subject: Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon and Global Position Satellite [print this page] Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon and Global Position Satellite
Recreational boats are not required to carry EPIRBs; some commercial and fishing vessels must have them if they operate beyond the 3-mile limit, however, and vessels carrying six or fewer passengers for hire must have EPIRBs under some circumstances when operating beyond the 3-mile limit.
Some EPIRBs contain a 121.5 MHz frequency, which was intended to be monitored by commercial aircraft. But its use by recreational boaters is prohibited by the U.S. Coast Guard as 0f 2007. The Coast Guard highly recommends that recreational vessels carry 406s, whose signals can be received worldwide by satellites. When a satellite receives a 406 signal, it records the signal and retransmits it to the first land-based receiving station the satellite passes over. A 406's signal can be pinpointed anywhere on the earth's surface to within 3 nautical miles on the first pass and within 1 mile on the third.
Newer 406 signals are uniquely coded for each unit. The individual information is recorded in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) computers; it aids in search-and rescue efforts by identifying your vessel's characteristics and also helps reduce false alarms.
Too often, EPIRBs are turned on during designated test periods and then are not turned off. When you test your 406, be certain that it is in the "test' mode.
If you buy a new or used 406 EPIRB, (or change your boat, address, or telephone number), you must register it with NOAA. To request and submit 406 MHz EPIRB registration forms, go to www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov. You can also buy the product at www.marine-epirbs.com .
Global Position Satellite (GPS) is everywhere. This satellite-based system provides extremely accurate navigational information from any place on the globe that has an unobstructed view of the heavens. (But don't expect it to work in the deep valleys of West Virginia.)
There are twenty-four orbiting satellites and up to five spares in the system, and they are arranged and programmed to provide continuous worldwide coverage at any time, day or night, no matter what the weather. Your receiver will tell you what satellite it is currently using (the satellites being used change as their usefulness increases and decreases), and where they are in your sky.
The system is managed by the U.S. Department of Defense. Prior to May 1, 2000, the system was randomly degraded called Selected Availability, or SA, to keep enemies of the United States from using our own system to very accurately target their missiles. Since that date, SA is no longer in use. The end result is a public navigational system that is accurate to within 15 meters (49.2 feet) or less 95 percent of the time. There is military-only version that is even more accurate.
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