EPIRB distress beacon

Why get an EPIRB Tag?

The EPIRB Tag have the function of ensuring the safety of the boat, and therefore of the entire crew. It opposes PLB tag , which serve to guarantee the individual security of browsers. The acronym EPIRB corresponds to “Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons”, which stands for Disaster Location Radio Beacon, a must-have in Marine electronics . The is the essential beacon for equipping your boat at a lower cost. This type of equipment has great durability: the Ocean Signal battery has a lifespan of 10 years. If it has been triggered, an EPIRB battery lasts on average 48 hours, until help arrives.

How does an EPIRB Beacon work?

It is necessary to ensure that the beacon transmits on 406 MHz because COSPAS-SARSAT no longer processes signals transmitted on 121.5 MHz. This frequency will however be maintained on the 406 MHz beacons and will be used to guide emergency resources, once they arrive at the scene of the disaster. The EPIRB GlobalFix V4 ACR Tag allows you to occupy these different channels.

Recommendations for using an EPIRB Tag

EPIRB tags must have been recoded with an MMSI. Like many Marine electronics equipment, they only have a serial number by default which is not identifiable and which, in the event of the beacon being triggered, will not offer the possibility to centers rescue services to have information about the vessel. It will therefore be advisable to contact a professional to request an MMSI. Once obtained, the MMSI must be integrated into the beacon coding. EPIRB beacons comply with COSPAS-SARSAT specifications. This conformity is attested by an approval number (Type Approval or TAC) and corresponds to a three-digit number.