master mariner in only 6 mo. And you did it
workings as a "slave"in the oilfield that you hate sooooo much. U R
awesum bobby. Just think if you were in that big union you could be
running the worlds largest super tanker by now!

Joe

My old Fastfind Plus had a cracked case and water inside. So, new
Fastfind 210 for $283, not bad at all. It is little.