This manual is applicable to both the E5 Smart find and the G5 Smart find Plus Epicures. The Smart find Plus contains a GPS receiver for improved positional accuracy; some parts of this manual are applicable only to the Smart find Plus, and are marked accordingly. APPLICATION This EPICURE (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) is designed for use in maritime emergencies, and is approved for these contingencies. It is not designed or recommended for use on land or in the air.
IN EMERGENCY Remove the EPICURE completely from its bracket or enclosure Hold the lanyard spool and throw the EPICURE into the water where it will self-activate OR If time permits, pull the tear-off tab up, then press the activation button and slide the switch left
1 Recommendations and safety notices 2 Mandatory Registration. 21 22 How to register. 2.3 Warranty form .. 2.4 Radio license 25 Sale or transfer: 3 Description... 341 Bulkhead bracket 3.2 Float-free enclosure 4 4.1 Activation switch . 4.2 TEST button. 4.3 Sea switch. 44 LED. 4.5 Buzzer, 5 Operating procedure 5.1 Sinking... 52 Abandon ship... 53 GPS Operation (Smarty ind Plus only). 5.4 Releasing EPICURE from a bulkhead bracket .. 5.5 Releasing EPICURE from an enclosure .. 56 Manual activation 5.
— RECOMMENDATIONS AND SAFETY NOTICES This EPICURE is an emergency device for use only in grave and imminent danger. False alerts endanger lives. Help to prevent them; understand how to activate and DE-activate your equipment. Intentional false alerts may involve penalties. Read the complete manual before installing, testing or using the EPICURE. Ensure you test the EPICURE monthly — see section 10.
2 MANDATORY REGISTRATION You must register your EPICURE with the appropriate authorities. Failure to register may slow the rescue and lead to loss of life. In the USA failure to register may result in a fine. In the UK you are legally required to register your EPICURE. 21 Overview Every EPICURE is per-programmed with a unique identity before it reaches the customer. This is done by the manufacturer or, in some cases, the distributor. The identity includes a 3 digit country code.
Useful registration contacts are: USA SARS Beacon Registration UK EPICURE Registry E/SP3, RM3320, BF-4 HM Coastguard (Southern) NOVA, 5200 Ruth Road Dennis Point, Castle Drive Suit land MD 20746-4304 Goalmouth TR 4WZ Tel 888 212 7283 Fax 301 568 8649 Tel 01326 211569 Fax 01326 319264 Details of the North American on-line registration systems are given on Page 44.
2.51 Mandatory information for Oceania {The term Oceania is normally used to designate all the islands of the Central and the South Pacific including Australia and New Zealand.) Advice to owners of Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons: Registration of 406 MHz satellite Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPICURE) with the EPICURE Registration Section of the appropriate Maritime Safety Authority (MSA — see below) is mandatory because of the global alerting nature of the system.
3 DESCRIPTION The EPICURE is a powerful self-contained distress transmitter. It is powered by a Lithium battery that has a replacement interval of § years.
3.1 Bulkhead bracket If you purchased the manually activated EPICURE version, this is normally supplied with a bulkhead mounting bracket (see section 8). The EPICURE is released by pulling auto Clip. The bulkhead bracket should be sited in plain view near an emergency exit. To avoid accidental activation if the EPICURE is removed from its mounting, the bracket is in two sections.
3.2 Float-free enclosure If you purchased the automatically activated version (‘a’ suffix), also known as the “float-free” version, then your EPICURE is supplied in a plastic enclosure (see section 9). This is much more than just a protective housing; it contains a spring-loaded lever which automatically pushes the enclosure lid off and releases the EPICURE if your vessel sinks. This automatic ejection is controlled by a device called a Hydro static Release Unit (RUHR.
4 CONTROLS 4.1 Activation switch This slide switch is protected against accidental activation by a red tear-off seal which indicates if the EPICURE has been activated previously. The EPICURE can be activated manually by tearing the seal upwards, depressing the locking button on the switch and sliding the switch to the left. When the EPICURE is activated the strobe will start to flash immediately, but the EPICURE will not make any distress transmissions for 50 seconds.
