Another Coast Guard Rescue off Anclote Key

Video of the rescue here

 After overnight search, Coast Guard rescues three off Anclote Key

Feb 21st, 2010

by cgnews.           

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Coast Guard is still in the process of completing the tow of a 24-foot disabled vessel after late night and early morning searches resulted in the rescue of three people Sunday, approximately 40-miles northwest of Anclote Key.
At approximately 10:00 p.m. Saturday, Coast Guard watch standers at Station Sand Key received a call from a concerned friend of three men who had failed to return from a fishing trip Saturday afternoon, as expected. Alberto Rodriguez, Raul Estrada, and Albert Valdez left for a fishing trip 60-miles northwest of Anclote Key, and were unable to return after experiencing mechanical problems with their 24-foot Proline boat. The men were able to contact a friend to report their distress, but were not able to give their exact location.


At 10:20 p.m., watch standers at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg directed the launch of an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., to search for the men. Unable to locate the boat throughout the night, additional searches were continued from the air station this morning, with the launch of an HC-130 Hercules flight crew. At approximately 8:45 a.m., a 47-foot motor life boat was launched from Station Sand Key, after search crews aboard the HC-130 airplane spotted a flare set off by the three men, approximately 40 miles northwest of Anclote Key.
The vessel is being towed to Coast Guard Station Sand Key, and the three men are reportedly in good condition.
“This is a good example of why all boaters should file float plans and have several signaling devices available to them,” said Capt. Timothy Close, commander, Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg. “Float plans work, and signaling devices work. We were able to find them largely because they filed a float plan, and brought means of communication and signaling devices with them.”
The Coast Guard reminds boaters to follow these 10 simple steps to be safe and responsible on the water:

1. Always wear your life jacket.
2. Avoid mixing alcohol and boating.
3. Check your flares, fire extinguisher and other safety equipment to be certain it is in good condition and up-to-date. The Coast Guard Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadrons offer free vessel safety checks that can help identify these or any other potential programs. Know your boat and its passengers.
4. Familiarize yourself with an online weather service so it becomes a routine part of your pre-departure planning. Knowing potential conditions before you go makes float planning easier. The National Weather Service broadcasts marine weather forecasts regularly. Tune your VHF marine radio to 162.4 MHz or log onto the National Weather Service website at: www.nws.noaa.gov.
5. Tell a friend, family member or marina harbormaster where you are going and file a float plan. If you change plans, let them know.
6. Purchase an emergency positioning indicating radio beacon, or EPIRB. Register it with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Registration is mandatory, improves response and reduces false alarms. It can also be completed online at www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov.
7. Keep updated navigational charts on your boat and use them.
8. Register your marine radio and obtain a free MMSI number that is assigned to a DSC radio.
9. Shut off your engines when approaching swimmers or divers.
10. Take at least one certified boating safety course.

Installing A Power Inverter

There may still be cruisers out there that light their way with oil lamps, use a bucket instead of a head and sail without a motor, but in 18 years of cruising we have not met them. Today, most cruisers are like us, preferring to take the comforts and conveniences of life ashore with them when they cast off the dock lines to sail off into the sunset. Long ago we made the decision to cruise in comfort and not turn our sailing trips into a camp out on the water. This meant we would need a means to power our small appliances, power tools and entertainment devices. There is more than one way to accomplish the same end depending on the level of your power consumption and what your budget might be. For us the requirements were simple. The cost needed to be kept down, the system needed to be as simple as possible, and we needed to be able to install and maintain it ourselves. Additionally, it should not interfere with our piece and quiet, or that of our neighbors. OK, maybe not so simple after all.



There are as many options to accomplish this as there are boat owners. For us, this meant that we would forgo the big energy hogs, like heat and air conditioning, while at anchor and concentrate on the creature comforts. We have had a TV on board for as long as we have lived on a boat. It is great for plain old entertainment and receiving news and weather. By adding a VCR, and now a DVD player and satellite TV receiver, we are always up on current events and always entertained. In addition, we have small appliances like a coffee pot, microwave, small battery chargers for tools, cell phones,  and power tools. There would be two options for us, either install a small generator, or have enough battery capacity and install a 12 volt to 110 volt inverter. The inverter seemed to meet our criteria and since we already had a sizable battery bank for cruising, it made the decision an easy one.

