1.2.12 1 Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons and Personal Locator Beacons

issuing of associated Certificates of Competency rests with the Marine Survey Office (MSO) of the Department of Transport.

(b) The personnel operating the

radio equipment must hold an appropriate Radio Operator’s qualification.

Legislation

A new online ship radio licence and EPIRB registration system is in place since October 2022. See Marine Notice No. 70 of 2022 regarding the Irish Maritime Radio Licence System (IMRAD). A ship radio licence is required under national and international legislation to certify that a vessel may operate approved radiocommunication equipment on specific maritime radio frequency bands. This allows the licensed vessel to operate without causing interference on marine band frequencies. The ship radio licence is also necessary for the assignment and recording of unique vessel radiocommunication maritime identifiers such as call signs and MMSI numbers.

The licence document will contain a unique Radio Call Sign for the craft and a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number if applicable.

1.2.12.1 Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons and Personal Locator Beacons

Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs)

A 406 MHz EPIRB is a radio transmitter that can be activated in an emergency situation to raise a distress alert. (Refer to Marine Notice No. 81 of 2022).

When an EPIRB is activated, it transmits a signal that is detected by the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system (https://cospas-sarsat.int/en). As the satellites orbit the earth, they “listen” for any activated beacons. They retransmit the beacon signals to ground stations, which compute the beacon position and report the distress alert to search and rescue authorities.

The basic requirements to obtain a Ship Station Radio Licence are as follows:

(a) The radio equipment must be

type approved in accordance with either the Marine Equipment Directive (2014/90/ EU) or the Radio Equipment Directive (2014/53/EU). Caution should be taken when purchasing marine radio equipment as non-approved equipment may not be licensed. This is particularly relevant for equipment purchased outside the European Union.

The majority of beacon models also transmit a lower powered homing signal on 121.5 MHz as a reference for local search teams. In addition, newer EPIRBs may also contain an AIS homing (location) transmitter.

Although the Cospas-Sarsat System is designed to independently locate

Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) A Personal Locator Beacon or PLB is a portable radio transmitter and a personal life-saving appliance that can be attached to or form part of a personal flotation device. PLBs work on the same principle as EPIRBs. When correctly activated in an emergency situation, a PLB transmits a 406 MHz signal which is detected by the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. The distress alert is then reported to search and rescue authorities and helps them in the detection and location of persons in distress.

activated EPIRBs with accuracy using doppler techniques, newer beacons are available with an integrated GPS receiver chip for the EPIRB to determine its own location using signals from global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) such as GPS. In order to ensure the greatest degree of positional accuracy in the event of a GPS EPIRB activation, GPS EPIRBs must be programmed with Standard Location Protocol with the Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number of the vessel.

All EPIRBs must be tested regularly as per manufacturers instructions. Care should also be taken to ensure that the EPIRB battery is in date.

▪PLBs are designed to be carried by

an individual.

▪EPIRBs can be manually activated

or automatically activated on contact with water.

All EPIRBs must be correctly programmed and registered with the MSO. Any changes to the vessel’s registered details must be immediately notified to the MSO. Search and rescue (SAR) authorities rely on the EPIRB register in the event of an EPIRB activation. Correct programming and registration is essential to ensure that the SAR authorities have accurate, reliable and up to date information about a vessel and its contacts in the event of an emergency. It also allows any inadvertent false alerts to be quickly resolved without the unnecessary deployment of search and rescue resources. (Refer to Marine Notices Nos. 70 and 81 of 2022).

▪PLBs usually can only be manually

activated but some models activate on contact with water. The intended activity should be taken into account when selecting a PLB.

▪EPIRBs are designed to transmit

while floating.

▪PLBs MUST be held clear out of

the water for transmission.

▪The environmental survivability

of EPIRBs is greater than that of PLBs.

In view of the above, a PLB is not considered to be a substitute for an EPIRB. However, a PLB provides an effective means of distress alerting in a small craft if used correctly.