akdocauer
01-25-2009, 10:52 AM
Hey if you have a class A/B EPIRB in your contingency kit or you are thinking of purchasing an EPIRB, and haven't been keeping up with the latest on them, after 1 Feb the COSPAS/SARSAT system will no longer process the 121.5 MHZ signal transmitted by Class A/B EPIRBs. In fact, as of that date, the Class A/B are no-longer FCC authorized to transmit. If interested in the background as to why, see the links at the bottom of the post. Bottom line reasons are higher fidelity of information including location available in the 406 MHZ digital transmission, and the taxing of SAR resources needed to geolocate and respond to the analog VHF 121.5 MHZ signal. If you continue to use the Class A/B, and you are lucky enough to be in VHF line-of-sight with a ship or aircraft monitoring VHF Guard, your EPIRB signal, not location "could possibly" be reported. If you are really lucky your signal will be received by an aircraft, such as a small number of certain military aircraft that have a limited ability to DF the signal. If you sense hope in this, I wouldn't. If the right aircraft happens to be nearby in your hour of need, it is pure dumb luck which goes against the very reason to carry an EPIRB in the first place. Anyway, you can still purchase Class A/B EPIRBs and get good deals on them. Not hard to figure since they will basically be paperweights in a few weeks. Buyer beware.
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/gmdss/epirb.htm
http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/emerbcns.html
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/gmdss/epirb.htm
http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/emerbcns.html