Mobilarm V100 VPIRB targets commercial marine

by Jeni Bone on 9 Jun 2008 Moving from the recreational consumer space to creating products specifically designed for the marine industry, Mobilarm exhibited the prototype of its latest offering at SCIBS, the Mobilarm V100 VPIRB (VHF Position Indicating Radio Beacon).

The first fully automated Maritime Survivor Locating Device, it was designed for the commercial marine environment to ensure a quick and effective rescue in a man overboard emergency.

The Mobilarm V100 is a GPS-enabled device that automatically transmits a man overboard (MOB) distress call and provides essential in-water tracking data to all VHF DSC and VHF radio equipped vessels in range, including the distressed mariner’s vessel.

Portable, pocket-sized and able to be attached to clothing, lifejackets or harness, the device is durable and operates in the harshest of marine environments to withstand the worst conditions at sea.

It is waterproof and floats upright. Its rugged construction includes a LED status indicator, piezo sounder and a light-sensing strobe light that conforms to SOLAS Lifejacket specifications.

Available from July 2008, the new model represents the first innovation in the company’s change in direction to delving in to the lucrative commercial marine market. According to marketing manager, Lorraine Hammacott, the V100 will fill a niche for commercial operators.

“Employers have an increased liability these days and combined with occupational health and safety, having a V100 VPIRB onboard is an imperative. All commercial vessels are equipped by law with VHF DSC radio, but only a small proportion of recreational vessels carry the capability.

“Therefore, in order to ensure that as many vessels as possible receive the distress message in an emergency, the same ‘Mayday, Man Overboard’ alert is simultaneously broadcast in a synthesized voice on VHF marine radio channel 16.”

The Mobilarm V100 has three operational states: off, armed, or on. When the Mobilarm V100 is armed, the device is in standby and will be automatically activated if an MOB emergency occurs.

Alternatively, the Mobilarm V100 can be manually activated either from the armed state, or from the off state, by releasing the antenna and fully activating the device, which maximises the effective range of the distress signal. The Mobilarm V100 can be deactivated once the MOB has been rescued, or if the device has been inadvertently switched on.

If the person wearing the Mobilarm V100 in the 'armed' state falls overboard, the device will sense that it has been immersed in water for five seconds and automatically go into a warning mode.

For a period of 20 seconds, the strobe light will flash, the piezo alert will sound and the LED status light indicates to the person in distress that the device is active.

(Note: The time delay and warning state allows the user to deactivate the device before any distress signal is transmitted, in case it has been inadvertently activated.)

The user should now fully activate the device and manually release the antenna to maximise the effective range of the signal. Even if this is not possible, the device will still transmit a MAYDAY MAN OVERBOARD distress to all vessels in the vicinity.

The Mobilarm V100 VPIRB automatically sends an initial MAYDAY MAN OVERBOARD alert via VHF DSC on marine channel 70 to alert the parent vessel that one of the crew has gone overboard.

Once a GPS lock is acquired, typically in less than 30 seconds, the distress message will be broadcast again, complete with longitude and latitiude coordinates, and repeated in synthesised voice on marine channel 16.

The distress signal is repeated at regular intervals to continually update rescuers with the real time location of the person in the water. The Mobilarm V100 battery will support transmission for a minimum of 18 hours under normal operating conditions.

CEO of Mobilarm Lindsay Lyon, says improving the safety of mariners at sea is the driving force behind the development of this product.

“Nothing can or should replace good seamanship and a responsible attitude to crew safety. But if the worst should happen and a crew member goes overboard, it’s vital that the rest of the crew are alerted to it without delay.

“If there’s no man overboard monitoring system already in place, then using the Mobilarm V100 VPIRB means that the message will get back to the boat within seconds, and the crew will be able to accurately track and locate the casualty regardless of how far they drift from the point they went overboard.”

The Mobilarm V100 VPIRB is suitable for use in any maritime application and is a highly cost effective, practical life saving device that vastly improves location and recovery in a MOB situation.

Visit www.mobilarm.com for information and demonstration.