121 MHz EPIRB Coverage Ends February 1st

It's time to make the switch to 406 MHz EPIRBs (Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon)! Satellite processing of distress signals by the U.S. Coast Guard on the 121 and 243 MHz bands will cease on February 1. Due to numerous false alerts and poor accuracy which degraded the reliability of lifesaving services, the decision was made by the international satellite-based search and rescue organization, COSPAS/SARSAT, nearly nine years ago to discontinue satellite coverage on these bands. With 406 MHz EPIRBs operating on a more reliable frequency, along with the required registration process, search and rescue agencies are able to respond quicker using the proper equipment, and pinpoint offshore boaters in distress. You can purchase a 406 MHz EPIRB for $700 retail or for short offshore trips, rent from the BoatUS Foundation for only $40 a week.

MarineGuard Boat Security Alarm Systems Are Built Just For The Marine Environment

The MarineGuard 58 Security System (MG58) is designed for boats over 40 feet with access under the decking. The MG58C MarineGuard System includes the security control panel which is encased in epoxy to protect it from the harsh marine environment, a white siren to provide an audible alarm, two key-chain transmitters to arm and disarm the system and a chime mounted on a white switch plate, four Deck sensors, one large contact and one small contact.

The MarineGuard security systems are unique because they use Pulsor Deck Sensors. Mounted under a boat's decking, MarineGuard Deck Pulsor Sensors are invisible. Not only does this take an intruder by surprise, but it also does not take away from the boat's decor. Better yet the MarineGuard Pulsor Deck Sensors, when installed according to our direction, are virtually false-alarm free. Deck sensors detect the weight of a person walking on the deck, and will never false alarm from birds, boat movement or any environmental factors that trigger other types of security sensors.

The Deck Sensor is the most stable and versatile motion detector available anywhere!

• The Sensor is completely invisible. It is mounted with epoxy to the underside of a boat's decking where it cannot be seen.
• It is effective on almost any boat structure including wood, fiberglass, aluminum and steel.
• The Deck Sensor is environmentally sealed.
• It utilizes 22-gauge, marine-grade wire leads.
• Deck Sensors sense only the unique flexing of the decking caused by a person's movement.
• The Sensor will not false due to wind, the rocking of the boat or normal boat vibration.
• They will not detect or respond to birds and are unaffected by sunlight.

You can use the MarineGuard systems as stand alone local alarms for audible and visual detection, or add GPS tracking and monitoring with MarineGuard cellular or satellite communicators.

Learn all about these incredible boat alarm systems that were built specifically for the marine environment at: www.MarineGuardSecurity.com

The Silent Killer Wants You!

As a liveaboard I'm blessed with the opportunity to stay on top of vessel maintenance on a daily basis (it's never a problem finding something that needs to be done). I make sure to include vessel safety concepts and accident prevention into the daily rotation, and consider them as equally important. This can be as simple as putting fresh batteries in all detectors or as complex as designing a safety drill and rehearsing an emergency situation with my first mate until we feel comfortable with our response.

If you are a boat owner that uses your vessel only occasionally for recreation, I can only imagine that the little precious time you have onboard is consumed most often by the obvious needs and less by the invisible concerns.

Although carbon monoxide poisoning is a year round problem, this time of year needs to be considered high risk. With our vessels sealed tight to keep out the cold, the chance of CO building in cabins and on enclosed bridges increases drammaticly. Please take a moment to consider your CO detectors on your very next visit. This silent killer is so prevalent in our environment, that it deserves your prioritized consideration. Although any detector is better than none (It's the law on boats), be advised that devices that are designed for marine use are calibrated at a different standard than those designed for household use. Also many boat occupants mistake the early symptoms of CO poisoning, for sea sickness.

Here is an excellent example and some information you need as presented by: BoatUS

Source:BoatUS.org

A couple in Michigan arrived at their boat, started the gas generator, turned on the boat's electric heater, and set to work on a few end of the season projects. While they were working, carbon monoxide (CO) from the gas generator began creeping quietly into the main saloon somewhere down in the bilge.

Without a CO alarm, there was no way that the couple could have been aware-or even had the tiniest hint--that the deadly gas was mixing with the oxygen in the boat's cabin. CO is colorless, odorless, and it produces initial symptoms-drowsiness, headaches, nausea, or dizziness--that aren't especially alarming.

