A Fatal Error

[Electronics Guru]

ADVERTISE HERE

before the incident.

EPIRB manufacturers around the world are urging owners to make sure their distress beacons are properly registered. The warning follows the loss of the scallop dredger Lady Mary and six fishermen on March 24.

At the formal investigation into the sinking, a Coast Guard spokesman claimed that its first warning of the situation was an alert from an unreg-istered 406-MHz EPIRB, which was passed on from the NOAA SARSAT control center at 0707 on the day of the sinking. As is usual with non-GPS-equipped EPIRB alerts, the transmission gave two possible positions, but at 0715 a second satellite fly-by confirmed a position about 65 miles southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

By 0820 a rescue helicopter had located Lady Mary's empty liferaft, and by 0850 the helicopter was on its way back to base with Jose Arias, the sole survivor, and the bodies of two crewmen. But according to Arias, the scalloper went down long before the Coast Guard received the distress signal.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Arias told investigators that he was awakend at about 0500 by someone shouting that the boat was sinking and that he found himself in the water within a few minutes. His account was confirmed by Lady Mary’s automatic tracking system, whose last position report was transmitted at 0510, and by a Mayday that was picked up by another fishing vessel at about 0500.

So why did the message from a 406-MHz EPIRB—one that was subsequently recovered, tested, and found to be in perfect working order—take so long to reach the Coast Guard?

One particularly worrying aspect is the Coast Guard’s initial statement that Lady Mary’s EPIRB was “unregistered,” an allegation that was immediately refuted by the boat’s owner and by the NOAA decals on the EPIRB itself.

As the inquiry progressed, it emerged that the beacon identification number—ADCD023C3542C01—had been wrongly keyed into NOAA’s database: the last four digits were recorded as 2001. A spokesman for NOAA explained to the inquiry that a signal from Lady Mary’s EPIRB was picked up by a high-orbiting geostationary satellite at 0540, probably within minutes of when the boat actually sank. If the beacon had been properly registered, he said, NOAA’s automated system would have kicked in and immediately provided the Coast Guard with details of the boat and her owner, who would probably have been able to confirm that Lady Mary was indeed at sea and given her approximate location.

But that fatal error in the unlucky thirteenth digit meant that Lady Mary’s EPIRB instead showed up as “unregistered.” And as it was a basic EPIRB—one without an integral GPS—the geostationary satellite couldn’t tell where the signal had come from, so NOAA had no useful location information to pass on to the Coast Guard until two low-flying LEOSAR satellites picked up the signal.

The Coast Guard has repeatedly stressed that registration isn’t just a legal requirement, but that it saves lives. The tragedy of this particular case is that a failure in the registration system—a typing error by a sub-contractor’s clerk—may have cost six lives. To register, renew, or check your EPIRB registration online, go to www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov.
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[nautiduck]

Hey E-Guru is there a way to test the epirb to make sure they work and are sending a correct signal? Without just dunking it and getting in all kinds of trouble.

[Electronics Guru]

Nauti, Great question.
Below you will find an excellent article put out by Noaa and the U.S. Coastguard about inspecting and testing your E.P.I.R.B

Monthly EPIRB Inspection Procedures
As Recommended by NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard
The following information has been developed by the NOAA SARSAT Office and the U.S. Coast Guard
Office of Search and Rescue to provide EPIRB owners and maintainers a generic list of recommended
procedures for conducting monthly EPIRB inspections. These inspection procedures are intended to
provide general guidance and do not supersede the recommended procedures provided by the International
Maritime Organization or by the EPIRB manufacturer. All owners and maintainers should follow the
inspection and self-testing procedures of their EPIRB manufacturer accordingly.


INTRODUCTION
EPIRBs are subject to possibly the most
demanding requirements of any shipborne
equipment. Despite prolonged periods of
continuous exposure to extreme weather
conditions, with minimal maintenance attention,
they are required to be ready to work without
flaw, first time, in an emergency. EPIRB
equipment design has developed to the point
where exceptionally high effectiveness and
reliability have become the norm, but such a
demanding level of reliability can only be
assured over a long period of time by a program
of testing and maintenance which, although it
need not be frequent or expensive, must be
rigorously applied and conducted.

For all compulsory vessels that are required to
carry 406 MHz EPIRBs in U.S. waters (that is,
all vessels over 300 gross tons, all commercial
fishing vessels regardless of tonnage operating
in waters greater than 3 nmi offshore, and all
inspected vessels engaged in transporting 6 or
more persons for hire regardless of tonnage)
mandatory testing of a vessels’ 406 MHz EPIRB
is required on a monthly basis.

When inspecting and conducting the monthly
test on an EP IRB it is important to
exercise extreme caution so as not to produce an
inadvertent activation. Many false distress alerts
continue to be caused by human error during the
testing and maintenance of EPIRBs and their
ancillary devices, as well as through
mishandling by inexperienced persons. Vessel
inspectors, EPIRB manufacturers, and service
engineers report a worrying number of cases
where equipment has been found incorrectly setup,
or poorly maintained. This is of particular
concern since it is unlikely to be apparent to the
crew that the equipment may not work in an
emergency.
Throughout the inspection and testing process,
great care must be taken to avoid the
transmission of a false distress alert.


INSPECTING YOUR EPIRB
Inspecting your EPIRB is one of the most
important tests you can provide to your vessel’s
suite of safety equipment. The EPIRB is
exposed to the elements at all times yet must be
able to perform properly at a moment’s notice.
For that reason, your EPIRB and its ancillary
devices should be inspected monthly to ensure
that they are always ready to work.

