Cheapest EPIRB ever

[AtlanticAl]

I just bought an EPIRB for $11.50 It was supposed to be out of date, but it tested perfect, besides which, its only $250 to get serviced, its two years past its service date, but an amazing bargain for 11.50. Last time i bought an EPIRB, it was new and cost 1200 dollars, (that was a few years ago) i gave the epirb away with the boat, when I sold it.

I dont really know why i need an epirb on grand lake or even if its legal to activate an epirb on grand lake if your boat is sinking but for 11.50 who really cars of the coast guard had to fly 500 miles inland, mind you if the boat was to sink, might have to spend a lot of time swimming waiting on them.

Maybe i should try to get a liferaft for about ten bucks, i am sure if i tried hard enough i could.

 

[Sailm8]

What frequency is it?

http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dbor/bor_epirb010107.htm

 

[Benny17441]

I think the $10 raft would be a better investment. As far as the EPIRB it could make a good paperweight. Even if it was the correct frequencies if you have no use for it there would be no justification for servicing it. No, the USCG will not repond to a 500 mile in-land signal. You'd be lucky if they call and send the local Barney out to investigate. On the other hand for $11.50 you could not find a better conversation piece or a toy to fool around with for a couple of hours. Sell on E-Bay?

 

[Delezynski]

Caution.... Some manufacturers will NOT service an older EPIRB. I found that if ours was serviced once, they would NOT do a second service. They would only recommend getting a new one.

Just a point to consider.

Greg

 

[njwtech]

Not suggesting that you would but you might want to be cautious fooling around with it for fun as well - or at least setting it off. If it is what I think it is, it sends out a distress signal on 121.5 mhz - civilian aircraft distress frequency - or 243 mhz - military aircraft distress frequency. You may end up with a whole bunch of angry military search people or civilian search and rescue scrambled whether you are 500 miles from the coast or not. Before the more recent use of satellites to receive the emergency signals, earlier EPIRBS used aircraft distress frequencies so that high flying aircraft would pick up the signal out at sea.

 

[tommays]

Well they will in fact do inland stuff as the new personal ones are also sold as a hiking tool of last resort

And you set up to as person and put your facts and contacts online so they can see the info

 

[txjim]

if you are looking for cheap insurance, this would be better...

http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=101

It's been discussed on this forum in the past. Costs $100 with a $100 annual subscription (add $50 for position tracking). I rented one for a recent trip up the Texas coast and the ability to send check-in/I'm OK messages was invaluable.

I don't think I would trust the well being of my crew to an $11.50 EBay purchase.

 

[Bill Roosa]

I believe the FCC or an international organization just depreciated the use of most EPIRB that operate on the standard emergency freqs. They now use satellite communications to relay the signal.
http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/emerbcns.html
try this for more info on testing them or confirming whither they are supported or not.

 

[AtlanticAl]

What frequency is it?

http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dbor/bor_epirb010107.htm

Its a 406 epirb, model RLB 35 cat 2, I know what i am buying, as i have a GMDSS general operators certificate. Some old epirbs were on radio frequencies, and their were some (i owned one ot one time) that was on aircraft frequency, it was a big thing, that had a huge antenna, that was kind of like the tape in a tape meassure, and with that you could talk to aircraft if an emergency. That was prior to satelite epirbs.

This one was just an extremelly good bargain. Probably down to the fact it was advertised on Ebay as a GPS receiver. No one wanted a strange looking GPS receiver that they had never seen before.