The unsuspecting couple soon "fell asleep," and would have died had it not been for the early arrival-almost two hours early-of their son. He quickly shut off the generator, opened ports, and phoned the rescue squad. They were extremely lucky; most CO claims have a much sadder outcome.

An investigation afterward concluded that the CO had come from a drain plug in the generator's muffler that had worked loose and lay in the bilge. The report also noted the lack of a CO detector aboard, which wasn't a surprise.

Of a dozen or so recent claims for CO fatalities or near fatalities in a boat's cabin, the lack of a CO detector is the only thing that all of them had in common.

CO can enter a cabin from many different sources, according to the claim files: from a hot water heater; from a galley stove; from the "station wagon effect"-exhaust from the boat's exhaust; from a generator; and even from other nearby boats. There have also been several injuries from people swimming under swim platforms when an engine or generator was being operated.

Certainly it is important to recognize the symptoms of CO poisoning: headaches, drowsiness, and nausea. With most of the BoatU.S. claims, one or more of these symptoms were present, but victims did not recognize the danger they were in.

It is also advisable to inspect the engine and generator for leaks in the exhaust system and to avoid, or try to avoid, the many different situations that could bring CO into a boat's cabin, that isn't easy. Besides the station wagon effect, accidents have been traced to wind direction, proximity to a dock or seawall, boats rafted together, an open hatch or port, a canvas cover, or combination of several causes.

It isn't unusual after an accident, for an inspection to spend many hours, or even days, trying to ascertain how CO got into a boat's cabin.

While guarding against the many possible sources of CO is certainly advisable, the most reliable safeguard is a CO detector. As of August 1, 1998 the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), the organization that writes the voluntary standards for recreational boats, began recommending that all boats with enclosed accommodation areas and a gasoline generator or a gasoline inboard propulsion engine have a CO detector installed.

(Diesel engines are not included because they are much less likely to produce deadly levels of CO.) The recommendation that CO detectors be installed on new boats is great news for anyone who will be buying a new boat, but what about boats built before August 1998?

INSTALLING A CO DETECTOR: A FEW CONSIDERATIONS

One reason that ABYC may have been slow to recommend the use of CO detectors may be their reputation in the past for emitting unnerving false alarms periodically. You could almost count on a CO detector made prior to 1992, the older "single point" alarms, to sound whenever they detected even the slightest trace of CO.

Since a whiff or two of CO is likely to drift into a cabin several times a day, the frequent alarms were an ongoing nuisance. After 1992, however, manufacturers began making more technically advanced units that use "time-weighted averaging" to greatly reduce the number of alarms.

By averaging the CO over a period of a few minutes, these newer alarms will not sound unless they repeatedly detect CO.

Some of the newer units can even do things like disengage the generator if CO is detected. A proper marine CO detector, incidentally, will have the UL 1524 marine mark, which means it was tested by Underwriters Laboratories standard 1524.

ABYC does not say where on the boat a CO detector should be located. The gas, which is about the same weight as oxygen, tends to dissipate evenly in an area and isn't any more likely to be found up near the ceiling or down by the cabin sole.

As a practical matter, placing an alarm at eye level allows you to easily monitor any meters or warning lights on a unit.

Sleeping areas, main saloons, an enclosed fly-bridge, and anywhere else people spend time are candidates for a CO detector. Areas that should be avoided include near hatches or doors where fresh air might distort readings. Dead air spaces-corners-should also be avoided.

TAKING CO DETECTORS SERIOUSLY

While the older alarms were often a nuisance, the improved technology means that when a newer alarm sounds it should be investigated.

CO that drifts in and out of a cabin can be dangerous, since the effects of CO are cumulative and can build up gradually in a person's bloodstream over hours or even days before it reaches critical levels.

This is true even if when the person breathes fresh air periodically; the CO remains in the bloodstream. How quickly the CO builds up is a factor of the concentration of the gas being inhaled (measured in parts per million [PPM]) and the duration of the exposure.

The half-life of CO is approximately five hours, which means that it takes five hours for the level of CO in the blood to drop to half its level when exposure was terminated.

