EPIRB

Apologies, the GME website is incorrect.
Here is the correct URL:
http://www.gme.net.au/epirb/index.html

Darian as for the 121.5/243 mhz systems being 'old hat', is well, not exactly correct. Sure, the 406Mhz are the new system, and yes, have some distinct advantages, but one of the main barriers is the price of these units and I am not so sure you can get one yet that is a personal unit.
Yes, the 121.5/243 mhz are slow, and can be 20 minutes and in most unusual conditions 2 hours before the signal is received. All commercial and many private aeroplanes carry receivers as well to receive the EPIRB signal.

Yes, a 406Mhz is preferable, but is it affordable to all and the issue of size for a personal unit.

e-mail Pains Wessex with 'Customer Service' in the Subject Line
genenq@painswessex.com.au
and ask them. Didn't you get instructions with yours?

Certainly Oz - point taken re prices - for battery replacement, Pains W simply invite clients to send the unit to the factory - $140 by the time it is back !! The transmitter is small and and is in the lid - for the $140 you get a new yellow body, with cord and battery already glued in. We only need the battery, but no specs or advice are offered re this........
dp

Darian I just had a look, and my current EPIRB unit is actually a KTI
http://www.kti.com.au/BEACONS.htm

The previous unit that was stolen last year was a Pains Wessex. When I bought this replacement unit, the person on the phone said 'they now have user replaceable batteries' and remember looking at when I got it, and saw it was a different brand, but had forgotton.
This KTI most definitely has user replaceable batteries, I just read the manual.

Eric,
If you have any other means of communication then thats what you should use. Any type of emergency beacon is just to be used as a very last resort when you have no other way to advise you have an emergency. I spent a lot of time driving and flying in the outback and there was always some type of ELT close by just in case everything went wrong.
Dick

If an EPIRB goes off in a built up city, then yes, it is investigated to see if it is a false alarm or not, but they do NOT wait 2 hours.
If an EPIRB goes off out at sea or on land that is not as part of a heavily populated area, the emergency signal is immediately acted on. NEVER ever does anybody wait 2 hours. All signals are investigated promptly. With the 121.5/243 Mhz models, the search area can be up to 20km, but in average conditions is around 10km. This is one of the advantages of the newer models the search area is significantly cut down.

They have the ability to charge the person who activated a beacon falsely, but so far they have not. Suggest you read their webpage correctly.

Yes, I have a satellite phone, but I also have an EPIRB. It is a bit difficult to carry a satellite phone when you are bushwalking or off-road motorcycling, especially on extended trips. Satellite phones chew battery power, and with them having rechargeable batteries that loose up to 3% of their charge not being used, you can easily end up with a flat battery. An EPIRB in many situations is still the best, and yes, I never go anywhere without my EPIRB.
Hopefully in the near future the 406Mhz beacons will get smaller for personal use and cheaper, but in the interim the 121.5/243 Mhz are affordable by everybody and still are a much in use.

I agree with Oziexplorer about response times.

I was a professional Radio Operator in long range fixed communications in my time in the army, and as such was involved in many S.A.R. alerts to provide back up "direction finding" [D.F.] facilities at the request of the S.A.R authority in Canberra.

These S.A.R. targets were both on land and sea, and on one occasion an accidental triggering of a hijack alarm on a commercial aircraft en route from Darwin to Singapore.

The end result of that little incident was a full scale alert at Paya Lebar airport in Singapore, and a very red faced Greek pilot answering lots of questions on arrival :) :).

I can assure you there is no 2 hour waiting time when any emergency button is triggered.

I personally carry an EPIRB in the bush.

There was a very sad instance in the Toowoomba area about 18 months ago where a young but experienced bushwalker went on a solo bushwalk towards the Lamington Plateau from Toowoomba.

The poor young bloke slipped and fell down a cliff face injuring himself badly in the process.

He had a mobile phone with him and tried to call for help but his signal kept drifting in and out due to poor coverage area.

By the time he was missed it was too late. Search teams looked for days but by the time the young bloke was located he had died from his injuries and exposure.

Sadly, he may have been alive today if he had carried an EPIRB.

better safe than sorry

Enjoy the bush

DennisN

Must disagree, Ozi, but battery loss is rarely more than about 15 if they are in good condition. And any good satphone comes with an easy to carry 12v charger. Never need to be with flat batteries if you manage your equipment properly.

Satphones nowadays are as easy to carry as an EPIRB - and a whole lot more useful!

Oops! typing too fast. Should be 1 %, not 15.

Cruiser I am only quoting what the Motorola handbooks states the battery loss can be at 35°C.

Yes, I have a 12vDC battery charger, but is a tad difficult to take with me when I am bushwalking - of which I do a lot. On my off-road motorcycle, I sometimes take my satphone, but if I am going into rugged country for more than a day trip, I take my EPIRB only.

Mark where can you get a personal 406Mhz EPIRB unit from and price?

I agree with you 100% about the circumstances in which an EPIRB should be used - as an absolute last resort. I have carried them for many years on land and at sea (or similar devices in pre-satellite days) so know their uses and their limitations.
However, there seem to be a lot of people who buy an EPIRB because it is a bit of gadgetry they need to have in order to feel 'safe' in the knowledge that 'someone' will come and find them. This is reinforced by the fact that they are relatively cheap as several people have pointed out.

Personally, I prefer my HF and satphone, as long as I have a number for the RFDS (one central number) and another for an appropriate police location. In cases of serious injury I want quick responses. I would rather be talking to someone to help me manage a serious casualty than wait for a plane to fly over and not being able to communicate with it.

My satphone batteries last for weeks if I'm not using it so I can go for a long time without having to charge it - and always carry a fully charged spare.

Gavin

If I only carried one it would be a hand held one, just in case I am involved in an accident with the vehicle and the installation in the vehicle is damaged.

Also with the hand held it will (should) always be with you and not sitting back in the car. Accidents/emergencies are not planned and happen at the very worst time.
Dick