Benefits of EPIRB’s and PLB

This is part of our boat safety advice section and focuses on the main benefits of EPIRB’s and PLB

What they are used for:

In simple terms these are location devices to help the emergency services find you or your boat. These are designed for people boating in the UK’s coastal waters and is a must have for people going further afield.

What does a EPIRB stand for: An EPIRB is an Emergency Position Indicating Radio beacon

What is an EPIRB?

The electronic device  transmits a digital signal on the international distress signal frequency 406 Mhz and  are detectable by COSPAS – SARSAT satellites, which orbit the poles. They are also detected by the GEOSAR system which consists of GOES weather satellites and other geostationary satellites.

EPIRBs are supplied as standard with a mounting bracket and must be manually activated, however a there are  Auto versions available that automatically deploys and activates the EPIRB when it is submerged.

 

Who should have one:  By law large commercial ships must have these fitted but increasingly they are being fitted to a wide range of leisure craft for various reasons including ribs and fishing boats as well as coastal  sailing boats.

Cost: as of 2014 a manual EPIRB can be purchased for less than £350.00 online and prices seem to be dropping slowly year on year.

 

What does PLB stand for: Personal Location Beacon

How does the PLB differ from an EPIRB?

Personal Location Beacons work in exactly the same way as EPIRBs by sending a coded message on the 406 MHz distress frequency which is relayed via the Cospas-Sarsat global satellite system.

However, there are a number of differences between them. PLBs are designed to be carried on the person so they are much smaller ie around the size of mobile phone.  PLBs can used anywhere in the world, on the sea and also on land which is great for people who like different leisure activities i.e. mountain climbing and sailing. For those of you who mainly do water based activities you will find some lifejackets and buoyancy aids have a special pockets designed for the PLB.

Note: Not all PLB’s float but may come with an additional floatation sleeve which they should be carried in.

PLBs, once activated, will transmit for a minimum of 24 hours; while the battery life on an EPIRB is at least double (a minimum of 48 hours). An EPIRB is registered to a vessel, whereas a PLB is registered to a person. This means that if you are crewing a yacht and you switch to a new yacht the plb is still correctly registered; however, if you have an EPIRB and buy a new yacht you will need to re-register it when installing in your new boat.

 

Cost: PLBS start from just over £100.00

 

What should I buy

Like many things in the boating sector there is no clear right or wrong answer and we would advise you speaking to the RNLI or RYA to get specific advice based on your own personal requirements.

We would however recommend at least having one or the other as these devices as they have been shown to save lives.

A quote from the RNLI

Very few people would go a boat without a lifejacket and yet all this does is buy you time by keeping your head above the water. A PLB and/ or EPIRB  though will help you get rescued.