Search for SIMSHAR

busumark · July 20, 2008, 12:00:17 CET

what i found strange in the article is that toni carabott the president of the koperative tas sajd said that on wednesday the afm had a meeting with them to show them their equipment for searching and that they told them that it wont be difficult for them to find them. than toni said that they learnt that only one plane had that equipment and continued that if they had known this before they would have told the afm the area where to search with the plane. he said that they where searching in wrong area. if toni knew the area where they should have searched why he didnt tell the afm from the first day

busumark · July 20, 2008, 20:00:42 CET

comments on the timesofmalta http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080720/local/afm-gives-account-of-search-for-fishermen-so-far

its incredible that there are 2 comments that they are trying to make the afm look like heroes and that the fisherman made the wrong things. one of them is wally even in our accindent he defended the afm and that we were at fault. and can you beleive it there is one that said that a boat should have the safety equipment when going out at sea. as if you can use them if the boat exploded

shanook · July 20, 2008, 21:37:18 CET

What can u do busu once an A...H... u will always be one. Wally is one ofa kind. Its true that its difficult to spot a person or a boat form toooooo high above. I remember when Paul from St pauls got lost on his boat and was found 5 days after. the Spotter plane passed him serveral times and didnt spot him. their excuse was that they go high to search a larger area. But whats the use that u go too high that u dont see a boat?

skip · July 21, 2008, 09:50:32 CET

Until authorities both local and EU realise that there should be no VAT and potentially even a one-off subsidy on life saving equipment, things like EPIRBs and PLBs continue to put off people in terms of affordability of the majority of recreational boat users.

Considering the amount of money spent during rescue attempts, and the potential horrendous loss of life, I think that an individual should be able to apply for a PLB (Personal Locating Beacon), which they would get at a special price and also one EPIRB per boat at a special price.

Commercial vessels are required to carry a EPIRBs but the automatic deployment system is very expensive, and the ideal would be for everyone out on a boat to be wearing a PLB at all times as some can be as small as a packet of cigarettes. All beacons now need to be in the 406MHz band and not the older 121.5MHz band although some more expensive PLBs also carry a small homing signal on 121.5MHz.

PLB's exist with GPS input (internal or external) and no GPS.

MacMurdo Fast Find Max will set you back ?239 incl VAT and has a 121.5MHz homing signal beacon as well but no GPS.
MacMurdo Fast Find Max G +GPS will set you back around ?350 incl VAT plus homing signal.

MacMurdo Smartfind E5 EPIRB Manual - ?299 incl VAT
MacMurdo Smartfind E5 + GPS EPIRB Manual - ?449 incl VAT

What would it honestly cost for the Government of Malta to make a special concession of No VAT and potentially even make a bulk purchase of PLBs for the local boating community like they entered into an agreement with Microsoft which would allow people to register and purchase a PLB via this government scheme.

PLBs are small and easily fit in someones pocket or can be worn on a belt.

poor catch · July 21, 2008, 10:27:52 CET

A couple of interesting points in Skip's earlier post.

Unfortunately, it seems that the authorities reasoning in respect of Vat exemptions & concessions etc on these matters borders along the following lines amongst others :-

1 ) A precedent would be set and this would trigger off other requests from other sources/organisations/users for other safety equipment too eg fire extinguishers , first aid kits etc.... the list is endless.

2 ) other reason - if hobbyists can afford fishfinders , rods & reels , other equipment sometimes costing much more than basic safety equipment, EPIRBs, safety flares etc then it is the hobbyist who should revisit his priority list.

Let's face we do not hesitate much to purchase a GPS/ fishfinder worth Euros 500 - 1000 but then put off buying safety equipment because we incorrectly reason that " we might not need it " I guess it's like buying insurance - if something does go wrong it's good to have , but otherwise might be considered as money that could have been spent elsewhere !

3a ) As to bulk purchase - perhaps we as MFF members should look into it and order goods in bulk if there is enough interest. I reckon that if we manage to team up and order say 6 - 12 units we could get a good deal from a local or online supplier.

3b ) Perhaps a new thread could be started - a MFF members safety equipment order or wish list.

skip · July 21, 2008, 10:40:57 CET

Quote from: fishfinder on July 20, 2008, 00:17:44 CET
By the way just to inform you that according to the last info I got from the shop where i bought my vhf is that MMSI are still not working For Malta cause they still have to build the station and France will get only a signal that somewhere with1-3 mile range of a specific area there's a distress signal.

Not sure who told you that, but I was told the same thing I think by RLR but apparently this needs further clarification. An MMSI number is simply an ID number programmed into the radio, and all dsc VHFs transmit that number when you key the mike. It's like caller id on your mobile. The position reporting element of a DSC VHF comes from being NMEA 0183 interfaced with a suitable GPS module. It could be that it's this part this isn't working properly yet, the equipment needed to receive and decode that GPS position information.

fishfinder · July 21, 2008, 10:50:56 CET

Skip,

The info i got was Caruana Marine Centre bir id-deheb( I think that's the name of the shop). The sales man told me that until now they get only a signal same as the one's without MMSI number. Until now they said that they don't have the equipment to identify the MMSI signal from which boat is coming.

