New MCA Digital Emergency Beacon Registry Service - EPIRB/PLB Reregistration May Be Required

[BlowingOldBoots]

The MCA has introduced a new registration service for 406MHz beacons: EPIRBS, PLBS etc. You may not have to reregister if you registered your devices in the last few years. Easy to do but you need the beacon data to register. Mine were registered more than 7 years ago and so are not included in this database and I will register my PLB and EPIRB here. I assume that the new service is not automatically transcribing data and information from old databases, so worth checking if your details are recorded.

Read the information through the links for clarification.

Use this service to:

register a UK 406 MHz beacon
update your beacon registration details
update your vessel or aircraft details
You can register the following types of UK 406 MHz beacon:

Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), for any use
Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or Simplified Voyage-Data Recorder, for maritime use
Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) or ELT dongle, for aircraft use

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new- ... line-today
https://www.gov.uk/register-406-beacons

[marisca]

Just checked the MARS database. I'm sure my EPIRB Hex No used to be there but not now. Does it mean that should my EPIRB be set off the link to my home phone number has gone?

[BlowingOldBoots]

I doubt that it matters marisca as I believe the EPIRB would have been registered with MCA, which is where the SAR details come from (in the UK case), not MARS, which is to do with coordinating technologies, licensing and recording of communication devices and not SAR. Also OFCOM is where it should be registered to have the radio licence. I just checked MARS and the old boat name and old owner, for my yacht, is still listed, despite being changed over 12 years ago, and there are no contact details.

I remember, when I bought the boat, updating CG66 online (now defunct), OFCOM (licence where all devices were listed) and using a form to register my new EPIRB and PLB that was sent to Falmouth Coastguard, iirc. What Falmouth did with it, I do not know, nor how all the other agencies share data. I just checked OFCOM and it is offline. I wonder if this is an attempt at single source of information within the government.

This is the Merchant Shipping Notice, MSN 1816, that links EPIRB to SAR through recording of information https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... 2/1816.pdf Apparently registration cards can be obtained from the RYA as well.

1.2 The Regulations ensure that details held on the registers are as accurate as possible. There have been incidents where details were found to be wrong or out of date. ...

9. Offences
9.1 The penalties are a fine not exceeding £1,000 for contraventions of Regulations 5(1) (requirement that the owner and operator correctly register any EPIRB carried on a ship) and 6 (requirement that the owner and operator notify the competent authority of any changes made with respect to a registered EPIRB) and £500 for contraventions of Regulation 5(3) (requirement that evidence of a correctly registered EPIRB carried on a ship is available on board for inspection at all times by a surveyor of ships.)

https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge/safety ... rb-and-plb