False Alarms; Deactivating The Epirb - mcmurdo C1 S-VDR Service Manual

1.5 False alarms

Every care must be taken to avoid the generation of false alarms.
The S-VDR has a sea switch; it is not uncommon for these to activate in rough seas
or heavy rain because the S-VDR is badly fitted in its mounting bracket. The
mounting bracket incorporates a magnet to disable the S-VDR. If the S-VDR is
wrongly fitted the cutout is not actuated by the magnet, so heavy weather may
activate the sea switch. To prevent this, ensure that the S-VDR is correctly fitted.
If for any reason the S-VDR is activated outside a screened enclosure (other than as
a self test and for more than 120 seconds), it must be assumed that a false alarm has
been generated. It is not sufficient to just de-activate the S-VDR immediately – the
rescue services must be informed that there has been a false alarm. Use any means
available to contact the coastguard or the nearest Maritime Rescue Coordination
Centre (MRCC); state that there has probably been a false alarm, identify the location
of the S-VDR and if possible give the unique ID.

1.6 Deactivating the EPIRB

Remove the S-VDR from any water and dry the sea switch contacts at the bottom of
the unit. Wait for a few seconds for the unit to de-activate automatically. If it fails to
deactivate, press the OFF switch. The FFC should stop flashing within one minute.
If the FFC continues to transmit, it may have a fault. The next stage is to attempt to
deactivate the unit by a magnet. For this purpose the FFC may be fitted to its mount,
or a suitable magnet may be placed against the case alongside the reed switch. See
page XX.
If this does not stop the FFC, there is definitely a fault. To prevent further nuisance, it
is recommended that the unit is allowed to exhaust its battery whilst the alarm signals
are suppressed.
The recommended procedure is:
Make another attempt to deactivate the EPIRB, as described above.
Place in a metal enclosure, or wrap in metal foil.
Leave for three days until the battery is exhausted.
It is also possible to open the case of the FFC and disconnect the battery. However,
this should be regarded as a last resort as 10 screws have to be removed and further
internal damage may occur. If this has to be done, once the FFC is open then
disconnecting the battery lead stops all activity. See section 3.5.
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C1 S-VDR service manual Issue 1 Page 6