1 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its
seventy-fifth session (15 to 24 May 2002), approved Guidelines for
shore-based maintenance of satellite EPIRBs, for the purpose of establishing
standardized procedures and minimum levels of service for the testing and
maintenance of satellite EPIRBs to ensure maximum reliability whilst
minimizing the risk of false distress alerts.
2 Member Governments are invited to bring the
annexed Guidelines to the attention of shore-based maintenance providers,
equipment manufacturers, classification societies, shipping companies,
shipowners, ship operators, shipmasters and all other parties
concerned.
01 Introduction
1.1 The purpose of these guidelines is to
establish standardised procedures and minimum levels of service for the
testing and maintenance of satellite EPIRBs to ensure maximum
reliability whilst minimising the risk of false distress alerting.
1.2 The guidelines are
intended to be applicable both to 406 MHz EPIRBs and to L-band EPIRBs,
as either type may be carried to comply with the requirements of SOLAS
regulation IV/7.1.6. EPIRBs may include 121.5 MHz transmitters, or
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers.
1.3 The guidelines also apply to service
exchange EPIRBs which should be properly encoded to match the
appropriate registration database. B
02 Shore-based maintenance (SBM) provider
2.1 The SBM provider should:
.1 have a quality control system audited by a
competent authority in respect of its servicing operation;
.2 have access to adequate calibrated test
equipment and facilities to carry out the SBM in accordance with these
guidelines;
.3 have access to batteries and
other spare parts to the original equipment specification;
.4 have access to up-to-date technical
manuals, service bulletins and the latest software versions as provided
by the original equipment manufacturer;
.5
keep records of maintenance, available for inspection by the
Administration as may be required;
.6 ensure
that all personnel responsible for supervising and for carrying out the
maintenance procedures are adequately trained and fully competent to
perform their duties; and
.7 issue a
shore-based maintenance report with a list of the test results and
maintenance performed.
03 Prevention of false distress alerts
3.1 Throughout the testing and maintenance
process, great care must be taken to avoid the transmission of false
distress alerts. The transmissions may be picked up by aircraft as well
as satellites.
3.2 A
radio-frequency-screened room or enclosure should be used for all
maintenance procedures involving, or likely to involve, any transmission
from an EPIRB.
3.3 Provision
of a 121.5 MHz monitor receiver is required; this will pick up the
homing transmitter and give a warning if the EPIRB is accidentally
activated outside the screened enclosure.
3.4 If a distress signal is transmitted
accidentally, the local RCC should be contacted immediately and informed
of the co-ordinates of the test site.
04 Maintenance service interval
4.1 406 MHz satellite EPIRBs should be
inspected and tested in accordance with MSC/Circ.1040.
4.2 Shore-based maintenance of all
satellite EPIRBs, as defined in paragraph 1.2, should be carried out in
accordance with these guidelines at intervals specified by the flag
Administration and not exceeding 5 years. It is recommended that the
maintenance be performed at the time when the battery is to be changed.
05 Self-test
5.1 Prior to carrying out any maintenance
and, upon completion, a self-test should be performed, following the
instructions on the equipment, and the results noted.
5.2 Attention is drawn to paragraph 3 on
the prevention of false distress alerts. Avoidance of live transmissions
is required to prevent unnecessary loading of the satellite channels.
5.3 It should be
verified that the self-test mode operates properly. This check could be
performed by holding the switch in self-test mode position for 1 min
after the first self-test mode burst transmission. All transmissions
should cease after releasing the self-test mode switch. Additionally,
for 406 MHz satellite EPIRBs which received the COSPAS-SARSAT type
approval after October 1998 (Type Approval Certificates 106 and higher)
the number of self-test bursts should be verified to be no more than
one.
06 Battery change
6.1 The main battery should be changed in
accordance with the manufacturer.s recommendations, including the
replacement of any other routine service parts (e.g. seals, memory
battery, desiccant).
6.2 The
removed batteries should be disposed of in accordance with the
manufacturer.s and/or national/local recommendations.
6.3 After having changed the battery,
the new expiration date should be displayed on the exterior surface of
the EPIRB.
07 Satellite distress transmission
7.1 The satellite EPIRB should be activated
in its normal transmitting mode (i.e. not just self-test). Attention is
drawn to paragraph 3 on the prevention of false distress alerts. Where
seawater contacts are fitted, these should be connected together to
activate the EPIRB.
