I recently registered my 406 Mhz Epirb which I had been planning on doing for over a year so thought I should put a reminder up for those who havent done it yet and also for those still to upgrade.

The old 121.5 Mhz epirbs are being phased out and from 1st February 2009, alerts from these beacons will no longer be received by the Cosaps-Sarsat satelite system.

EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) are compulsory safety equipment when offshore and in other documented areas. The 121.5 Mhz EPIRB was, until recent years, significantly cheaper than the more sophisticated 406 Mhz type so naturally was the most popular. Due to this fact it is likely a lot of people will need to upgrade.

The 406 Mhz EPIRB offers enhanced emergency location features.

• A 406MHz EPIRB locates your position to within 5 kms as opposed to 20 kms using a 121.5 MHZ beacon.

• The 406MHz beacon is coded with your name, boat and contact details which helps searchers know what type of craft they are searching for.

• The alert time for 406s is usually seconds as opposed to hours for a 121.5 MHz beacon.

• False alarms have been a major problem with 121.5 MHz beacons with an estimated 97 in 100 alerts due to faulty beacons, accidental or malicious activation or other spurious causes. The digital 406MHZ is much less prone to some of these causes and in the event of an alert the rescue authorities have the owners contact details to rule out false alerts and also get possible vital information about a genuine alert.

• 406MHz beacons can also be purchased with extra features like automatic operation and built in GPS receiver to pinpoint the EPIRB’s position.

Australian residents owning a 406MHz Epirb must register their EPIRB with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). They have the details and relevant forms on their website. Non residents of Australia have to register in their country of residence.

Registration is easy and only takes a few minutes. Heres the link to the website - https://www.beacons.amsa.gov.au/

You will need some info off your EPIRB like serial number, model etc.