In sizing an inverter, the power requirements for running the appliances and tools have to be carefully calculated. This is done by determining the total wattage you will need for the possibility of running several or even all of your appliances and tools at the same time. Although this will not be the case most of the time, it will save having to remember to turn something off before turning something else on. For our purposes, we determined that a 2000 watt inverter could handle our needs easily and we chose the ProMariner because of past good experiences with their equipment. Major power consumers like the hot water heater and AC/Heater would not be used to conserve the amps the inverter would need from the batteries. Keep in mind that the amps pulled from the batteries to run the inverter will need to be replaced, but that is for another article.  Many inverters come as inverter/charger combinations. We choose the inverter and charger separately for a couple of reasons. Should the charger fail, we would not be without the inverter. Conversely if the inverter failed we would not be without the charger. The combination units are also much more expensive than buying the stand alone units separately and we had a variety of choices between manufacturers to determine the best charger and the best inverter for our needs.

The installation is much more straightforward than one might expect. There are some basic electrical standards to follow to make the system safe and efficient and these are provided by most manufacturers in their installation manuals. The first step is to find a dry, well ventilated area that will give you easy access, but out of the way enough that it will not be intrusive. The first consideration might be the engine compartment, but many units will not work well or can be damaged when installed in a high heat environment, especially if the inverter might be used at the same time the vessel is under power. We chose the inside of a small cabinet near the electrical panels within a short distance of the battery banks. This location kept the wiring runs as short as possible, minimizing the need for larger cables. Next, determine the locations for the transfer switch and control panel. This means drilling holes somewhere and running wiring, so the areas should be easily accessible both inside and outside as well as free of other wiring and obstacles.

When determining the wiring size, the total possible amperage flowing throw the wiring and the round trip
distance from the inverter to the power source, the battery banks, and back to the inverter needs to be calculated. The amperage can be substantial and some manufacturers have a limit to the distance for installation purposes. Sizing the cables properly is critical, as is proper fusing of the cables to the battery bank. For our needs we ran a #2 cable from the inverter to a 250 amp T-style fuse, within ten inches of the battery connection, to the positive side of the house battery bank. A #2 cable was run from the negative connection on the inverter directly to the negative post on the house bank. We chose to make the connections directly to the battery bank instead of to a switch to connect and disconnect the 12 volt to the inverter. This eliminated a possible source of failure or loss of voltage through a switch and gave us a clean, straight connection to the 12 volt system.

Making the connections to the inverter was done with the inverter outside of the cabinet it would be mounted in to allow for long enough wiring to be able to remove the entire unit and easily work on it if necessary. The battery cables were run and proper eye connections crimped on, but the connections to the batteries were not done until all of the installation process was completed. All of the 12 volt cables were secured with heavy duty straps and the fuse holder securely mounted with easy access. Our fuse holder came with a plastic cover that eliminated an accidental short circuit.

Once the 12 volt wiring was complete, but not yet connected, it was time to work on the 110 volt side of the installation. For absolute safety, we not only turn off the circuit breakers on the boat and on the dock, but we physically unplug the shore power cords from the boat. The choice to connect the inverter into the boats 110 volt system can again be done in several ways. Dedicated outlets can be wired directly into the inverter, but these will only work if the inverter is on. Or the inverter can be wired to directly feed the AC panel for the boat. Even directly feeding the panel can be done in several ways - feeding only certain circuits, or feeding the entire panel. How it is done affects the complexity of the installation. For our purposes we choose to feed the entire panel using a transfer switch to go from shore power, to off, to inverter. The inverter should never be allowed to feed the electrical panel or any outlets at the same time as the shore power so the transfer switch is a must for safety. The boat is set up with two shore power feeds, one for the AC panel and the other strictly for the reverse cycle heat and air conditioning system so we would not be accidentally trying to run the air conditioning or heat off the inverter. The water heater and 110 volt battery charger were on the panel but we figured we should be smart enough to be sure the breakers were off for these two when we turned the inverter on. Even if we briefly forget to turn these breakers off, no harm would be done with the size inverter we chose.

I would add at this point that a good working knowledge of a boats 110 volt system and installation is essential to be able to complete a safe, secure installation. If one does not have those skills, a qualified installer should be hired to assure there are no problems in the future. Improper installations in the AC side of the boat can cause all kinds of problems from minor to severe. One of the reasons we choose this inverter was that it allowed us to easily hardwire the 110 volt output from the inverter. Many of these units require the AC output to be wired to a plug which is attached via an outlet on the front of the unit. This plug can work itself loose. You can take others apart and hardwire them, but this is not our favorite solution. The proper size standard marine grade, black, white, green, 110 volt wiring was run from the inverter, to the transfer switch, to the AC panel.

