So far you have confirmed that your distress beacon will be used as a maritime Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon and that it is a non-location protocol beacon. Four coding options have been developed for this type of beacon. However, your selection should be restricted to those protocols that have been authorised by your country’s competent authority on distress beacon matters (additional information concerning the authority/responsibility of States in respect of beacon message protocol selection is described at step 1 of this tutorial). From the protocols approved for use by your country’s designated authority on distress beacon matters, the option to be selected depends on the information that you would like programmed into the beacon and its intended use. To proceed, select the option that best suits your needs.
Maritime User Protocol Coded with the Vessel MMSI: This option uses the vessel’s Maritime Mobile Service Identity number (MMSI) to uniquely identify the beacon.
Maritime User Protocol Coded with the Vessel Radio Call Sign: This option uses the vessel’s Radio Call Sign to uniquely identify the beacon. This option can only be used if the Vessel’s Radio Call Sign is comprised of 6 or fewer characters.
Radio Call Sign User Protocol: This option also uses the vessel’s Radio Call Sign to uniquely identify the beacon, however, this option can accommodate call signs of up to 7 characters.
Serial User Protocol Coded with a Unique Beacon Serial Number: This option uses a serial number, allocated by either the competent national authority or the beacon manufacturer, to uniquely identify the beacon. A feature of this protocol is that it does not include information which directly identifies the vessel in which it is installed, consequently, the EPIRB can be moved to another vessel without necessarily requiring recoding. When this protocol is used, SAR services are 100% dependent upon beacon registration for obtaining any information concerning the vessel or the operator of the beacon. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that the beacon is properly registered and that registration information is updated if the registration information changes or the beacon is moved to a different vessel.