ACR Electronics RLB-36 manual

OWNER VESSEL RAD IO CALL SIGN UIN #[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 1 NOTE re: Applicable products This manual supp orts all c onfigurations of GlobalFix™ i PRO/ RLB -36 beacons . In addition to the part num bers listed on the cover page, o ther configurations of these products are availabl e, thus you may have purchased a product configuration with a som ewhat different part num ber. As lon[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 2 Ta ble of Contents STEP ONE - REGIST ERING YOUR BEACON ___________________________________ 2 STEP TWO - HOW THE BEACON WORKS ________________________________ ____ 6 STEP THREE - INST ALLING TH E BEACON ___________________________________ 16 STEP FOUR - M AINTAINING THE BEACO N __________________________________ 21 APPENDIX A[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 3 STEP ONE - REGISTERING YOUR BEAC ON 1. Why is registration imp ortant? As the ow ner of t his 406 M Hz beacon, it is mandatory that you register it with the EPIRB national autho rity of your country : It is th e law . Please note that all 406 MH z beac ons are r equired to have th eir reg istration updated every two years b [...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 4 2. What country should I register in? Register your beacon with the EPIRB national authority of the countr y for which th e beacon was program m ed, typically the countr y where purchased, regardless of where you do your boating. The beacon m ust be reprogramm ed if you, as the owner, m ove or the vessel sails under the flag[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 5 Registration outside of the United States In countries other than t he United States, 4 06 MH z beacons are registered with that countr y’s nationa l authorit y at the tim e of purchase. T he sales agent should have ass isted you in filling out the form s and s ending them to the country’s n ational authority. Alternativ[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 6 STEP TWO - HOW THE BEACON WORKS 1. How your beacon brings help 406 MHz beac ons are a t ype of portable emergenc y equipm ent that trans mits a distress signal to searc h and rescue ( SAR) organi zations . The p urpose of these be acons is to aid SAR teams in tracking and loc ating ships or individuals in jeopard y as rapidl[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 7 2. Anatomy of your b eacon NOTE : W hen unpack ing your beaco n, it is recommended that you save the original packaging f or re-use when shipp ing the beacon for battery replacement in the f uture. // Activation switch w ith Witness Tab The activation s witch embodies a special, pat ented method of activating a beacon . Ref [...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 8 GPS Interface Internal GPS Receiver Activation/Test Switch Red LED Digital Display Screen OFF/READY Position TEST Position ON/TRANSM ITTING Position Top View Switch Positions Strobes Antenna Green LED[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 9 Spring Release knob HydroFix™ Hydrostatic Release Unit (HRU) GPS Interface Cable Front cover hook (detent) Release Latch Antenna hoo k Water Sensor Deactivation M agnet GPS Interface Stowage Port Category 2 – Low Pro ™ 3 Bracket Category 1 – Se aShelter ™ 3 Br acket Front Cover Release Tabs GPS Interface Stowage Po[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 10 3. Digital Display The digital displa y in the beacon is used as a secondar y v isual aid, supporting t he green /red LED a nd the audio to ne, whi ch indicate the st atus of the beacon during te sting and d uring em ergency operation . The m essages on the di gital displa y typically appear as one or two words at a time, u[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 11 4. Activating your bea con Overview Category I beac ons are d esigned to be autom atically dep loyed and activated in the event of a sinking vessel. The beacon may also be hand held on the deck of vessels, or f loated in water and att ac hed to a raft or life vest with the lanyard provided. Category II beacons are designed [...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 12 Category I beacons -Automatic d eployment and activation If the vessel sink s, the H ydroFix™ HRU frees the beac on from the bracket, allowing it to float to the su rface. Built-in sensors detec t that the be acon is no longer in its brack et and when con tinuity is created b y wat er between two of the top cap screws, an[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 13 Category I and II Be acons-Manu al deplo y ment and ac tivation Both Cat egory I and II beac ons can be m anually de ployed b y rem ovi ng t he beacon from the brack et. Once r emoved, the beaco n can be activated b y plac ing it in water OR by lifting the Activation Switch to a vertical p osition, s liding it to ward the a[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 14 TIPS FOR OPT IMUM D EPLOYMENT OF AN ACTIVATED BE ACON: When activating and deploying your be acon in an emergency, DO NOT: // Hold or clutch the be acon o r antenna // Operate the beacon while hand held, if at all possible // Turn the beacon off for an y reason, including to save power // Activate the beacon if you have an [...