Instruction manual

PROFICIENCY IN SURVIVAL CRAFT AND RESCUE BOATS OTHER THAN
FAST RESCUE BOATS
14 11
According to the Coast Guard, "if the EPIRB is properly registered, [they]
will be able to use the registration information to immediately begin action on
the case. If the EPIRB is unregistered, a distress alert may take as much as
two hours longer to reach the Coast Guard over the international satellite
system. If an unregistered EPIRB transmission is abbreviated for any reason,
the satellite will be unable to determine the EPIRB's location, and the Coast
Guard will be unable to respond to the distress alert. Unregistered EPIRBs
have needlessly cost the lives of several mariners since the satellite system
became operational."
14.2.3 COSPAS-SARSAT EPIRBs
Compared with simple 121.5 MHz ELTs a 406,025-MHz or 406,028-
MHz EPIRB provide for some advantages. COSPAS-SARSAT satellites for
406-MHz beacons compute and store the estimated position of the EPIRB
when passing by. When reaching the next ground station these satellites
forward the stored distress call with the estimated position. Since COSPAS-
SARSAT satellites are of polar surrounding LEO type, they guarantee a global
coverage. A 406 MHz EPIRB should be programmed with the owner's
particulars like serial number, MMSI or call-sign. This allows SAR forces to
identify the disabled vessel.
COSPAS/SARSAT satellite transponders are payloads on (e.g.) weather
satellites owned by the USA, Russia, France and Canada. The principle of
position estimation remains the same as with 121,5 MHz beacons, but
COSPAS/SARSAT 406-MHz EPIRBs carry very stable oscillators so-called
OCXOs (oven controlled crystal oscillators) or TCXO (temperature
compensated crystal oscillators). They improve the Doppler measurent.