Three Must-Have Maritime Homing Beacons

I don’t think I need to remind you that safety is the most important thing when you are boating out on the water. Too many things could go wrong out there that could wind you and those with you in a world of trouble. Even though you may have taken all the precautions you could think of something could still go wrong and endanger all of your lives. What do you do then? Well, if you truly took all the proper precautions, then your boat will have an EPIRB, SART, or PLB unit aboard.

You have probably heard of an EPIRB, SART, and PLB before without knowing it. EPIRB stands for “Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon,” SART stands for “Search and Rescue Transponder,” and PLB stands for “Personal Locator Beacon.” In short, they are homing beacons, a device that has been used on TV and in the movies for a number of reasons. These homing beacons are used so that if you get shipwrecked, Search and Rescue can find you quicker. In the last 30 years over 20,000 people have been saved thanks to these life saving beacons.

Though all of these things are based on the same idea, they are applied in very different ways. For starters, an EPIRB unit is usually installed in a boat. It is typically activated automatically by water pressure, though some models must be activated manually. If your boat were to sink, then the EPIRB would be activated and Search and Rescue would know where you last were based on the transmissions made to the satellite.

A SART is also used in the event of a ship sinking. Most watercraft with more than one lifeboat are required by law to have an SART aboard. The beacon would be brought to one of the lifeboats when it is being launched toward safety. The beacon is then manually activated. Depending on what kind of SART you have will depend on how it is located. If it is a radar-SART then it will lie dormant until a radar unit comes within range. It then produces a peculiar pattern on their screen. An AIS-SART will send transmissions to a satellite with the location of the survival craft.

A PLB is usually kept on someone’s person. They carry it with them for more reasons than a shipwreck. If the weather is particularly bad and they get thrown overboard, the PLB will help rescuers find them much quicker. This beacon also transmits information to a satellite with the precise coordinates of the one overboard. Of course, it can be used in lieu of an SART if it has been lost. Even if your boat has an EPIRB, it wouldn’t hurt to have a PLB as well.

If you are planning a big trip or if you are just very safety conscious, then you should consider buying some of these homing beacons. Though the prices can vary most of them are relatively inexpensive, especially considering the consequences of not having one when you need it the most. You can be as safe as can be and circumstance could still overcome your precautions. Be truly prepared. Be safe and have fun.