We also needed to move the wiring from the shore power inlet to the transfer switch. Great care must be taken to not reverse the hot and neutral, black and white wires at any point along the installation path from either the inverter or the shore power to the AC panel. The green earth ground from both the shore power inlet and the inverter was run through our already installed galvanic isolator. Another feature of this particular inverter is the ability to remove the on/off power indicator from the front of the unit and install it remotely near our electrical panel. Other units that do not have this feature may have a separate remote panel that can be installed. This is much more convenient than going into the cabinet each time we wanted to turn the inverter on and off.

With all of the wiring run and the AC side connected, the inverter switch in the off position, all AC breakers off and the transfer switch in the off position, it is time to connect the DC side to the batteries. With the positive fuse in place, the positive cable should be attached to the house battery bank. Finally, the negative cable should be attached to the house bank and at this time the inverter may make an initial beep or a slight spark may be seen as the negative cable is attached. Depending on which unit is being installed, this is normal. Testing the unit should be done one step at a time, keeping the shore power disconnected at all times. First, turn on the inverter switch and if there is a power indicator light or lights, be sure you have enough voltage in your battery bank. Check over all connections, look and feel for any over heating, and be alert for odd smells. If at any time something feels warm or does not operate properly, shut everything down and disconnect power. Be sure all AC breakers are off including the main breaker. The transfer switch should have a light indicating power on the inverter side and none on the shore power side at this point. A good switch will also have a reverse polarity light, and a note at this point is in order.

Not all inverters are alike and many are designed for the RV market. I have seen many inverters that are not designed for boats that once switched on will show reverse polarity when there, in fact, is none. Be sure to verify whether this is the case before you make your purchase and go through the lengthy installation process. With the inverter powered up and the transfer switch on and not showing reverse polarity, turn on only the main breaker. You AC panel voltage gauge should show a minimum of at least 110 volts of power from your inverter. Anything less than this means something is amiss, such as too small wiring from the batteries, and needs to be corrected. If the voltage looks good, turn on a breaker to your outlets and turn on something that is plugged into those outlets. If all works well and no problems are indicated, add additional loads for test purposes. At this point it is a good idea to leave the loads on for a period of time and check the draw on the batteries. If the battery drain is excessive, some troubleshooting will be required, but remember, a fully loaded inverter will draw a fair amount from your batteries. If you have done your installation properly, you are on your way to many happy hours of silent power, at least until you need to recharge those batteries.

Once the inverter is tested and all is OK, the switches, including the main breaker on the AC panel, should be shut off, the transfer switch turned to the off position, and the inverter switch turned off. Plug the shore power cord back in and turn the shore power circuit breakers on the dock to the on position. The transfer switch should show power on the shore power side and no reverse polarity lights. Turn the main breaker switch on the AC panel to the on position and turn on your AC breakers one at a time until all of the breakers you use are on. Check over all of your switches, breakers and connections carefully. Remember this is live 110 volts, and if all is well you can button it all back up. The complete installation should be easily done over a weekend or even in one long day if you have the skills and equipment. The next time you are at anchor you can enjoy all of the conveniences of home without all of the noise of a running a generator.

Backstage At The Boat Show

This is an article we produced some time back and for whatever reason the boating magazines had no interest in. So we post it here for your reading enjoyment.

Often ones first introduction to boating is at one of the many, many boat shows that are staged around the country almost anytime of the year. Some of the largest are in-the-water shows in Annapolis, Miami/Fort Lauderdale and several other venues in coastal cities and inland waterways. But there are quite a few others that are held in convention centers, stadiums and coliseums in cities both large and small. When the doors open and the first of thousands of folks walk through the door, the boats are gleaming and polished, the booths are dressed for customers and the sales folks have practiced their presentations.



But there are major components that very few get to see. It almost begins at the end of the show in preparation for the next, with debriefing sessions and strategies discussed. The move in and out for in-the-water shows are complex, but no where near that for a show that needs to be held inside large buildings many miles from the nearest water. Once the initial layout for the dealer’s area is confirmed and the floor plan is designed, the logistics of getting several large boats over highways and through city streets begins. Transportation via carriers experienced in handling this special cargo must be made well in advance. Those with the equipment and expertise are in big demand for these events so finding one at the last minute may be next to impossible. Many dealers have long established relationships with those carriers so each anticipates the needs of the other and this part of the equation usually works well. But there are always those last minute glitches that can make for anxious moments when show time approaches.

