EPIRBs and You

by John T. Koegler
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association November 2011 Newsletter)

EPIRB units are designed to provide quick rescue assistance in cases of a disaster. Last year Congress added a paragraph to the US Coast Guard funding bill that gave the agency the new authority to require that all boats traveling offshore carry EPIRBs and/or Personal Locator Beacons.

A big issue is their definition of offshore. Their boundary line is three miles off the shore. Once you leave state waters you are offshore as far as they are concerned. This means any boat fishing at all but two NJ artificial reefs are offshore!

The USCG and others always inflate the costs of these search and rescue events to absurd numbers. They never consider that their personnell are on the payroll anyway. The fixed cost of the equipment is also there, even if not being used. So they are double counting their two most expensive costs.

EPIRBs transmit two different signals. One signal is to the earth satellite system. The second signal is a homing transmission so that rescue units can quickly find your beacon unit. EPIRBs are activated two ways; one is manually when you flip the switch and, two, if the unit hits the water it is automatically activated. Some newer units have their own internal GPS which is sent to the satellite system for an exact location. GPS units cost about $100 additional but it sharply reduces your rescue time. The exact same EPIRB system is used world wide.

These units have a stated useful life of 5 years. Their special lithium batteries will operate for over 10 years if you take care of them. Worldwide these units save many lives. Most nations have no organization like the USCG. How many additional lives would be saved in US waters is believed to be few.

Busy offshore areas like the US canyon areas have other boats in them most of the offshore fishing season between June 1 and October 1. In these areas Sea Tow is the primary responder for most boating emergencies. The USCG responds only when a life is threatened.

Standard EPIRBs weigh a pound and retail for $700 to $800 each. Newer EPIRBs are both smaller and cheaper. ACR Electronics has a new unit called ResQLink. It is only 4 inches long and weighs just 4.6 ounces. Their retail list price is $325.

An alternative unit is called Spot. This gives you a limited message capacity of 40 letters plus rescue capability but they charge a yearly fee of $99. Regular EPIRBs have no annual fee. As prices of all these units continue to fall, it will be difficult to justify not owning one. Your life is worth many times $325. Saving your boat, engines and equipment makes not owning an EPIRB system impossible to justify.

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