Emergency Beacon FAQs

No.

Unauthorised battery replacements performed by unapproved third parties may result in your beacon not functioning properly in an emergency and are non-compliant under Australian and New Zealand Standards.

For further info on Emergency Beacons see https://www.gme.net.au/emergency-beacons/

Yes.

Visit www.beacons.amsa.gov.au and click the ‘Change beacon ownership’ button

Yes.

While both EPIRBs and PLBs will transmit an emergency distress signal anywhere on the planet, there are different standards for both categories of beacon, and specific attributes that make each type of emergency beacon better suited to certain applications.

For more information on the different types of emergency beacons and their benefits see https://youtu.be/WCRmgJoEDFg

The battery life period on a GME emergency beacon commences from the date of manufacture, with the expiry date of the battery clearly marked on the exterior of the beacon.

For more information on emergency beacons and battery replacements see www.gme.net.au/emergency-beacons

EPIRBs and PLBs are emergency radio communication devices that operate on an international Search and Rescue satellite system, known as COSPAS-SARSAT. In Australia, mandatory carriage regulations require all vessels travelling 2NM or further offshore to have a registered EPIRB on board.

Whilst PLBs can be used in marine applications, they do not satisfy mandatory carriage requirements and are more often used in land-based applications such as 4WDing, hiking, hunting and in remote worker situations.

For more information on EPIRBs and PLBs see www.gme.net.au/emergency-beacons/

Both EPIRBs and PLBs are emergency radio communication devices that operate on an international Search and Rescue satellite system, known as Cospas-Sarsat.

For more information on Cospas-Sarsat and Emergency Beacons, see www.gme.net.au/emergency-beacons/

In order to meet the relevant Standards and be approved for sale, all EPIRBs must continuously transmit a signal for 48 hours once activated and all PLBs must continuously transmit for 24 hours once activated, within the operating temperature range of -20°C to +55°C.

GME performs a number of technical simulations on every beacon design, taking into account different environmental conditions and a huge number of variables to ensure our emergency beacons are dependable and reliable in an emergency situation encountered at any point in their operational life.

• Contact your local battery store to check whether they disconnect and dispose of beacons
• Contact your local maritime safety agency. They may be able to provide disposal advice
• Check the instruction manual as there may be instructions on how to disconnect the beacon battery

It is important to remember to de-register your beacon with AMSA or your relevant local authority after you dispose of it.

Yes.

However, PLBs do not satisfy Australian mandatory carriage requirements for EPIRBs.

While both EPIRBs and PLBs will transmit an emergency distress signal anywhere on the planet, there are different standards for both categories of beacon, and specific attributes that make each type of emergency beacon better suited to certain applications.

For more information on the different types of emergency beacons and their benefits see https://youtu.be/WCRmgJoEDFg

No.

Registration of an Emergency Beacon is free.

For more information on Emergency Beacons and the registration process see www.gme.net.au/emergency-beacons/

Yes.

Visit www.beacons.amsa.gov.au and click the ‘Register a beacon’ button.

Testing your EPIRB or PLB is an important maintenance task that should form part of your regular safety equipment maintenance routine.

Video tutorials of the test procedure for each model of GME Emergency Beacon are located here www.gme.net.au/emergency-beacons/

When activated, an EPIRB transmits information identifying the unit (and therefore the registered owner) in a 406 MHz signal. The signal is relayed via the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite network to the Rescue Co-ordination Centre (in Australia: Australian Maritime Safety Authority, in New Zealand: Maritime New Zealand) where the most appropriate rescue response is initiated and coordinated.

If the unit is a GPS-equipped EPIRB, the GPS location details are included within the 406 MHz transmission, giving rescue authorities an accurate location to an accuracy of about the size of a football field within minutes. Without GPS, the location is calculated by triangulation, which may take significantly longer.

To learn more about the benefits of using a GPS-equipped EPIRB see www.gme.net.au/emergency-beacons/

The technology used in PLBs and EPIRBs is essentially the same, however, there are differences due to the different ways in which these devices are intended to be used.

In Australia, it is mandatory to carry a registered EPIRB on vessels travelling greater than 2 nautical miles offshore.

An EPIRB is designed to operate at full power for a minimum of 48 hours. It must be self-buoyant and float in an upright orientation with the antenna clear of the water. This enables the user to tie the EPIRB (using the supplied lanyard) to a life raft or similar and let the EPIRB float in the ocean with a clear view of the sky whilst taking shelter within the raft.

The cost will differ depending on the model, please refer to www.gme.net.au/emergency-beacons/ for more details regarding the beacon refurbishment process.

In Australia, you can register your beacon online at www.beacons.amsa.gov.au or by phone: 1800 406 406.

Beacons are detected worldwide by the global satellite system, Cospas-Sarsat, and are detected from anywhere on the Earth’s surface if they are deployed correctly. It is recommended you contact your chosen airline for guidance on carrying distress beacons as every airline and airport have differing requirements.

Please also note that some countries consider Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) carriage and activation illegal on land. Refer to the Cospas-Sarasat website for the appropriate SPOC (search and rescue or SAR point of contact) for the country you are travelling to and contact them to confirm you are legally allowed to use your beacon.

It is worth noting that the search and rescue response in each country will vary due to different levels of SAR resources and capability. It is recommended that you check locally the sort of SAR response you can expect. This will also depend on the weather conditions at the time the search and rescue is being conducted e.g. day, night, visibility (low cloud, fog, snow), high winds etc. The rescue coordination centre of the country where the beacon is detected will coordinate the search and rescue response, not Australia.

AMSA Search and Rescue will only provide the registration details, if known, and any other information it gathers from emergency contacts. AMSA will request information on the progress of the search and rescue.

When activated in an emergency, a GME GPS-equipped EPIRB firstly obtains its GPS location from the GPS satellite network.

This location is then coded into the signal that the EPIRB sends to the Cospas-Sarsat search and rescue satellite network.

Armed with this vital information the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) knows exactly where to send resources for a fast, effective response.

Without GPS technology, the process of calculating a location and search area can take hours, and that’s before a rescue vessel or helicopter has been launched.

In a life and death situation, time is everything.