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Affordable GPS-EPIRB w/10 Year Battery Life

5K views 35 replies 9 participants last post by  hellosailor 
#1 · (Edited)
Sail-World.com has an article on this GPS-EPIRB:



An Australian company is now offering a fully COSPAS / SARSAT approved 406 GPS EPIRB for US$412.00 - quite a saving. The model number is Safety Alert SA1G, manufactured by Kinetic Technology, who make a range of location beacons and rescue transponders used by marine safety authorities and the military. They now offer a 406 GPS EPIRB with unique features that we think sailors will appreciate.

First and foremost, the battery has a claimed life of ten (yes 10) years, and the EPIRB has a ten year warranty. Secondly, the lithium battery is a special type and size that can be transported by air. Third, the unit has a 66 channel GPS receiver, accurate to 1.8 meters, though we're told the search and rescue authorities work to a minimum of 120 meters accuracy. It will also localise it's position in less than a minute. Finally, it works both IN or OUT of the water.
See SailWorld Cruising Article "Expose on EPIRBS - what Price Safety"

We're updating our Emergency Kit for an up coming cruise and, although we have an ACR GPIRB, I'm going to get one of the above as a back-up for our ditch bag.

FWIW...

PS: I have repeatedly tried to get the direct link, above, to work but SailNet does something with attaching cross links to the text in the address that screws the link up. Just click on Sail-World and look for the article.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
Thanks again svHyLyte for posting this EPIRB!

I read the article on it, very cool, some interesting notes in there. Interesting things about certain EPIRB technologies I did not know.

The link did not work, had to go to the printer friendly version of article, that works
sail-world.com -- Expose on EPIRBS - what price safety?

Here is also an updated pic, kinda funking looking EPIRB

 
#5 ·
The eprib in the original pitcure is a McMurdo smart find I think

We have a Acr Epirb with GPS and self test.

The one you are buying is a great price, battery life is a little longer as smart finds are now rated for 7 years in the brochures, warrenty better on the one you are getting. Does it have a self test feature?

I think I am heading in another direction and going to get PLB as my backup. I already have one and I like that its attachable to the harness and PFD. Our regular ACR Eprib will get pulled off the all and right into the Sleeve on the ditch bag should we need to abandon. BUt after reading how people can be seperated in the water I think I like the PLB as my backup.

Dave
 
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#9 ·
The eprib in the original pitcure is a McMurdo smart find I think

We have a Acr Epirb with GPS and self test.

The one you are buying is a great price, battery life is a little longer as smart finds are now rated for 7 years in the brochures, warrenty better on the one you are getting. Does it have a self test feature?

I think I am heading in another direction and going to get PLB as my backup. I already have one and I like that its attachable to the harness and PFD. Our regular ACR Eprib will get pulled off the all and right into the Sleeve on the ditch bag should we need to abandon. BUt after reading how people can be seperated in the water I think I like the PLB as my backup.

Dave
David--

Our primary GPIRB is an ACR Global Fix mounted in our emergency stores locker. (We also carry personal PLB's but they do not include the GPS capability and only have a 24 hour transmit capacity.) What I'm looking at is a second GPIRB for our ditch bag, as a back-up to our first. I'm not too concerned about loosing track of the ditch bag were it ever needed as it sits on top of our liferaft and has a tether that is connected to the 50' rip-cord on the life-raft which is, itself, attached to a fastening in the life-raft locker. If needed both go over the side at the same time. I don't want to have to remember to stick the GPIRB or anything else in the ditch bag if we have to get out in a hurry (tho' we likely would). I prefer that the ditch bag have everything we are likely to need to begin with, just in case. As a practical matter, our cruising never takes us much more than 100 miles or so into the deep. Never-the-less, the threats of UFO's in the night that might hole the ship or an uncontrollable fire, either of which might call for a quit exit, are quite real, even near shore, so one should be prepared IMHO and we try to be.

FWIW...
 
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#7 ·
"Activation: Manual switch with test facility"

It is unclear whether this EPIRB has the old-fashioned and useless "test" switch, or it actually sends a test messagfe which confirms 100% operation of the transmitter by actually sending a message through the system.

Some years ago ACR had a problem with the "test" switch and light indicating EPIRBs that worked--while the actual transmitter was defective and not transmitting. I wouldn't touch a new one unless it did actual live test messages.
 
#8 ·
"Activation: Manual switch with test facility"

It is unclear whether this EPIRB has the old-fashioned and useless "test" switch, or it actually sends a test messagfe which confirms 100% operation of the transmitter by actually sending a message through the system.

Some years ago ACR had a problem with the "test" switch and light indicating EPIRBs that worked--while the actual transmitter was defective and not transmitting. I wouldn't touch a new one unless it did actual live test messages.
On the old models I thought the test swich was to only confirm that the battery level was still ok and tha the internal circitry was working. Do you know which models are available which send out a test through the satellite system. One says it sends an I am ok message.
 