Ship & Sail Yacht Sales in Kemah, Texas is both a sail and power boat dealer that is present at several shows during the year. Houston International Boat, Sport & Travel Show is held at the Reliant Stadium and is by no means the largest show but is one of the first shows of the year, being held shortly after the New Year holiday. An estimated 150,000 people will walk through their doors in the ten days of the show. In most years a 1,000 or more vessels will be on display and over 400 vendors will show their wares. But when you walk through the door, did you ever wonder just how all of this was put together and how in the world did they get those boats in here. Well, it wasn’t easy.

An over the road trip with a large boat has its restrictions. The two biggest are height and width. There are limits for both in many states and special permits needed in most. A large consideration for transport is the bridges the boats must pass under. That means the dealers must virtually disassemble the larger boats to meet those restrictions. A good working relationship with a nearby boat yard is essential. Boats that will be on display will have to be moved to the yard based on availability of haul-out schedules and at the same time coordinated with the transport company that will haul the boats to the venue. Ideally the boats will be hauled from the water, have the bottoms powered washed to remove marine growth, and placed directly onto the trailers that will take them to their destination. If all goes well that is exactly what happens. But trucks break down, drivers get ill, travel lifts quit for whatever reason and sometimes the weather just won’t work with you. But somehow it all gets done and on time.

Once the boats are on the trailers, the process of removing whatever parts that will hinder transport are begun. With the sail boats this means masts, booms and rigging must come down prior to loading. Additional items such as arches and even stanchions and pedestal guards may have to come off. Some times this can be done in advance but again it is usually all done in one event to save time and expenses. For power boats this means hardtops, arches and even superstructures as well as propellers and rudders. This can be a daunting task. Hundreds of wires, cables, steering lines and whatever else runs from the bridge to the inner sections of the hull must be disconnected in such a way that it can be properly reconnected again later. These parts of the vessel need to be unbolted and uncaulked and prepared to be lifted from the hull. Once again sound experience and proper equipment are an absolute must. Some of these vessels are priced in the millions of dollars and working with human beings and large boat parts can pose certain hazards.

Removing masts and superstructures requires the use of a crane or the yard’s travel lift depending upon the size and weight. The sections are removed with great care so as not to damage anything and are then themselves loaded onto the trailers, sometimes sharing space with the boats and sometimes needing their own transportation. With the sailboats, most dealers leave the masts and rigging in storage at the yards until after the show. Each hull and each section needs to be supported properly on the trailers so that they will withstand the trip to the show venue without mishap. Care must be taken to support the load so the vessels won’t suffer damage, due to bumps in the road, sudden twists, turns and stops along the way. Even wind affects on the various parts plays in how the trailers are set up and all of this is done as the boat or sections hang from the crane or lift just above its respective trailer. You might think that once the boats are loaded and secured that the hard work is over. But in fact, it has just begun.


The producers of the show will schedule a time and place for the dealers to stage their boats prior to the show. For the larger vessels, this means hauling the boats to the venue days before set up begins and leaving them until the offloading and set-up starts. For dealers that have smaller boats that will be brought in by trailer other than the large transport, that means beginning the move in once the doors are open for set up. In either case, it is a well orchestrated plan that has been fine tuned over the years. Every consideration has been made based on size of vessels to be moved in and even the location within the building itself. Once again, scheduling equipment and manpower correctly determines how quickly and successfully the whole move-in process goes.

It has been said that from chaos and confusion comes order and this about sums up the move-in process. Consideration must be given to access for the larger boats and the equipment needed to unload and re-assemble them. Trucks carrying necessary supplies to build displays, and carry office supplies, signs and banners and whatever else is needed must be able to reach the display areas and unload. Most of this is directed by the shows promoters. Depending on size, the boats may come in by small trailers behind pick-up trucks or on large flatbeds set up for just this purpose. Sailboats must be lifted by a pair of large cranes and blocked in place. The larger power boats need to be raised off their trailers and blocked in position and the sections that were taken apart for shipping must now be put back together and made ready for the public. Again the large cranes might be called to duty. Decking may need to be built and positioned, and carpet or other floor covering placed in the display area. All of the set-up process is done over a period of days prior to the show. Most vendors will begin very early in the morning and continue till late in the evening. That opening day deadline is on everyone’s mind and the entire process is difficult and grueling.