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 15 Precautions to prevent f alse alarm s // Do not m ount or trans port the beaco n within 4.6ft/1 .4 m of a m agnetic source. // Do not store the beaco n outside of its brac ket if it can get wet. // Do not m ount the EPIRB backwards in its brac ket (lanyard roll must face in). // Do not c lean th e beacon with a water hose a[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 16 STEP THREE - INST ALLING THE BEA CON 1. Marking batt ery and Hydrostatic Rel ease Unit expiratio n dates NOTE : It is the beacon o wner’s responsibility to recor d the expiration dates for both the beacon batter y and the H ydroFix™ hydrostatic release u nit. T his inform ation must appear o n the product itself . The l[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 17 Visually inspect the area surrounding the m ounting bra cket installa tion s ite for hidden hazards or obstac les that m ay have been overlooked during the location selection. If there is any doubt as to the read y ac cessibilit y to th e beacon at a ll times or if an y condition m ay appe ar to be questionable, conduct a c[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 18 3. Category I bracket The SeaShelter 3 ™ Category I brack et has f ive pre -dri lled screw holes to use for s ecuring the brack et to a flat surface. Remove the SeaShelter 3 ™ lid b y turning the s pring loaded knob o n the lid 1/4 t urn counterclock wise a nd pull. The lid will l ift away from the top of the base and d[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 19 4. Category II bracket Category I I brack ets are design ed to hold the beacon securel y in place. T he beacon must be manually deplo yed. T he bracket can be m ounted on a vertical flat surf ace with b eacon antenna u p or on a horizontal f lat surfac e facing skyward. T his location m ust be easil y acces sible in order t[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 20 5. Installing the optical inter face to an extern al GPS receiv er The beacon is fitted with an optical interface to connec t with an external Global Posit ioning System (GPS) receiver th at will determine the latitude and longitude of its position . The black lead wire with whit e stripes should b e connected to the output[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 21 STEP FOUR - MAINTA INING THE BE ACON 1. Sa fety DOs and DO N’Ts On a routine basis abo ard ship, DO NOT : // Hold or carr y the beacon by its antenn a // Mount the beacon in its brack et close to large structures or magnetic areas // Tie the lan yard to the EPIRB brack et or an y other structure // Obscure the beaco n by [...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 22 Always refer battery replacem ent an d any other beacon service t o a factor y authorized Service Center. Find a Center near y ou at http://www.acrelectron ics.com /brc.htm . B attery r eplacem ent includes servicing t he beaco n b y replacing all o -rings , tes ting the water sea l and the electrical properties an d doing [...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 23 6. Changing ow nership or contact info rmation As the owner of the beac on, it is your responsibi lity to ad vise the nationa l authority of an y ch ange in the i nformation on the r egistration form . If y ou are transferring the beacon to a new owner, you are required to inform the national auth ority . You can do thi s b[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 24 To remove th e expired H RU W hen opening the SeaShelter 3 ™ lid, note th at the beac on is installed with the lanyard face in. Pu ll the beacon with steady press ure from the brack et. Do not get beacon wet while out of brack et. The HRU has a ke ying feature that locks it to the bracket. If you view the HRU rod as the c[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 25 9. Servicing the Low Pro 3 ™ To r emove a beacon fr om the Category II brack et, lift the latch and release the pr essure from the beacon. The beacon will now be able to slide u pwards out of the brack et. It is not anticipated that the LowPro 3 ™ will r equire servicing other than cleaning or, rarel y, replacem ent. Br[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 26 11. Extended GPS test The beacon may be tested f or GPS f u nctionalit y, ho wever, this m ay on ly be done once in the fi ve- year lifetim e of the batter y du e to the significant drain on th e bat tery . T his test is not n ecessar y at an y tim e i n the life of the beacon, but is made available in the event that the be[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 27 A PPENDIX A - USING AND TESTING THE GPS SYSTEMS 1. How the external GP S interface w orks The beacon is fitted with an optica l interface to co nnect with an external Global Positio ning S ystem (G PS) receiver t hat wi ll determ ine the l atitude a nd longitude of its position. This da ta is transm itted to the em ergency [...