#10 ·
David-
I don't keep track of models, but ACR and some others list those of their models that do, and any fees that may be required to subscribe to messaging/testing services. The test is, after all, basically the same as a SPOT transmission.

Some years ago the USCG had announced a plan where they would let civilians bring in EPIRBs in each district to perform a live checkout (in an rf safe "casket") but apparently, that plan got quashed.
 
#16 ·
HyLyte-
If your mail is being delivered correctly, the beacon folks are very good about sending you new decals every year, need 'em or not. I expect they must be very diligent about purging outdated contacts, because they're spending a lot of money on "free" annual updates for something that just doesn't seem to demand being done annually otherwise.
 
#18 ·
Gee. I must be on the Agency's shoot list. I cannot recall ever getting any kind of up-date via mail (although I do get notices from the CG about our documentation every year). Usually I renew all our registrations via the Agency's web-site every January as a matter of course but overlooked the registration of our PLB 100 this year.
 
#19 ·
I sent off a note to KTI regarding their distribution in the US (I should have asked about Canada, sorry). Here is their reply:


Thank you for your enquiry regarding our EPIRB products. We do not currently have a distributor in USA.

Our model SA1 and SA1G EPIRBs have been approved by COSPAS-SARSAT for use both in and out of water and meet all requirements for leisure craft in Australia and New Zealand. In addition to COSPAS-SARSAT approval, some countries require additional certifications before these products can be sold within their jurisdiction. These often incur significant costs. At this time we have not pursued certifications specific to USA.

However, we can sell and ship individual product direct from our factory in Australia, pre-programmed with USA country code. We can also encode your vessel MMSI into the beacon prior despatch.

Regards,
Mark Knowles,
General Manager.
 
#26 ·
All things considered, the last thing I'd be concerned about with respect to Australian or New Zealand built and approved equipment is some arbitrary US certification. What, do you think that when an Aussie or NZ yacht crosses the 12 mile limit from the US, their Oz/Nz electronics suddenly stop functioning? Or that the visitors should "up-grade" to US gear?

The more salient issues are, firstly, the fact that the Sail World article did not make it clear that the equipment was not yet being made available in the US; and, secondly, that given the foregoing, between shipping costs and import duties, the price of the gear will likely be pushed up to that of competing US products (which are, incidentally, reportedly built in Singapore). Given that, we can just as easily buy a 3rd ACR GPIRB as a ditch-bag back up but at a sacrifice of some savings.

FWIW...
 
#24 ·
Do you think that a Rescue Coordination Centre would ignore an EPIRB because it did not have FCC approval?
 
#28 ·
The battery change would be a big issue I suppose.

I was thinking that a comparison might be to Spinlock vests. Lots of racers / sailors wear by them but they are not approved in either the US or Canada.
 
#29 ·
...I was thinking that a comparison might be to Spinlock vests. Lots of racers / sailors wear by them but they are not approved in either the US or Canada.
Use those and go over the side in US or Canadian waters and you're certain to go right to the bottom, Non?

Actually, what I liked about the Aussie gear was, aside from what appeared to be a very affordable initial price, even more so the 10 year battery life span. I've now had to replace batteries on our ACR GPIRB and PLB's twice since we bought them in 2002 and that's not an inexpensive proposition tho' certainly necessary.
 
#30 ·
"What, do you think that when an Aussie or NZ yacht crosses the 12 mile limit from the US, their Oz/Nz electronics suddenly stop functioning?"
Actually, it stops functioning at the 200-mile "Economic Interest Zone".

I'd be curious to know exactly which battery chemistry is giving twice the shelf life, or if that's just a battery which is larger so there's still more life left in it.

My Crewfit PFD wasn't USCG certified but then again, none of the inflateables were when I bought it. Understanding certificates is all well and good, but I figured that if the Secret Service could but an inflateable on the POTUS on Marine One...it probably worked well enough for me, too.
 
#34 · (Edited)
I was a bit of a SA on that. All they say is that COSPAS/SARSAT has approved their battery for 10 year life, no details. i trust that COSPAS/SARSAT would not overstate a product. It would be interesting to know how KTI did that. Probably trade secret, SWAG.

"The Safety Alert SA1G EPIRB is extremely cost effective and low maintenance due to an engineering world first COSPAS/SARSAT approved 10 Year Battery. The SafetyAlert SA1G is designed to go the distance so you may have complete confidence on land or at sea."
 
#36 ·
"it seems that the life-span of electronic devices is about 8-10 years"
Well, their life span is more like 100 years. The support from their makers may only be ten years.
Solid state electronics are remarkably long-lived, unless the maker has done something embarassing in the procurement and engineering departments.

Shoemakers have something similar to say, about boots where the soles have been glued on instead of stitched, making it impossible to replace worn soles and way more expensive to replace good boots. Like 10x more.

ACR's excuse on one of their EPIRB lines was that after time, the brass insets in the plastic case, which are how the screws held it together, were spalling out of the plastic. And somehow, they didn't mention that was an engineering defect in their product, they just blamed it on "age". They don't make mistakes. (ahem)
 
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