Once the boats are positioned, decks are built and put in place and the major construction is completed, the finishing touches are put on the display area. This can be video displays, information brochures, lights, plants and anything else the dealer may decide that will make the area more attractive and appealing to the public. The equipment on the boats must be checked out and in good working order. Where needed, electricity should be available. Just before Showtime, the boats will be completely detailed and decorated. Hulls will be polished to a high shine and the stainless fittings and hardware will gleam in the lights of the arena.

And let’s not forget all of the vendors selling their various equipment and wares. Several areas are set aside just for these displays. They tend to be much smaller but still require a fair amount of set-up. They can be as varied as insurance brokers, chandleries, engine shops, equipment suppliers both large and small and sometimes, totally unrelated to boating. These displays are usually the last to be set up and are an indicator that the big day is quickly approaching. While all of this is going on, the promoters are busy hanging signs, setting up electrical connections, planning parking for thousands and even placement of the ticket booths. The entire undertaking is one well choreographed effort that even for those of us that have done this many times still watch the process unfold in wonder.
When the big day comes, the doors are finally opened and that first person walks through, the public sees a spectacular display of all things boating under one roof. The selections are almost overwhelming and the individual vendors are standing by to answer questions and sell their wares. There is little evidence of just what went on in those days just prior. It would appear that everything just magically arrived for their viewing pleasure. And once the last one goes home and the doors finally close on this particular show, well the whole process of taking it all down and getting it back where it came from, and put back together or stored away for the next show begins. But that is a whole other story.

Home From The Show

We are back home from the Stuart Cruiser's Expo Show and it is always good to be home but we sure enjoyed the great weather (read warm) and the opportunity to spend some time with a lot of current and future cruisers. This is pretty much a power boat cruiser's show but there were a few sailors there also. We heard from several other venders that the show did not have the same attendance as in past years but we found it to be a good show from our perspective so we look forward to doing it again. We were at the Waterway Guide booth through most of the weekend. We met a lot of folks and sold a lot of Waterway Guides.

On Friday I gave a seminar on cruising the Carolinas and it seemed to be well received. We talked about and covered side trips to many small towns that can be visited off the ICW by boat and how these trips make great alternative stops and cruising grounds. Capt. Chris Caldwell also joined in and gave a brief presentation on one of his favorite routes along Croaton Sound and how it can be used as an alternative to the ICW route. On Friday evening there was a cocktail and hor'dourves party and I was asked to be the Keynote Speaker. It was a fun speech and kept short since everyone was having too good a time to listen to a speaker for very long. There was lots of socializing and tall tales going around the room for hours. The sponsors and organizers put on a great spread and did a fine job for the entire weekend. We really enjoyed it and hope we will be participating again next year. The immediate future will have us perhaps at the Trawlerfest in Ft. Lauderdale, The Miami Boatshow, and for sure the MTOA Rendezvous in St. Augustine in April. I plan to give a talk on cruising Cuba at the MTOA event.





For now, it is back to work to fatten the bank account and get the cruising kitty built up. We have lots of expensive equipment to buy and install so this may be one of our longest work stops yet. We are having a great time with the new jobs and spending much more time with family, so other than the winter and the cold, there is not too much to complain about. But I will anyway.

Coast Guard Rescue Off NC Coast

News Release	Date: January 03, 2010 Contact: 5th District Public Affairs (757) 398-6272
Coast Guard, Navy rescue man from sunken sailboat off east coast
PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The Coast Guard and Navy worked together Sunday morning to return a rescued man to shore after his sailboat sank about 250 nautical miles east of Cape Hatteras, N.C. Coast Guard Fifth District watchstanders received a satellite distress signal at 5:07 p.m. Saturday from the sailboat Gloria A Dios. They launched an Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., HC-130J Hercules aircraft crew to search for the sailboat, began broadcasting an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to notify other mariners, used satellite Enhanced Group Calls to target other vessels in the area for help and diverted an AMVER vessel (a ship participating in the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System.) The Hercules crew made contact with the Gloria A Dios operator, Dennis Clements, at about 6:30 p.m. and found that his sailboat had been taking on water since Wednesday due to storms and needed help. The Coast Guard watchstanders and Navy's U.S. Second Fleet Maritime Operations Center coordinated to identify the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its air assets as the quickest and safest way to rescue Clements. The crew of the Hercules dropped a life raft near the Gloria A Dios after a large wave demasted it causing two holes in the port side cabin at about 9:30 p.m. The sailboat sank and Eisenhower's rescue helicopter crew picked up the man from the water around 10:30 p.m. and flew more than 100 miles back to the carrier with the Hercules flying overhead. In the meantime, an Air Station Elizabeth City MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew had flown to the Eisenhower to refuel. The rescued man was checked by the Eisenhower's senior medical officer and the Jayhawk's crew flew him safely back to Elizabeth City. The rescued man was back to solid ground Sunday at 3:45 a.m. "When a mariner in distress is hundreds of miles offshore, the best platform to assist might be a commercial vessel transiting between ports or a DoD asset," said Lt. Scott L. Farr, a watchstander at the Coast Guard Fifth District Command Center. "The motor vessel Ryujin was diverted but could not maintain their course to affect a rescue due to heavy seas. Ultimately, the quick and effective coordination between the Fifth District Command Center, Air Station Elizabeth City and the USS Eisenhower provided assistance to this mariner with the use of multiple aircraft by coordinating and leveraging their unique capabilities when no one else was within 100 nautical miles of the sailboat's position." Download photos and video: Photo 1 Video - 25mb Windows Media File (prior to demasting) An Additional report can be found here, http://tinyurl.com/yhjlrqn

