User Serviceable EPIRB

PRO-Find Safety, a subsidiary of Seimac (Canada) designed and manufactures a marine distress beacon operating at newly dedicated frequency 406.028 MHz. The PRO-Find 406 EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) was designed for reliability, ease of use, and affordability. The manufacture claims – it is the lowest cost commercially available marine radio distress beacon.

When activated, the PRO-Find 406 EPIRB sends out a digital radio distress signal via geostationary and low-earth-orbiting satellites of the international COSPAS-SARSAT network. Doppler analysis provides a location fix. This information, together with uniquely encoded unit identification, is relayed to appropriate search and rescue contacts. The beacon is built with 35 percent fewer components than competing units, designed for operation within a temperature range of -40 C to +55 C, and is available in both automatic and manual release versions. The new EPIRB is designed to be user serviceable and installation of a replacement battery pack can be done onboard. A simple 25-second self-test feature verifies battery power and radio signal integrity.