I beleive that Alan Cassar was the name of the person responsible for MMSI system. His office is at Valletta water front next to that small parking area.

busumark · July 21, 2008, 13:18:04 CET

i have alan's phone number. to-morrow i phone him and ask him about this

ramio · July 22, 2008, 19:37:22 CET

Hi Guys, as far as I recall the DSC only transmits the MMSI number and position when the DSC switch is activated, not everytime you use the VHF. At least that is how I think mine works. It could be new models work different. My set is about 11 years old, but was top range at medcoms at that time.

skip · July 22, 2008, 20:15:32 CET

I'm pretty sure that DSC (Digital Selective Calling) allows you to actually call a boat by entering it's MMSI number, and I was pretty sure that your MMSI number was included when you transmit, but I could be wrong here. GPS position information is only sent with the distress button yep. Will read my manual again to be sure.

Shaftbomb · July 22, 2008, 20:38:02 CET

Im a bit confused about the usage of PLBs and EPIRBs in Malta...if I buy them from the US, will they actually work when using them on my boat in Malta?? Do I have to register them with the maritime authority?? is there license which one has to pay anually of these devices??? Now im too scared to go out with just a VHF!

skip · July 22, 2008, 20:58:47 CET

I did some research today to compare the two. A PLB can be used on land as well as Sea and is registered to the person, not to a boat. You provide emergency contact information when you register etc. Doesn't matter where you buy them from they all work on the same frequency etc, but need programming so I'm not sure if there are any restrictions there. Plus anything coming into Europe needs a CE stamp/certificate on the product or with the product so you'd have to check about that before ordering.

EPIRBs are registered to the boat and contain more particulars, like MMSI number, vessel name, call sign, details about the vessel, emergency contact info etc. They also transmit for double the time that a PLB does (48 hrs vs 24hrs, though the McMurdo Plus series PLB's transmit for 48hrs), contain a powerful strobe light and work best floating in the water.

PLB's need to be held above the water with the antenna pointing skywards and don't have a strobe etc.

Whether a PLB or an EPIRB the general consensus seems to be to spend a bit more and get one with an internal GPS so that your exact position is transmitted as opposed to relying on doppler shifts to acquire your position which sometimes requires several satellite passes and therefore longer in the water.

Yes they work in Malta, you have to register them the Merchant Shipping Directorate of the MMA but as per Legal Notice 206 (2008) there is no fee! If you dont have one, they would then allocate an MMSI number but that costs ?50 here, only applicable to EPIRBs as I understand PLB's don't have an MMSI number programmed in them.

placebo · July 22, 2008, 22:17:43 CET

very sad story! i did n't even manage to write something!
i always imagine it was me and one of my kids!

for god's sake why are they saying that fisherman use some type of fireworks in those deep waters! i think this is impossible!

we all know that AFM are not very good at sea! today i see some notice from our beloved prime minister saying that AFM are doing their work! has he ever been at sea? does he know what they are doing sundays afternoon looking and searching for girls in bikinis on boats!

let's all hope we never encounter some peril and need their help because they are not even trained to give their best!

they run on very short budgets and fuel costs are so high nowadays even for sea rescue! While all this is happening i urge all fishing enthusiasts to learn their best at sea because you never know what happens on sea! never run on full speeds especially in the dark times. last time i happened to be at sea i met a half drowned boat which was not visible at all - what happens if someone is running at full speed and hits some type of semi floating material!

encourage all your friends to have their best on their boat....some tips:

extra drinking water in boat, life jackets, first aid kit, flares, if possible a distress call VHF...and never misjudge sea. The sea can be very dangerous when you think it is very safe. Do not let fish make you go crazy! always leave some space in your mind to think about safety even while you're having the best time of your life fishing.

busumark · July 23, 2008, 11:40:08 CET

i phoned alan cassar from mca. he told that the AFM are now doing the equipment so that the mmsi works. they are not ready yet. so if you paid the 55 euro for your mmsi number or if you had peace of mind that the distress button on your vhf works you were wrong. you paid for nothing and you would have pressed that button for nothing. how is that for serious aothorities? they just want money not save lives

fishfinder · July 23, 2008, 17:12:05 CET

I told you guy. I was the first one to apply for the MMSI number when I got the letter from radio and telegraphy and Alan told me although they have sent the letter, they where still discussing who and where this will be handled.

can you immagine that you press the distress signal and relax for help and after 24hrs you realize that it's not working

I think that not only the AFM aren't doing their job and the PM insists that everything is fine

hudu sunblock guy maghkom halli ma tinharqux