There is also some recent research challenges traditional thinking that the effects of CO poisoning are transitory. Studying 96 victims for one year beyond their exposure, researchers found over 25% showed evidence of brain damage 12 months after exposure. These long-term CO injuries can include apathy, memory loss, inattention, and depression.

How Much CO is Too Much? (In Parts Per Million (PPM)

• 200 PPM Slight headaches within two to three hours.

• 400 PPM Frontal headaches within one to two hours.

• 800 PPM Dizziness, nausea, and convulsions within 45 minutes. Insensible within two hours.

• 1,600 PPM Headache. Dizziness and nausea within 20 minutes. Death within 30 minutes.

• 3,200 PPM Headache and dizziness within five minutes. Death within 30 minutes.

• 6,400 PPM Headache and dizziness within one to two minutes. Death in less than 15 minutes.

• 12,800 PPM Death in less than three minutes.

CO Concentration at the Source

• Gasoline Engine 10,000 - 100,000 PPM

• Diesel Engine 1,000 PPM

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

Shortly after she bought her 33' Egg Harbor, Terri Parrow, Vice President of Internet Operations at BoatU.S., took an action photograph of the boat as it went zooming by near Solomon's Island, Maryland.

The photo (above) turned out well, with a blue sky, puffy clouds, and lots of exciting spray.

The more she studied the photograph, though, the more it seemed that something was wrong. Then it dawned on her that the ship's ensign--the flag on the stern--is flapping forward, toward the two people on the flying bridge, Aren't flags supposed to point aft?

The canvas on the fly-bridge had just been added and when the flaps were closed exhaust from the boat's twin 340 hp gasoline engines was being sucked back into the cabin and onto the fly-bridge (the "station wagon effect). After seeing the photo, Terri made some changes.

First, she cruises with the forward canvas flaps and hatch on the foredeck opened slightly to keep fresh air flowing throughout the fly-bridge and cabin. And she also replaced one the boat's two CO detectors, which had been inoperable.

These two simple changes have saved her a lot of potential headaches, or worse, whenever the boat is underway.

Personal Satellite Messenger - Don't Leave Home Without One

Introducing SPOT – The World’s First Satellite Messenger

Whether you’re just checking in, allowing others to track your progress, or calling for help – SPOT gives you a vital line of communication with friends and family when you want it, and emergency assistance when and where you need it. And since it utilizes 100% satellite technology, SPOT works around the world – even where cell phones don’t.

*Low-Cost satellite service subscription required.

This device is in my opinion one of the greatest new products to surface in these days of affordable high technology. If you own a boat, RV or airplane, travel, drive into remote areas, hike, camp, fish, hunt, ski or do any other outdoor activity, take time to look into getting this device.

In the short time SPOT has been on the market it has been credited for saving many lives. It has won some very prestigious awards as well.

• Field & Stream Best of the Best Award 2008
• North American Hunting Club (NAHC) Member Tested Seal of Approval
• Backpacker Magazine 2008 Editors' Choice Award
• SAIL Magazine Freeman K. Pittman Innovation Award
• Cabela’s 2008 Buyers’ Choice Gold Medal Award
• Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®) 2008 Innovations Design and Engineering Award

The SPOT unit Size is just 4.38 X 2.75 X 1.5” (approx. 111 mm x 69 mm x 44 mm) and it's approximate Weight is a light 7.37 ounces (209 grams).

You purchase your unit from the manufacturer direct or one of its Authorized SPOT Dealers. The unit sells for around $169.00 US and the MAP (Minimum Allowed Advertised Price) is $149.99

Once you purchase your unit you login on the secure SPOT Website activation page to register your unit and start your annual subscription. The subscription fees are:

$99.99 USD/yr basic satellite service subscription and includes:

• ALERT 9-1-1: Alerts the GEOS Emergency Response Center to your exact location.(Unlimited usage included.) When you activate this Alert by holding the 911 button in for 3 seconds, the GEOS Emergency Response Center begins rescue and extraction coordination. The unit tracks your every movement to a precise Long./Lat. and relays the location to the appropriate rescue authorities. Your main contact is kept informed throuhout the rescue process and if you are overseas, your countries consulate is notified and updated.

