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What’s an EPIRB?
An acronym won’t save your life, but what it stands for surely
could. Take EPIRB, for example. It stands for “emergency
position indicating radio beacon,” an electronic item that
takes the “search” out of search and rescue missions.
Should a tranquil boating day turn upside down — perhaps
literally — time becomes a factor. Electronics may be
submerged or you’re beyond the line-of-sight capabilities of a
VHF radio or cell phone towers. That’s when the beacon of a
registered EPIRB steps up, pinpointing your location for the
U.S. Coast Guard and/or other emergency responders.
An EPIRB can be manually activated or triggered by
submersion. Once activated, it transmits a repeating SOS
signal along with an encoded digital message containing
vital info previously registered by the boat owner. The info
travels via the 406 MHz distress frequency to the nearest
coordination center. The center in turn notifies local first
responders within minutes. Vital time is saved by not having
to question boaters about their whereabouts or employing
wide techniques to narrow down search sites.
According to the National Safe Boating Council, hundreds
of people in the past two years have been rescued at sea after
distress signals from emergency beacons were relayed to a
network of ground stations.
A category I EPIRB activates on its own and is mounted in
a vessel area free of overhead obstructions. A category II
EPIRB, which must be manually deployed, is portable. It’s
often kept in a floating “ditch bag” along with other items a
boater may need in an emergency.
EPIRBs don’t take the place of other emergency
communications. It’s still important to have a VHF radio,
flares, a mirror, a whistle, and other devices to help responders
find you.
Courtesy National Safe Boating Council
More information: www.sarsat.noaa.gov, beaconregistration.
noaa.gov/RGDB/index, and www.safeboatingcouncil.org.
Courtesy Boat US
Courtesy National Safe Boating Council
What’s a PLB?
A personal locator
beacon (PLB) sends an
encoded message on
the 406 MHz distress
frequency just like an
EPIRB. It’s registered
to a person, not a
vessel, so that it may be
used on water or land.
A boater should purchase a PLB designed for use on the
water. They are small enough to attach to a pocket or a life
jacket and must be manually activated.
/www.sarsat.noaa.gov
/www.safeboatingcouncil.org
/index