Dehumidifier Recall

We try and post any safety issues we find that would have a affect a broad number of boaters and we feel this is an important one since many of us in all climates along the eastern seaboard especially, could be affected. We use a dehumidifier all of the time on board Beach House but not any of the ones affected by the recall. Nothing is more frightening and devastating for boat owner like a fire so we considered this one important. This humidifiers can be purchased on line or at many home improvement stores. Check the link and be sure yours is not included

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall of 98,000 dehumidifiers sold under the Goldstar and Comfort-Aire brands between January 2007 and June 2008. The model in question, manufactured by China's LG Electronics Tianjin Appliance Co., has a 30-pint resevoir with a front-loading bucket, and a red shut-off button. This unit has been determined to be the cause of a number of fires — and we all know how boat fires usually turn out. To see if your dehumidifier is on the recall list, check this site.

Coast Guard EPIRB Warning

November 30, 2009 Alert 08-09
Washington, DC
UNAPPROVED EPIRB BATTERY REPLACEMENTS
Fishing vessel safety staff in the Coast Guard’s Seventh District has received at least three reports in
the past few months regarding unapproved replacements of 406 EPIRB batteries by servicing
companies having no association with the EPIRB manufacturer. These unauthorized battery
installations would likely result in a failure of this critical item of lifesaving equipment, and as such are
not in compliance with the operational readiness requirements of 46 CFR.
The following is a typical excerpt from an EPIRB manufacturer report:
“The unit was opened and a foreign battery was found inside. The battery was built up using
(manufacturer) fuses and wiring salvaged from the original (manufacturer) battery. They then
covered their battery with the original (manufacturer) yellow heat shrink, (manufacturer) labels
and taped it together. This was then covered with a black heat shrink wrap. The connections
were soldered and not spot welded, as is required by the design and is performed in
(manufacturer) production. The battery measured 8.7 volts. Our batteries read 9+ volts when
they are new. This battery was installed one week prior to it being brought into (manufacturer).
There was also evidence of water intrusion due to the crack in the top cap, which (servicing
company) did not recognize as they are not trained in these matters.
The EPIRB was condemned by (manufacturer) and the customer was notified when he came
to pick the unit up.”
Every approved (i.e., accepted by the FCC) EPIRB is tested during its approval process using a
battery, or batteries, specified by the manufacturer. Approved EPIRBs come with a user's manual
which describes battery maintenance and replacement procedures. In order for the EPIRB to remain
within the conditions of its approval, the manufacturer's instructions in the user's manual must be
adhered to. To ensure that replacement batteries are of the same type with which the EPIRB was
approved, and are correctly installed, manufacturers typically specify that battery replacements only
be done by the manufacturer or a manufacturer-approved shop.
Any modification or changes to an EPIRP must be made in accordance with the manufacturer. The
use of alternative replacement parts or batteries is prohibited and may prevent the device from
meeting lifesaving requirements. The Coast Guard strongly reminds EPIRB owners and servicing
facilities to be aware of the compliance implications and potential for equipment failure stemming from
any EPIRB modification or unauthorized battery replacement.
This safety alert is provided for informational purposes only and does not relieve any domestic or
international safety, operational or material requirement. Questions regarding the information
presented in this alert may be addressed to LCDR Vince Gamma of the U.S. Coast Guard
Headquarters Lifesaving & Fire Safety Standards Division at 202.372.1396 or
Vincent.A.Gamma@uscg.mil.