Travelling to remote areas? Who's there for you when things go wrong?

Submitted: Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 18:25
ThreadID: 57987 Views:7175 Replies:16 FollowUps:25
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I've put this on another forum but since another member has bought up the search for th missing camper in Victoria, I thought I'd post it here to


I've recently started working for a Search and Rescue organisation and it's made me think about those things that can go wrong when you're out in the middle of no where.

Imagine you're on that ultimate 4WD trip you've been planning for ages. You're out the east side of the Gibson Desert when you spike your fuel tank. The hole's big enough to put a bowling ball through. Not even Roothy could fix this one.

You haven't seen another vehicle for days, you're out of range for HF comms and Telstra just hasn't reached your location with Next G.......yet.

In this situation, with the right equipment, you could have emergency supplies dropped to you within 24 hours.

When I say "the right equipment" I mean a Personal Locator Beacon or EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) with you.

These beacons can be purchased from GME or just google EPIRB.

EPIRBS currently work on 121.5MHz and 406MHz frequencies.

**As of the 1st of February 2009, the 121.5MHz EPIRBS will no longer be detected by satellite**

When you purchase your 406MHz EPIRB you then register the beacon with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)

The signal transmitted by your 406MHz beacon is received by satellite and then processed by AMSA and given to the emergency services.

When we're given the call we can get an aircraft out to you well within 24 hours.

From that aircraft we can drop supplies like food, water, shelter, communications and emergency supplies like tools, flares and signals to keep you going until either a helicopter or ground rescue team can get to you.

What to look for in an EPIRB-

# 406MHz

# Completely waterproof.

# Fitted with long life batteries capable of retaining up to 90% of their original Amp Hour capacity after 10 years.

# Safety seal which serves to indicate that the beacon has never been turned on and the batteries have not been used.

# Test facility to allow the beacons functionality to be tested without fear of accidentally transmitting a distress signal. The test actually measures the transmitters power output, not just the battery condition.

*Courtesy GME Emergency Beaconshttp://www.gme.net.au/epirb/index.php

It doesn't matter where you are in this great country, if you're in trouble and you carry an EPIRB, we can get to you.

AMSA has 5 bases around Australia each with a twin engine turbo prop Dornier 328 located in Perth, Darwin, Cairns, Brisbane and Essendon.

Our aircraft are fitted with specialist equipment to home into an EPIRB signal over land or water in day or night conditions. We're also fitted out with all types of communications equipment including a 40 Channel UHF 2-way which is most commonly used amongst 4WD enthusiasts so either way, we'll get to you.

So if you're planning that big trip, take piece of mind with you and carry and EPIRB, they range from $300 onwards and could save you life in any situation.

For more details log onto http://www.amsa.gov.au
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