More EPIRB News

General Boats and Motors
1

just a few more epirb tidbits i found out…

You must make sure that your EPIRB is registered…and it has to be re-registered every 2 years…this has become a “safety” gear check with the coasties…the fines can be steep…

if your 406mHZ epirb needs a new battery…DO NOT send it back to the manufacturer by mail or with any other carrier…if you do,once it is received by the manufacturer, it will be turned over to DOT and you will receive a fine…the batteries are now conidered hazardous material…
a phone call before you do anything with it can and will save you a lot of headaches…

i got an email from a former student who sent his epirb by UPS back to the manufacturer in Tacoma, Wash and got a registered letter from the DOT with a fine of $1000.00 AND if he wants his EPIRB back, it will cost him not only the price of the battery PLUS the fees involved for shipping hazardous material…which are twice the cost of the battery…

if you can…go local

Mike Crouch
Sea Tow Charleston
Sea School Charleston

2

Mike,

Lithium batteries are “in fact” considered hazardous material and must be disposed of properly. I presume it’s equally dangerous/illegal to transport them thru common carriers, or there are some rules about that somewhere.
Isn’t there a place over on Daniel Island that will check/replace the EPIRB batteries?

The Fish Whisperer
Goose Creek, SC

3

Two things:

Online EPIRB sellers say that they can ship without HAZMAT fee?

What is the difference between a PLB with a built in GPS receiver and an EPIRB with a GPS receiver? Both xmit at 406 for at least 24 hrs.

Thanx

Grady-White 246
140 Suzukis

4

newer epirbs have “safe” batteries and thus are not considered hazardous…

dogonit…size…just don’t get a plb that xmits on 121.5mHZ only confused with a plb that is in fact an epirb abd xmits on 406mHZ…how do you tell the diff? if you are paying less than 250.00 for it…it ain’t an epirb

Mike Crouch
Sea Tow Charleston
Sea School Charleston

5

Thanks for the info Mike! My battery expires in Oct. of this year. Where can I find a list of service places locally to Cola. for this? I guess I should check the ACR website, thanks again!

Bring on the 2-3 chop!

6

Mike,
Roger all. I guess my question is why buy an EPIRB at $600+ when I can buy FOR EXAMPLE an ACR; microfix 406 GPS PLB that can

“transmit on 406 MHz via the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system with your registered, unique, digitally coded distress signal and at 121.5 MHZ (SAR homing frequency)”

for less than $500? I’m confused dogonit!

Grady-White 246
140 Suzukis

7

buy it…only difference is it will xmit for 24 hrs versus the 48 on a larger unit…by the way…thats the unit we carry on the sea tow boats

Mike Crouch
Sea Tow Charleston
Sea School Charleston

8

I just got off the phone with USA Services. I was told that can send them Fed-Ex. But you can not send them on any plane that services people. Or you can take it to Paxton Charleston at 619 Marina Drive in Charleston and they will ship it up there for you. I guess for a cost I didnt ask.) The cost for the new battery and shipping is around 330.00 plus tax.
their address is
USA Services
1111 Ingleside Rd
Norfolk Va. 23502
Phone number for Paxton 1-800-234-7290 and they will connect you to USA Services.

“You are the offspring of 5 monkeys having But Secs with a retarded fish squirrel………. CONGRADULATIONS”!!!

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9

I spent some time in the coast guard, and one of my jobs was epirb maint…the easiest way to have it worked on in any way would prob. drive to air sea safety downtown. They are awesome people who do really great work. They handle just about anything with safety. It looked like their specialty was life raft checks and maint. as well as epirbs. I used to drop off epirbs there all the time to get new batts, they handled everything and just called me when it was done. Check 'em out. http://www.airseasafety.net/

I used to fish a little, but a little wouldn’t do it, so a little got more and more

14’ of aluminum bolted to 15 horses!

10

$900 for an EPIRB and then $300+ for a battery change?

Sounds like a ■■■■ rip-off to me!

'05 Wellcraft 232 Coastal
11

I change my own battery. It’s not real hard.

12
quote:
Originally posted by THE PLUM

I change my own battery. It’s not real hard.

But then you don’t get the sticker! And as Mike sauid it will be a fine from the coasties! Go figure!

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day. FISH 24/7---- 25 Grady w/ a couple of Gas Guzzling 175 Johnsons “O-SEA-D” the old “Havanadaydream”

13

Thanks for this information, Mike.

Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862

14
quote:
Originally posted by mike7653

…DOT with a fine of $1000.00 AND if he wants his EPIRB back, it will cost him not only the price of the battery PLUS the fees involved for shipping hazardous material…which are twice the cost of the battery</font id=“size2”></font id=“size4”></font id=“Georgia”></font id=“red”>…

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I find this HARD to believe. I’ve received hazardous materials in the mail MANY of times due to my joy of firearms. I’m not talking “guns” themselves being hazardous, I’m talking about all sorts of nasty chemicals used to refinish firearms.

I don’t see how a lithium battery – the same batteries that are in cell phones and laptops, all of a sudden becomes an unpredictable beast once it is mated up with an EPIRB.

A corrosive hazmat fee is about $8. However, I can ship cellphones and laptops all day long and never pay a cent.

Just sayin’… :face_with_head_bandage:

'05 Wellcraft 232 Coastal
15

Welcome to the new world order. We’ll have more of this if the new regulatory czar gets his way…

1997 Carolina Classic 25
2008 Maycraft 1800