• CHECK IN: Lets your contacts know where you are and that you’re okay. (Unlimited usage included.) I use this feature when my wife and I go cruising on our boat or traveling anywhere in the world to let our loved ones know where we are and that everything is going great. They appreciate that we're thinking of them and that they don't have to worry about us. As an added feature we can hold down the check in button for three seconds, which allows them to track our adventure and movement for 24 hrs. The trip is also stored on the SPOT website for future access and review. This makes a handy trip log for future float plans.

• ASK FOR HELP: Request help from friends and family at your exact location.(Unlimited usage included.) This is helpful in those situations where you need help from a loved one or friend but don't want help from local police or rescue authorities. An example might be running out of gas in a remote area with no cell service. Your assigned contacts will get a text message requesting their help and a link to Google Earth Maps showing your exact location in the world so they can find you.

There are a couple of option plans that are available for your consideration at activation of your SPOT unit.

• TRACK PROGRESS: $49.99/yr USD- Tracking Upgrade Option Sends and saves your location and allows contacts to track your progress using Google Maps™.
  

• GEOS Search & Rescue Benefit $7.95/yr USD if purchased at initial activation. ($150.00/yr USD if purchased after initial activation)- Provides up to $100,000 USD of additional search and rescue resources, including helicopter extraction around the world and reimbursement benefits – underwritten by Lloyd’s of London – for any emergency service expenses incurred. For more information, including terms and conditions, visit http://www.geosalliance.com/sar

Many of the SPOT systems registered rescues are due to the diligence of someone purchasing the unit for a loved one as a gift. There are a couple of testimonials where the unit saved the life of the person just days after receiving it. (talk about good timing!)

Think about how many people you know that can benefit from this affordable and must have device. Think about the peace of mind to be gained by both the user and contacts.

This is the PERFECT GIFT to give to yourself or someone you care about. Learn more about it by visiting: http://www.findmespot.com/home.aspx

Off Topic Ramble

Quit Your Complaining! Please

OK times are tough, admitted. We listen to the doomsday reports on the daily news, everyone is talking about it. Some folks are pulling money out of the bank and squirreling it away. Others hold on hoping the newly elected president is going to wave his magic wand and put an end to the worry.

If you clear your mind enough from the barrage of bad news for a couple of minutes and realize that there are two sides to every story (but the other side doesn’t sell newspapers), you will realize that there is hope for you yet. Let’s explore the other side, shall we?

•   When I was a kid gas was about 50 cents a gallon, and it was better gas too!

Yes, but your car only got 10 miles to the gallon and it had no safety features, except a lap strap to maybe keep your dead body with the car.

•   Bread was only 25 cents a loaf back in the day.

They advertised that it helped your body grow about a dozen ways but turns out it had zero nutrition.

•   You never had a fear of losing your job; you could work in one place forever.

They didn’t pay much, that’s why bread was .25 and gas .50

• The prices at the big box stores are even getting out of hand these days.

Start supporting your neighbors by shopping local so you will keep them from going out of business, and turning those big box stores into monopolies.

• Once upon a time you could buy a home for $30,000.00

That same home sells for $250,000.00+ today. Nice profit!

•   The grocery store prices are killing me

Eat out once in a while; if you stay away from the fanciest restaurants, it can actually be cheaper than making the same meal at home, and you might keep another neighbor from closing their business.

I won’t beat a dead horse any longer. All I ask is that you find a reason to smile! It’s not change that’s making you fear, its likely fear of change that’s making you nervous.

Be willing step out of the box and do something different for a while. It’s our ability to adapt that strengthens us and makes us better prepared for what comes our way. If you’re not stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something new each day, then you are not going to be ready when change is forced upon you. If things aren’t changing then beware, the world has stopped turning.

I promise you that the glass is half full and you’re going to be just fine (unless you would rather be miserable). 

How to Choose a Boat Security Alarm

When I decided to expand my lifetime of residential electronic security knowledge into the marine security world, I was absolutely amazed at how many alarm manufacturers were attempting to pawn off the systems they designed for normal residential and commercial use, as” Marine Security Systems.” As a boating enthusiast myself, with a vessel in the great Pacific Northwest, I knew that most things in life don’t hold up to the marine environment that we keep our boats in. That’s precisely why we buy most replacement parts from a marine parts purveyor and not an auto parts dealer, unless we don’t care how long they last.

