SafeLink R10 MOB system wins Innovation Award

by Des Ryan on 29 Jan 2012 It's just won a prestigious Innovation award as the 'perfect MOB product', is being quoted as the next 'must have' for crew safety, is on the market and selling in Europe and world-wide, but won't be available in the USA until authorised by the Federal Communications Commission.

The Kannad Marine SafeLink R10 SRS(Survivor Recovery System) has just been named as the overall Winner of 2012 Pittman Innovation Awards.

The win is made even more impressive because this is the first year an Overall Winner of the Pittman Awards has been selected by the judges.

The judging panel recognized that the SafeLink R10 was 'the perfect man-overboard product' and commented on how the integration of AIS and GPS in to a personal distress beacon is a significant innovation in sailing safety.

On this basis the panel agreed that the R10 topped a strong field of contenders.

The SafeLink R10 is worn on a lifejacket and activated by sliding off the safety tab and lifting an arming cap to deploy the antenna. The compact, lightweight unit sends alert messages, GPS position and a special identity code directly to AIS receivers within approximately a four mile radius.

A unique, built-in, high precision GPS receiver - which updates every 60 seconds – assures accuracy of the transmitted data. With precise location, distance and bearing data, fellow crew members (and nearby AIS-enabled receivers) receive all the information they need to locate the position of the person in difficulty and to enable a speedy recovery.

The R10 SRS can also be fitted with a flashing LED light to aid location at night. The R10 SRS will transmit continuously for up to 24 hours and has a seven year battery storage life. It is made of ultra durable ABS and is waterproof to five meters.



For more information about the SafeLink R10 SRS, visit www.kannadmarine.com and to find out where you can obtain it, http://www.kannadmarine.com./en/where-to-buy-kannadmarine!click_here, bearing in mind that it is still not available on the US market, and may not be available on some other markets with similar authorisation requirements.

About the Pittman Awards:
Each year SAIL Magazine presents the Pittman Innovation Awards, recognizing the most innovative and interesting new products on the market for the sailing fraternity. The awards were named in honour of Freeman K. Pittman, SAIL’s widely respected Technical Editor for 14 years until he succumbed to Lou Gehrig’s disease in 1996

Editor's Footnote: Leading brand of emergency location beacons McMurdo also has a somewhat similar product - the Smartfind S10 Automatic Identification System (AIS) Beacon.

When manually activated, the Smartfind S10 uses AIS and GPS technology to give precise location information to aid the recovery of people in difficulty at sea.

Waterproof to 60 meters, buoyant and compact, the Smartfind S10 AIS Beacon features a built-in GPS receiver and transmits target survivor information, including structured alert messages, GPS position information and a unique identity number.

Bearing and distance information is accurately transmitted and displayed on the AIS receiver or plotter screen, giving potential rescuers all the information they require to carry out swift retrieval of an individual.

The Smartfind S10 AIS Beacon will transmit continuously for a minimum of 24 hours, regularly update position information, and has a five year battery storage life.

The beacon also features a flashing LED light to assist with visual fixing and night-time location. With a simple two-stage manual activation, the beacon is easy to activate even when wearing gloves.