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 28 If the new GPS pos ition is acquired, the co ordinates will be displayed after the beacon has com pleted the S elf -Test. If no valid G PS position da ta is available, t he beaco n will keep the previous ly stored G PS position dat a for up to 4 h ours. In this case, c all ACR Custom er Serv ice at +1 (954) 981-3 333 f or i[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 29 7. Compatible GPS rec eivers External G PS i nterface requirements: In or der to be compatible with the GlobalFix™ iPRO, an ex ternal GPS receiver mus t provide location inform ation according to the following req uirements: // NMEA 0183, Version 1.5 or hi gher // Baud rate: 480 0 // Talk er device identifier: G P (GPS Re[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 30 A PPENDIX C - USER INTERFACE: DIGITAL DISPLAY DURING OPERATION The following c hart d escribes the audio-vis ual feedback the beacon provides during activation. The m essages on the digital display typically a ppear as one or two w ords at a time, until the entire mes sage ha s been displayed . GlobalFix™ iPRO D isplay, L[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 31 The s ystem reports that the 121 .5 MHz homing s ignal is on. Search and Rescue (SAR) personne l use this frequency when arriving close to the scen e. If this message is accompanied by a green LED flash, the GPS coordinates have been sent. If accompanie d by a red LED flash, the GPS coordina tes have not be en sent. NOTE: I[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 32 The s ystem reminds you that leaving the beacon o n continuously gives the best ass urance of being rescued. SAR groups need the ongoing transmissions from the beacon to most effectively find yo u. If this message is accompanied by a green LED flash, the GPS c oordinates have been sent. If accompanie d by a red LED flash, t[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 33 A PPENDIX D - USER INTERFACE: DIGITAL DISPLAY DURING SELF-TEST The f ollowing chart describ es the displa y and a udio -v isual f eedback the beaco n provides during Self -Test. T he m essages on th e d igital display typicall y appear as one or two words at a tim e, until the entire m essage has been disp layed. GlobalFix?[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 34 The fourth test checks for 406 MHz signal strength/RF power. If p ower is adequate the syste m passes. The fourth test checks for 406 MHz signal strength/RF power. If pow er is not adequate the system fails. The fifth test che cks GPS engine readine ss. If the GPS i s ready the beacon passes. The fifth test che cks GPS engi[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 35 This message appears if Self-Test has pas sed. The display indicates that the exter nal GPS did not update its coordinates during Self-Test. NOTE: If ex ternal GPS data cannot be acquired, typically due t o the external GPS not having achieved a good fix, it does not affect the pass status of Self-Test. Self-Test requires G[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 36 A PPENDIX E - USER INTERFACE: DIGITAL DISPLAY DURING EXTENDED GPS TEST The following chart describes the displa y and audio -visu al fee dback the be acon provides during extended GPS Test. The messages on th e digital display typicall y appear as one or t wo words at a time, until the e ntire message has been disp layed. G[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 37 A PPENDIX F - USER INTERF A CE: L ANGUA GE TRANSLATIONS The RLB-36 user interfac e is available in fi ve languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish and German. The f ollowi ng table provides the digital displ ay phrases tha t appear on the screen. Please note that all langu age translations utilize simple terms and abbrev[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 38 A PPENDIX G - THE COSP A S-SARSAT SYSTEM 1. General ove rvi ew EPIRBs transmit to the s atellite portion of t he Cospas-Sarsat system. Cospas-Sarast satellites are an internation al syst em that utilizes Russian Federation and United States’ low altitude, near-polar orbiting satellites (LEOSAR). These satellites assist in[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 39 A PPE NDIX H - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS GENERAL / ENVIRONMENTAL Beacon size (without antenna ) 17.7 H X 10 .67 W X 9.09 D cm (6.97 X 4.2 X 3.58 in) Display size 2.54 cm (1.0 in) diago nal Beacon we ight 581 g (20 .49 oz) Beacon ma terial High impact UV resistan t polymer Color ACR- Treuse™ (high visibility yellow) Waterpr[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 40 A PPENDIX I - WARRANTY, USEFUL LIFE POLICY, NOTICES 1. Limited Warranty This product is warranted against factory defects i n material a nd workmanship for a period of 1 (one) year* from date of p urchase or receipt as a gift. During the warranty period ACR Electronics, Inc. will repair or, a t its option, replace the unit [...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 41 EC DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY ACR Electronics h ereby declares t hat the followi ng product is in c onformity wit h Council Directive 96/98/EC of 2 0 December 1996 on Marine Equipm ent (MED) last am ended by Comm ission Directive 2008/67/EC o f 30 June 2008, and has b een type exam ined as describ ed in this Declaratio n. In[...]

Y1 - 03 -023 3 Rev. D 42 IN T E R N A T IO NA L MA R IT IM E OR GA NI ZA TI ON SH OR E BA S ED MA IN TE NA NC E Th e M ar iti me Sa fe ty Co mm i tt ee a p p ro ve d gu id el in es fo r sh or e-b a se d ma in te n a nc e (S BM ) of sa te ll it e EP IR B s, fo r th e p u rp ose o f e s ta b li sh in g st an da rd iz ed p ro ce du re s an d mi nim u [...]