4.4.2 Red Led The red LED is used to indicate transmissions by the EPICURE. When activated, it flashes alternately with the strobe to indicate a good transmission on 121.5 MHz. Every 50 seconds it illuminates for 2 seconds to indicate a good transmission on 406 MHz; immediately before the transmission the LED flashes rapidly as a warning to the user. When the EPICURE is first activated the red LED is illuminated continuously until the EPICURE begins to transmit, when it begins to flash. 4.4.
5 OPERATING PROCEDURE An EPICURE is a piece of life saving equipment. Its sole purpose is to call for help. it must only be used in situations of grave and imminent danger. Misuse can involve a severe penalty. 5.1 Sinking If you have a category 1 “float-free” enclosure (see marking on enclosure label), then if your vessel sinks, the EPICURE will automatically release itself from its enclosure before it reaches a depth of 4 meters.
Getting the best from your EPICURE Your EPICURE is designed and optimized to be used floating in the sea. However, if you have to use it in other situations, this section provides guidance on how to get the best from your EPICURE.
In a life raft: DO: « Make sure you switch on the EPICURE + Hold the EPICURE up as high as possible. Note: the high intensity flashing strobe light may cause discomfort if viewed for prolonged periods.
5.4 Releasing EPICURE from a bulkhead bracket If you have an EPICURE fitted into a bulkhead bracket, pull the R-clip out of the bracket to release the retaining strap. Hold the antenna to prevent it springing loose and lift the EPICURE out of the mounting points.
5.5 Releasing EPICURE from an enclosure If your EPICURE is fitted inside a full enclosure, first remove the R-clip from the retaining rod, then pull off the enclosure cover and remove the EPICURE. « 5.6 Manual activation If the vessel is not sinking but there is imminent danger, remove the EPICURE from its bracket and activate it manually as shown below. Note that once activated it will flash immediately, but it will not transmit a distress call for 50 seconds.
5.7 Deactivation If your EPICURE has been activated for a cumulative period in excess of 6 hours then its battery should be replaced. This is necessary to ensure that in an emergency it will operate for the full 48 hours required by international regulations. See section 10.4 for battery replacement instructions.
5.8.2 Re-fitting into enclosure . Referring to the illustration, place the EPICURE on its side in the enclosure. As illustrated, the TEST button is furthest from the back of the enclosure. Engage base of EPICURE into the recess in the lever arm. Push the EPICURE into the enclosure to engage the retaining clip. Bend the antenna as shown and retain it in the recess. Refit cover squarely, engaging the guides at the top end and the rod through hole in cover.
6 FALSE ALERTS False alerts are a serious problem for the rescue services. About 90% of EPICURE-initiated distress alerts turn out to be false alerts. If your EPICURE should cause a false alert, follow the instructions below. 6.1 Stand down rescue services Iris most important that you contact the nearest search and rescue authorities and tell them it was a false alert, so that they can stand down any rescue services. Use any means at your disposal to make contact.
6.3 Dealing with a transmitting EPICURE In the unlikely event that your EPICURE develops a fault and will not turn off, then prevent its radio signal from reaching the satellite using one of the following methods: + Cut off or fold down the antenna. Wrap the EPICURE in metal foil and take it below decks. or s Cut off or fold down the antenna and place the EPICURE in a metal container or locker. Take care when dealing with the antenna. Handle the antenna as little as possible.
7 FULLY DISABLING AN EPICURE In the unlikely event that your EPICURE refuses to turn off then it may have a fault. Procedures for dealing with a faulty EPICURE are covered in section 6 on false alerts; in simple terms you should do the following: . [ DE-activate the EPICURE as described in section 6.2 Suppress its signal by removing the antenna and wrapping the EPICURE in metal foil, as described in section 6.3 Leave for 3 days until the battery is used up. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND ANY OTHER COURSE OF ACTION.