Successful demonstrations of the 1.6 GHz satellite EPIRB system

Following the decision of the INMARSAT Council to coordinate the pre-operational demonstration of the 1.6 GHz satellite EPIRB system and of IMO´s Maritime Safety Committee about the mandatory carriage of a satellite EPIRB, the demonstrations have been ongoing since November 1986. For the demonstration of this important element of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) the system is established in the Atlantic Ocean Region. For the demonstration the Federal Republic of Germany provided 11 EPIRBs free of charge to interested participants. A demonstration coordination group was formed under the chairmanship of INMARSAT. The principal aim of the demonstration is to operate the EPIRB in an operational environment in order to instil confidence in the overall system by testing not only the EPIRB units but also the ground segment. The demonstration programme commenced in November 86 with an L-band satellite EPIRB aboard the German RV Gauss. Installations were subsequently made aboard other ships. The detailed test programme and the final test results of the demonstrations, together with an outlook of the future system development are presented