There have been a few questions raised off-line about Emergency Position Indicating Radiobeacons (EPIRBs) --- including a question on the meaning of the acronym --- and some issues have been raised about the value of an EPIRB to a kayaker. For general interest, there are two available varieties --- the 121.5 MHz beacon and the 406 MHz beacon, with a 243 MHz beacon available only to the military. Biggest difference is that a "121" beacon, when activated, sends out a signal which will be heard by a satellite within two hours that says somebody may be in trouble in an area with a radius of 12 miles. When a "406" is activated, it says instantaneously that a specific vessel operated by a specific person at a specific phone number is in trouble in an area within a radius of two miles. Unless it's one of the newest "406s" with GPS built in, and then it provides all the above within a radius of 100 meters. If I were to be kayaking in remote areas, I'd be very happy with the Cadilac in my back hatch. Ain't cheap, but how much value does survival have? For more details, see these NOAA or Coast Guard websites: <http:psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/SARSAT/emerbcns.html> and <http://www.navcen.uscg.mil/marcomms/gmdss/epirb.htm> I'm not advocating these things, just passing along the info. But they do work, and the newest 406 units with GPS are the best. Jack Martin *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
121.5 MHz is the aircraft band emergency frequency. Most aircraft monitor 121.5 and your range would be LOS. cya > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net]On Behalf Of > JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com > Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 1998 11:16 AM > To: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subject: [Paddlewise] EPIRBs > > > There have been a few questions raised off-line about > Emergency Position > Indicating Radiobeacons (EPIRBs) --- including a question on > the meaning of > the acronym --- and some issues have been raised about the > value of an EPIRB > to a kayaker. For general interest, there are two available > varieties --- the > 121.5 MHz beacon and the 406 MHz beacon, with a 243 MHz > beacon available only > to the military. Biggest difference is that a "121" beacon, > when activated, > sends out a signal which will be heard by a satellite within > two hours that > says somebody may be in trouble in an area with a radius of > 12 miles. When a > "406" is activated, it says instantaneously that a specific > vessel operated by > a specific person at a specific phone number is in trouble in > an area within a > radius of two miles. Unless it's one of the newest "406s" > with GPS built in, > and then it provides all the above within a radius of 100 meters. > > If I were to be kayaking in remote areas, I'd be very happy > with the Cadilac > in my back hatch. Ain't cheap, but how much value does survival have? > > For more details, see these NOAA or Coast Guard websites: > <http:psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/SARSAT/emerbcns.html> and > <http://www.navcen.uscg.mil/marcomms/gmdss/epirb.htm> > > I'm not advocating these things, just passing along the info. > But they do > work, and the newest 406 units with GPS are the best. > > Jack Martin > ************************************************************** > ************* > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > ************************************************************** > ************* > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com wrote: > > There have been a few questions raised off-line about Emergency Position > Indicating Radiobeacons (EPIRBs) --- including a question on the meaning of > the acronym --- and some issues have been raised about the value of an EPIRB > to a kayaker. For general interest, there are two available varieties --- the > 121.5 MHz beacon and the 406 MHz beacon,[snip] When a > "406" is activated, it says instantaneously that a specific vessel operated by > a specific person at a specific phone number is in trouble in an area within a > radius of two miles. Unless it's one of the newest "406s" with GPS built in, > and then it provides all the above within a radius of 100 meters. > > If I were to be kayaking in remote areas, I'd be very happy with the Cadillac > in my back hatch. Ain't cheap, but how much value does survival have? Joq has raised the issue of whether an EPIRB is worth taking on an extended trip to "isolated" waters. If I were headed to a place where I would expect to see no one, I'd take the Cadillac unit, to cover the circumstance in which my group is pinned down and needs a haulout (serious injury, loss of boat, etc.). Neither unit will help if we are all tossed into the water and can not reach the beach. We are done for, most likely, baring heroic survival activity. I suspect, however, the places most of us regard as "remote" have enough fishing vessel traffic/yak traffic/etc., that the VHF would still be a better (maybe faster, also, in the case of the 121.5 MHz units) mechanism to summon help. At the moment, I think my $800 would be better spent on a Goretex dry suit. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise, however. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
>121.5 MHz is the aircraft band emergency frequency. Most aircraft monitor >121.5 and your range would be LOS. > >cya Since this frequency is monitored by satellites passing overhead, the line-of-sight range is quite effective. Line of sight overhead reaches well out past the fringes of the solar system and beyond. Actually, the weak point of the system is not range but time. An orbit takes roughly 90 minutes, so depending upon where the satellite is, it can be up to 90 minutes before your beacon is detected. After that, it takes another pass to confirm it (there are LOTS of false signals) and get Search & Rescue activated. So you will be in trouble for at least a couple of hours before you can hope for help to respond, and it can easily be much longer. Ira Adams ************************************************************ I don't do .INI, .BAT, .CFG, or .SYS files. I don't assign apps to files. I don't configure peripherals or networks before using them. I don't manage IRQs and DMA channels, either. My computer works for me, not the other way around. I have a Macintosh. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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