I. Inspection of the EPIRB Housing
The first test of an EPIRB should be to inspect
the unit housing the EPIRB. 406 MHz EPIRBs
should be fitted in an unobstructed 'float free'
mounting and positioned away from any
overhead obstructions to reduce the risk of the
EPIRB becoming trapped when released. In
such a mounting the EPIRB should be held in
place by a Hydrostatic Release Unit (HRU), an
Automatic Release Mechanism (ARM) or a
manual release bracket. In the case of the HRU,
it is designed to sense the increasing water
pressure if a vessel sinks and at a predetermined
depth (usually 3-5 meters) the HRU releases the
mount, allowing the EPIRB to float to the
surface.

Category I vs. Category II Beacons
If the EPIRB is a Category I beacon, the
mounting unit will allow the EPIRB to switch
itself on as it is released, so it will operate
automatically if the vessel sinks.
Category II EPIRBs differ in that they are not
released automatically via the HRU. They
activate manually or thru immersion in water.

II. Expiration Date
If the EPIRB is retained in its mount or casing
by an HRU, then the expiration date or service
date label on the HRU should be noted and
clearly visible. These units must be replaced
every 2 years including any associated plastic
bolts, rods, springs, and/or spacing washers.
The HRU should be free of any signs of
corrosion, cracking, water ingress, etc. Any
damage should be repaired in accordance with
the manufacturers procedures, replaced.

III. EPIRB Lanyard
Presence of a firmly attached lanyard in good
condition should also be verified. The lanyard
should be neatly stowed, and must not be tied to
the vessel or the mounting bracket.
IV. Checking for Physical Damage
The EPIRB should be examined thoroughly for
any physical damage. If there appears to be any
damage, corrosion, cracking, water ingress, etc.
the EPIRB should be replaced with a backup
immediately. In turn, this replacement EPIRB
should meet each of the inspection and testing
criteria listed here as well.

V. Proper Registration
An inspection of the EPIRB registration decal
from NOAA should also be inspected for all
U.S.A-coded EPIRBs. The registration decal
should be properly placed on the EPIRB and
clearly visible for U.S. Coast Guard inspectors.
If there appears to be any damage to the decal,
NOAA should be notified immediately. U.S.
law requires that all 406 MHz EPIRBs must be
properly registered with NOAA. Every two
years NOAA will seek an update of the
registration information to ensure accuracy.
However, if at anytime the registration
information does change (such as a new phone
number, new address, new emergency contact,
etc.) NOAA must be informed immediately.

VI. EPIRB Battery
The expiration date of the EPIRB's battery
should also be inspected. This is usually given
on the EPIRB manufacturer’s label or on another
plate affixed to the EPIRB. Battery life for most
EPIRBs is 5 years. The battery must be
replaced on or before the expiration date or if
the EPIRB has been used in an emergency
regardless of the length of time. EPIRB
batteries are designed to operate the beacon for a
minimum of 48 hours and therefore must always
be fully charged.

SELF-TESTING YOUR EPIRB
After the EPIRB has been properly inspected, a
self-test of the EPIRB can be conducted
following the instructions provided by the
EPIRB manufacturer. It is important that the
manufacturer’s instructions be followed to
ensure that your EPIRB is working properly and
to avoid an accidental activation.

VII. Self-Test Switch
Most EPIRBs have a visible test switch that is
usually spring loaded so it cannot be left on
inadvertently and thus reduce the life of the
battery. A light will indicate that the test circuits
are operating correctly. Sometimes this light
will also activate the strobe light. It is
recommended that the self-test switch be held
for no more than 2 flashes of the strobe light or
no longer than 1 minute after the first self-test
mode burst transmission.
When operating a 406 MHz EPIRB self-test, the
EPIRB is allowed to radiate a single burst which
is specially coded so that it is ignored by the
COSPAS-SARSAT system. The EPIRB must
never be tested by actual operation. If it is
accidentally activated in the transmit mode, then
it should be turned off at once and the false alert
cancelled by calling the nearest U.S. Coast
Guard Station and have them contact the nearest
Rescue Coordination Center.

VIII. Log-Keeping
For compulsory vessels all EPIRB tests must be
logged. Usually this is recorded in the GMDSS
Station Log which requires compulsory vessels
to conduct and record tests of the vessel’s
GMDSS system on a routine basis. The
GMDSS Station Log is required under U.S.
Code of Federal Regulations 47, Part 80.


IMPORTANT!
When used in an emergency, some EPIRBs must
be floating in the water for their antenna to
operate at peak efficiency. The EPIRB
manufacturer’s instructions will indicate if the
EPIRB should be operating afloat or if it can be
kept inside the liferaft. In either event, once the
EPIRB is activated in a distress situation leave it
switched on until you have been rescued or until
the batteries are exhausted. There have been
many cases reported where people kept turning
the EPIRB on and off in an attempt to prolong
the life of the battery. Doing this could actually
be a detriment to the EPIRB and the satellites
that are trying to determine your position. Once
the EPIRB is turned on, leave it on…the
satellites will hear you!


FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information on specific EPIRB testing
and inspection procedures please contact your
EPIRB manufacturer.
For more information on EPIRB registration and
the Search & Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking
(SARSAT) system, please visit NOAA’s
SARSAT website at: www.sarsat.noaa.gov
Or call 301-457-5678 or toll-free at 1-888-212-
7283.
Additional information may also be found at the
U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Search & Rescue
website at: www.uscg.mil/hq/g-o/g-opr/sar.htm
or by calling 202-267-1943