Article by Pat Schrawder
SAFETY AT SEA – JUST ONE OF THE METHODS
If you were out on your boat and you learned that another boat close to you was in trouble, would you want to help? Suppose you were the one in trouble, would you hope someone was close to you and would help you? Why am I even asking these questions? The reason is quite simple and so is the solution to the question in both cases.
One thing we know for sure is that no one knowingly goes out for a fun day of fishing/boating expecting to have any problems, but problems do arise. Over the years, the technology has developed to offer several devices to help you out when you and/or your vessel is in distress. One of these is often overlooked and is something about which many boaters are unaware. That item is the Search and Rescue Transponder or SART.
Simply put, the SART is like an interactive radar reflector. It is an electronic device that reacts to the emissions of X-band radar units. Whenever the SART detects a pulse from an X–band radar, it “answers” the call by transmitting a signal that is displayed on the X-band radar unit’s display as a series of twelve echoes looking sort of like a dotted line. The first dot is the position of the SART with the following eleven dots radiating in a straight line towards the edge of the screen.
The SART is placed on a vessel only to be switched on if the vessel is in distress. It is designed to be a “call for assistance”. It is hoped that a nearby vessel with X-band radar (most radar units on pleasure and light commercial vessels are X-band) will activate the signal, letting that vessel know you are in trouble. If the nearby vessel is able to assist, they can use their EBL (electronic bearing line) and VRM(variable range marker) functions to pinpoint your location and head towards you.
As the “rescue” vessel approaches the SART, the twelve dots slowly become arcs that increase in size as the two vessels get closer together. When the two boats have arrived, the arcs become concentric circles. The distance between the two vessels that will cause the SART to be activated is about 7-10 miles but varies with the height and location of the SART.
If you want to be in alert mode to stand by for a signal, your best radar range in which to operate is 6-12 miles. If you cannot assist, for whatever reason, you can still record the location of the vessel in distress and call that distress in to the US Coast Guard. The SART is designed to operate in stand-by for an average of 96 hours or 8 hours of actual transmission. Its battery needs to be replaced about every five years.
One manufacturer, ACR, has a built-in test mode for visual and audible feedback. Most units will, once activated, show a light to indicate it is on and either a flashing light or buzzing sound to let you know the signal has been activated by a near by vessel.
SART units are mandatory aboard commercial vessels that must conform to federal regulations. Other vessels and life rafts may contain them by choice. With an average cost of a little under $1,000, it is true that many small boaters will not have one of these, but the important thing to remember is if you have a radar on your boat and you see this characteristic twelve dotted line signal, you know that there is a vessel in distress and that you have it within your power to lend assistance by proceeding to the vessel or calling the Coast Guard.
Pat Schrawder and her husband Larry are owners of L&L Marine Electronics on Golf Course Road in West Ocean City.