I began my research by asking myself “how can these systems be marine alarms, if they aren’t modified in any way to withstand the harsh environment?” After inspection of many units and specifications, the answer was clear. They are not worthy of being called marine security systems!

Without being designed to withstand environmental issues such as salt and/or damp air, constant vibration, temperature extremes, etc. the systems will likely not be functioning soon after the warranty expires. To be truly a marine grade security system, you need to design the product from the ground up, just for the purpose they will be functioning in. Marine alarm system controls should be housed in NMEAIII enclosures (rated for water resistance), have all the electronics coated and potted, and have an epoxy seal over all the components that are necessary for function, but not needed for user interface.

The blatant misuse of common household motion detectors is a disaster when used on boats. When using these devices, the bumping of a vessel on a dock, the window treatments swaying as the boat moves in the wakes and winds, the extreme amount of sunlight that lands on the vessel, creatures entering protected areas, etc. will do little more than cause constant false alarms. Instead motion should be detected by hidden pressure sensors placed under decks and ladders, to warn of intruders boarding the vessel. If interior cabin motion detectors are used at all, they need to be dual technology devices that are designed to need two technology violations in order to be used in boats. In addition to the pressure sensors protecting the decks, marine grade contacts should be placed on doors, hatches and lockers, preventing entry into restricted areas.

Additional devices that are made just for boat security systems, which will help you, supervise important boat systems include:

· Bilge sensors (high water detectors in case of bilge pump failure)

· AC detectors (monitors shore power)

· DC detectors (monitors low battery banks)

· Temperature detectors (monitors temperature extremes in cabins and engine rooms)

· Smoke detectors (early interior fire protection)

· GPS tracking antennas (monitors boat movement, speed, coarse and heading)

· Sounder chimes (lets you know of violations when your below, with the system disarmed)

You can use your marine alarm as a standalone system that will warn of violations with a loud siren and flashing lights, or you can add a monitoring device for remote notification.

It’s important to make sure that your monitoring device is also designed specifically for the marine environment, just as the alarm control and all its devices should be.

Here are some available marine alarm systems, monitoring options:

Cellular: A cellular communicator is triggered from your alarm system, by a security or supervisory violation. The cellular communicator determines which numbers are to be called, (based on the type of signal) and notifies you via text message of the violation. The cellular communicators use a pre-paid SIM card that you keep a desired amount of minutes on, and recharge over the phone as needed with your credit card. On some marine systems, the cellular communicators will both text message you, and give you a voice message of the exact condition if you answer the phone. These types of units will also allow you to enter commands for arming/disarming the system, turning lights and appliances on/off, and even listen in on the vessel and talk to onboard parties via the alarm control and your cell phone. You can also add a GPS unit to these cellular units for vessel tracking via the internet. Cellular units are best used on inland waters and in places where the boat will not be away from a cell towers reach, or in roaming conditions.

Satellite: These units monitor all conditions as above with the cellular units, but have worldwide communications capability. These units have GPS tracking ability as well. They require a satellite subscription which gives you a personal webpage for your boat. The unit texts you if there are any violations and will allow you completely control tracking and vessel systems through the website. Some systems combine cellular control and reporting with satellite trackers for when the vessel is out of cell range.

Internet Protocol: This type of system texts and emails you of vessel alarm and supervisory conditions. You must have internet access onboard to use these systems. Internet onboard can be accomplished with wireless routers, express cards, EVDO cards (laptop cards), and satellite communications. These systems allow you complete control of system devices, lighting and appliance controls and motion sensing video cameras both inside and outside of your vessel. Imagine the satisfaction of being able to not only know that someone is on your boat but being able to see them as well, through streaming video to your PC or Java enabled cell phone. These units store video of violations, on an off vessel server. Even if the unit itself was stolen, you would still have video of who did it. These units require a monthly server subscription for access to the web page that controls your vessels systems.

I have developed a comprehensive website where you can learn all about the finest available systems that have been designed just for the marine environment. You will also find pricing and availability of your perfect system, while enjoying the detailed specifications of the various systems.

Use the link below for a visit and get all your questions answered there!

www.MarineGuardSecurity.com