IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT EPIRBS -- Please note!

[IRGuy]

I just learned that as of 1Feb09 the old 121.5/243 MHz EPIRBS will no longer be monitored by SAR agencies worldwide. As of that date all SAR agencies will only monitor 406 MHz. This means that as of that date your older EPIRBS will be useless, and only the newer 406 EPIRBS will be able to transmit position signals to SAR agencies.

Having been on the sending end of a 406 EPIRB transmission I can tell you they work very well, We were 185 nm south of Nantucket and estimate that within 5 minutes of turning our 406 EPIRB on the USCG was on the phone talking to the boat owner's wife, and within 2 1/2 hours we had a USCG SAR C-130 aircraft over us.

Cheap insurance regardless of the price!

Here is the link to the NOAA web site with good info on EPIRBS....

http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/

[Raybo Marine NY]

the word years ago was not only would they not respond, but if boarded you could get fined.