Sea
From 1 JULY 2008, it was made compulsory to carry registered 406MHz EPIRB’s for some classes of vessels In basic terms, If you were required to carry a 121.5MHz EPIRB, then you should have already upgraded to a 406MHz EPIRB.
What is an EPIRB?
Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) are distress beacons designed for maritime environments. They are waterproof and designed to float upright in water. Some require manual activation and have additional safety devices, such as strobe lights. Others are self-activating and will float free in the event of an emergency. The battery life of an EPIRB is normally twice as long as a PLB.
What kind of 406MHz EPIRB do I need?
There is a wide range of beacons suitable for marine use. Some are activated manually, while others will float free and activate automatically if the vessel sinks. In some cases a smaller, waterproof Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) may be suitable and can also be used for other purposes such as tramping, climbing, gliding and other outdoor activities. PLB’s are small enough to fit in your pocket and are activated manually but most do not float and have a shorter battery-life than EPIRB’s.
We strongly recommend you purchase a beacon with in-built GPS as this dramatically improves their accuracy. This means your location can be identified by Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand on the first contact with a satellite. Without GPS it would require two satellites to pick up your beacon signal, to resolve the ambiguity of the satellite positions. The time between satellite passes varies greatly, ranging between 20 minutes and 4.5 hours.
Your local supplier (see the supplier’s page on this website) will be able to guide you on the most suitable option for your needs, taking into account the kind of boating activity you engage in.
Maritime New Zealand Rules
Pleasure vessels:
Offshore pleasure vessels heading overseas are
already required to carry a 406MHz EPIRB. Yachts undertaking coastal races where
Category 2 or 3 safety rules apply must carry a 406MHz EPIRB from 1 February
2009. For further advice, contact the recreational boating team at recreationalboating@maritimenz.govt.nz
Commercial vessels:
For some classes of vessels, it became
compulsory to carry registered 406MHz EPIRB’s from 1 July 2008. To
determine if that applies to you, please contact your nearest Maritime New
Zealand advisor or check out the relevant rules at http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/ In
basic terms, if you were required to carry a 121MHz or 243MHz EPIRB, then you
are now required to upgrade it to a 406MHz EPIRB.
For more information on the rules, please contact your nearest Maritime New Zealand advisor or visit http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/
What kind of EPIRB do I have now?
If you don’t know what kind of EPIRB you have already, please take the time to have a look at it soon. Somewhere on its body it will be marked with an operating frequency. If it doesn’t say 406MHz, it will more than likely need to be replaced. If in doubt, take it to an EPIRB supplier for verification. See the suppliers’ page on this website for your local beacon supplier.
Where should I keep it?
This depends on the type of EPIRB and where you are installing it.
On Boats:
If your EPIRB comes with a mounting bracket, place it
where it is visible and easy to access in an emergency. If the EPIRB and mount
have a magnetic activated mounting switch ensure that the two magnets are “face
to face”. Make sure the EPIRB stays dry and keep it locked away when nobody is
onboard. If you are using a PLB, you must keep it on your person.
In the life raft:
If you have an inflatable life raft onboard, an
additional beacon can be stored inside the raft.
Keep the beacon away from:
- Equipment that may accidentally knock the activation switch.
- Magnetic sources, such as microphones and radio speakers (some beacons are activated by a magnetic on/off switch).
- High water pressure.
- Children who may accidentally turn it on.
Note: If you are moving beacons, always make sure they are in the 'safe' or 'off' mode.
Don't buy a foreign 406!
Each country has an individual 406 code. When you purchase a 406MHz distress beacon, make sure it is coded for New Zealand. The New Zealand Country Code is 512. If you buy one from overseas or over the Internet, it could be an expensive mistake. When it is activated the satellite may notify the wrong rescue coordination centre which could mean a long, potentially life-threatening delay in your rescue.
Remember – It is vital that you register your new beacon.
This means Search and Rescue can contact you or a person you nominate to verify activation. This can improve search response time and help cut down on false alarms. Once your beacon is registered, you will need to keep your details up to date and notify the register if the beacon changes ownership.
There are two easy ways to register your 406MHz beacon:
1 Fill out the
online 406
registration form.
2 Or download the .PDF
registration form, complete it and post, email or fax your form
to:
Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand
PO Box 30050
Lower Hutt
5040
New Zealand
Fax: +64 4 577 8041
Phone 0800 406 111 or email 406registry@maritimenz.govt.nz to make registration enquiries.
Disposing of old beacons
Old EPIRB’s need to be correctly disposed of in case they accidentally activate and trigger a false alarm. Active beacons have been found at the bottom of rubbish tips, triggering expensive and unnecessary search operations. There is also the risk that someone may think one of the old 121.5MHz EPIRB’s is a useful safety device.
It is also important to the environment that beacons are disposed of correctly. The batteries are normally toxic and must be disposed of in accordance with the relevant regulations. Please take the batteries out before disposing of an old beacon or return it to your beacon retailer.
If you sell or dispose of a registered 406 MHz beacon, please let RCCNZ know
by phoning 0800 406 111.
