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As of the first of the year, boaters are now prohibited from using
121.5 MHz Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons, the U.S.
Coast Guard announced. This is in preparation for the shut-off
of satellite reception on these frequencies set to take place
Feb. 1, 2009.
Boaters who plan to travel more than
20 miles offshore should now use only 406 MHz EPIRBs whose
signals are picked up by the COSPAS-SARSAT satellites worldwide.
The 406 MHz beacons send “smart” signals coded
with information such as vessel identity and location to
search and rescue stations around the world.
The new ban on use of 121.5 MHz beacons applies to all Class
A, B and S products. However, it does not affect the use of
121.5 MHz man-overboard devices which are intended to work
solely with alerting a base station on board the boat and not
the satellite system.
The biggest problem with 121.5 beacons
has been false alerts. The Coast Guard reports that only
one out of 50 alerts from a 121.5 are actual distress calls.
The rest are false alerts. Since the 406 beacons are required
by law to be registered to the owner, wider use of the 406’s
has significantly cut down on false alerts.
Registration in the U.S. for a 406 MHz EPIRB can be done via
beaconregistration.noaa.gov or by calling 1-888-212-SAVE.
The BoatU.S. Foundation will continue to rent 406 MHz EPIRBs
for boaters who need one for a specific offshore cruise or
a race. Reservations can be made online at BoatUS.com/Foundation.
Since the program began, Foundation rental beacons have saved
49 lives.
© BoatUS
Magazine March 2007
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