trophyhunter Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 Any one have any experience with these or recomendations? Once I get one, will it need to be registered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazmaniac Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 (edited) I used to sell them a long time ago and they have changed a bit from then so no recommendations sorry but there is no need to register them. The emergency services don't care who they are rescuing, only that the person setting them off is rescued. Edited December 29, 2010 by Tazmaniac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin32 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 Bogong in Melbourne will hire them: http://www.bogong.com.au/html/hire.html Maybe give them a call and ask, I have a friend with one and I don't think he needed to have it registered or anything, just works out of the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin32 Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 Check out: http://www.equipped.com/faq_plb/default.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adios Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 (edited) You might need to register the new 406MHz . Just make sure you get a new one of the latest type as the old 243 MHz models don't work anymore . The main consideration is that you do not set it off unless there is a genuine threat to health and safety. If you set it off because you got a flat tyre then you will be in trouble, unless that flat tyre trappped you some place without food and water for a time that became a threat to life and limb and you had no other form of communicatios like radio or Mobile phone. You can set it off to rescue someone else who is at threat. I would buy an GME brand. Edited December 29, 2010 by Happy Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AltonaHunter Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 These gme units have a good rep: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/GME-PLB-MT410G-406-MHz-Personal-GPS-Tracking-EPIRB-/220669157570?pt=AU_Boat_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3360e820c2 Yes you will have to register at: https://www.beacons.amsa.gov.au/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyhunter Posted December 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2010 Cheers for the help guys. I thought the new ones had to be registered. Going for another trip to NZ, but didnt want to rely on the radio if the sh!t hit the fan. I'm guessing a broken leg or ankle in the mountains would be an ok case to Set it off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman_DJ Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 Broken bones COULD be an ok case to set it off. Me, I could probably splint up the break and bear the pain to make it back out to my car, get the car moving and get to help so no wasting a helicopter there. The basic rule is, if you need help now from any emergency service, or will need help soon if your situation is not addressed and are not able to raise help any other way, then go for it and have no regrets. There are provisions for testing PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons, what you want), EPIRBs (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons, maritime use) and ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitters, aviation use), but I believe it requires a phone call prior to testing so they can ignore the beacon. Also, if you find the beacon has been activated by accident, don't try to hide it. Call the rescue centre and say what happened. Rather then find the signal go dead and they keep looking, they can confirm the situation and call off the search. As for registration, world wide there is no requirement to register them. Australia is one of the few countries that does impose some requirements for registration. It is compulsory to register a distress beacon under CASA Regulations. For EPIRBs fitted to vessels it is compulsory to register the beacon under the State Marine Authority Regulations.It is compulsory to register PLBs if used in category 1 yacht races. Failure to register a beacon can result in a fine. Note, they don't specify PLBs used by bush walkers as needing to be registered. So my take of that is no you don't need to register it. BUT, why would you not wish to register it? It's free, it can be done online with basic information and will greatly assist you if you are in trouble. You can give details of your car, emergency contacts etc. They should also be able to make a note if you carry a two-way radio and what channel/freq you tune it to. They get a beacon appear on their screens, they try to call you to see if it's an accidental. No answer, they call emergency contact 1 who tells them you've gone camping in area X, near where the beacon has activated. They dispatch a chopper to track you down, they see you drive a pink corvette, something very easy to spot from the air. And they read you have a CB. They find your car at a camp site, the beacon is in the near vicinity, they hail you on the CB to find you even faster. And all because you took 5 minutes to register for free. Btw, I hope I didn't sound too pushy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jindydiver Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 Fireman DJ has it spot on. Where there is no legal requirement to carry an EPIRB there is no legal requirement to register it, but it is just crazy to go to the effort of buying one and then not spending 5 minutes getting the most out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin32 Posted January 1, 2011 Report Share Posted January 1, 2011 you can actually go on the website that you register the EPIRB on and log your itinerary. I'm sure few bother to do this for bush walking but makes a lot of sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adios Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 The only thing I don't like about registering an EPIRB is that what if you Joe Blogs are lost at sea and say James Packer is lost at sea also . The EPIRB registration code tells them who is who! Who will get rescued first? Too much control . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeansy Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Sorry Guys, Being in the navy and survival equipment is one of my core roles, Ive had many yrs experience with EpRIBs from the small personal issue to the larger 406mhz that warships use , I wouldnt waste your money on them just yet but this is a personal preference so please dont take this as gospel 1, 99.9% of GPS only have few yrs of life in them, some you have to replace all together while others you can replace the battery which is almost nearly the price of a new unit. 2, A huge mis-understood belief is that as soon as you set it off you will, identified straight away, Not so, it can take between 1min to a few days depending on where you are in relation to the satellites flight path for your signal to be received, even longer if your at sea, including the 406 hence why many of the larger ships now are fitting GMDSS as a primary means for distress instead of EPIRB 3, Finally a lot of people think its like a GPS where it can tell you a location or route to help, not true noting all of them, I suggest another opinion Ive been using them one of these for a while now as I refuse to waste 400 for a decent mid range EBIRB that lasts 3 yrs and it just sits there im going to suggest a gadget called a SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker which works out roughly the same in the long run but has more to offer The SPOT device is something completely new and different from anything else on the market. SPOT allows you to:SOS / 911: Use this function In the event of a life threatening or other critical emergency to notify emergency services of your GPS location and that you need assistance. The GEOS International Emergency Response Center alerts the appropriate agencies worldwide – for example contacting 9-1-1 responders in North America and 1-1-2 responders in Europe. Help: In the event of a non-life threatening emergency, you can use this function to notify your personal contacts that you need assistance. Additional SPOT Assist services can be purchased and programmed to your Help button as well. When activated with SPOT Assist, the Help button will notify professional services either on the land or water. SPOT has partnered with national service providers to offer non-life threatening assistance. Check-in/OK: This feature allows you to let your friends and family know that all is OK with a pre-programmed message along with your GPS location. With a push of a button a message is sent via email or SMS to up to 10 pre-determined contacts and your waypoint is stored in your SPOT account for later reference. Your stored waypoints can be easily integrated into a SPOT Shared Page or SPOT Adventure account. Custom Message: This feature allows you to let your friends and family now receive a custom message along with your GPS location with a push of a button. Use this feature as a secondary OK message or transfer your personal help alert to this message function if you are using a SPOT Assist service on your Help button. Track Progress: This feature allows you to send and save your location and allow contacts to track your progress in near real time using Google Maps. With your SPOT account you have the ability to set up a SPOT Shared Page which allows you to show your SPOT GPS locations to others on a Google Map. My linkhttp://www.gpsoz.com.au/spot/index.htm If anyone was watching tv today they wouldve seen it on Pat's 4x4 adventures As a user of both EPIRB and Spot I prefer the SPOT hands down Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jindydiver Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 I wouldnt waste your money on them just yet but this is a personal preference so please dont take this as gospel It isn't a waste of money if you are in the crap and you have one with you. 1, 99.9% of GPS only have few yrs of life in them, some you have to replace all together while others you can replace the battery which is almost nearly the price of a new unit. 99.9%?? Three of the major brands of PLB available in Australia offer over 5 years service life from the batteries. All these have (not user) replaceable batteries but they are common lithium ion batteries and don't cost the earth to replace. Are there really 297 other models available, or are you exaggerating the issue a little The SPOT unit you like costs quite a bit too. $200 odd to buy, plus US$115 to register PER YEAR, plus US$50 PER YEAR to access the "Track Progress" function. Say you want to keep it for the same time as you can get battery life for a GME unit (7 years) that cost AU$460, you would have to spend $200 to buy and $800 (US) to register. Already we are over twice the price of the GME. That is a fair bit of money to be able to activate a prewritten "pick me up early" message. 2, A huge mis-understood belief is that as soon as you set it off you will, identified straight away, Not so, it can take between 1min to a few days depending on where you are in relation to the satellites flight path for your signal to be received, even longer if your at sea, including the 406 hence why many of the larger ships now are fitting GMDSS as a primary means for distress instead of EPIRB A few days?? The longest gap between satellite passes over Australia is 5 hours. This would still be a long time for some people, but it is a damn sight quicker than waiting till you are overdue back home. As a user of both EPIRB and Spot I prefer the SPOT hands down I really hope you haven't had to use either, rather just carried them in case Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeansy Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 I have to agree and disagree with you mick but i not going to draw this out as a user of both professional and recreational ive seen the limitations of both and i prefer the spot over an EPIRB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jindydiver Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 I have to agree and disagree with you mick but i not going to draw this out It's all good, this is a discussion not an argument It is good that people see the various view points and get an idea of the issues before they splash out and buy something this expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeansy Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 It's all good, this is a discussion not an argument It is good that people see the various view points and get an idea of the issues before they splash out and buy something this expensive. too easy, but then again I never have had a truck without HF fitted for the just in case, one of the other things I like about the spot over the EPRIB is that I can give it to the Mrs when she has to travel interstate and I can see how she is going on the long trips when mobile reception is as good as a cups and string Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulOS Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 The only thing I don't like about registering an EPIRB is that what if you Joe Blogs are lost at sea and say James Packer is lost at sea also . The EPIRB registration code tells them who is who! Who will get rescued first? Too much control . The telling who you are is perfect IMHO, we did literally dozens of false searches wasting god only knows how much money and time (I didn't mind it was all air time for me!), searching false activations on the old system, at least now a number of calls are made first to confirm where you are (assuming you have not filed a plan and they can get a hold of who you have nominated to call). And as to who will be rescued first, the rescuers are not told who it is, they are just tasked, more than one activation at the same time in the same search zone and they will task another aircraft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncs Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 The only thing I don't like about registering an EPIRB is that what if you Joe Blogs are lost at sea and say James Packer is lost at sea also . The EPIRB registration code tells them who is who! Who will get rescued first? Too much control . I reckon it might happen in reverse in Aus... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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