7.2 The
transmitted signal should be checked with a suitable test receiver to
verify the signal integrity and coding.
7.3 The frequency of the transmitted signal
should be recorded and verified to be within the limits required by the
specification to which it is approved.
7.4 The output power of the transmitter should
be checked in the self-test mode. A simple method of the emission
verification, such as a low sensitivity receiver placed at an
unobstructed distance of at least 3 m from the EPIRB antenna, may be
used for this check. The original equipment manufacturer may suggest an
appropriate method to verify the output power. Attention is drawn to
paragraph 3 on the prevention of false distress alerts. l
08 121.5 MHz homing transmission
8.1 The satellite EPIRB should be activated
in it.s normal transmitting mode (i.e. not just self- test). Attention
is drawn to paragraph 3 on the prevention of false distress alerts.
Where seawater contacts are fitted, these should be connected together
to activate the EPIRB.
8.2
The transmitted signal should be checked with a suitable test receiver
for the characteristic swept tone modulation.
09 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)
9.1 Some satellite EPIRBs are designed to
transmit a position derived from a GNSS receiver, which may be internal
or external to the EPIRB.
9.2
The original equipment (EPIRB) manufacturer should be consulted for
a method of testing the correct operation of this function, e.g.: by
using a GNSS repeater/simulator or external input. This test may involve
a live transmission from the EPIRB and should be performed in a screened
room or enclosure in accordance with paragraph 3.2. Attention is drawn
to paragraph 3 on the prevention of false distress alerts.
9.3 A test receiver should
be used to verify that the signal transmitted by the satellite EPIRB
contains the correctly encoded position data derived from the GNSS
receiver. Attention is drawn to paragraph 3 on the prevention of false
distress alerts.
10 Waterproof integrity
10.1 The satellite EPIRB should be inspected
for any signs of damage or cracks to the casing, or of water ingress.
Any damaged item should be replaced in accordance with the
manufacturer.s recommended procedures.
10.2 The satellite EPIRB should be tested for
waterproof integrity at the end of the SBM. The equipment manufacturer
may suggest an appropriate method to test the integrity of the EPIRB.
10.3 One method involves
immersing the equipment in hot water (20-30oC above ambient) for a
period of 1 min. It can be readily seen if there are any problems with
the seals, as the air inside the beacon expands and escapes as a stream
of bubbles. This test should not be carried out with cool water, as the
water may be drawn into the equipment without showing significant
release of air bubbles.
10.4
Satellite EPIRBs equipped with seawater switches should have this
function disabled during the immersion test to prevent activation,
unless the complete test is performed inside a screened room. This
disabling may be achieved by immersing the EPIRB complete with a
mounting bracket if the bracket includes an interlock to prevent
activation before release. In some cases the EPIRB contains an inversion
switch, so it will not be activated if immersed in the inverted
position. The manufacturer should be consulted for specific
guidance.
11 Labelling
11.1 As a minimum, the equipment external
labelling should be checked for the following details:
.1 manufacturer.s serial number. This identifies the
equipment, even if the programmed data (e.g. MMSI or callsign) is later
changed;
.2 the transmitted identification
code:
- for L-band EPIRBs, it will be the Inmarsat
System Code; and
- for 406 MHz EPIRBs, this will be
the beacon 15 Hexadecimal Identification (15 Hex ID) and other encoded
identification information (MMSI / callsign) as required by the
Administration. It should be verified that the label matches the
information decoded from the self-test mode transmission using the test
receiver. For the COSPAS-SARSAT location protocol beacons, the 15 Hex ID
should correspond to position data set to default values;
.3 the expiration date of the battery; and
.4 the date when the next shore-based
maintenance is due (see paragraph 12.1).
11.2 The above checks also apply if a
replacement EPIRB is provided by the SBM provider.
12 Shore-based maintenance report and other documentation
12.1 The results of shore-based maintenance
should be provided in the form of a shore-based maintenance report, a
copy of which is to be kept on board, and a label affixed to the
exterior of the beacon detailing the name of the SBM provider and the
date when the next shore-based maintenance is due.
12.2 The SBM provider may affix a tamperproof
seal or similar device on completion of the SBM.
12.3 Before returning the beacon to the owner,
or when providing a replacement beacon, the SBM provider should check
the registration details with the beacon registry, where practicable.