Pinpointing the exact location of a maritime distress signal
quickly and efficiently can mean the difference between life and
death at sea. It is an issue close to the heart of Alan Wrigley,
Managing Director, Ocean Signal, the maritime communications
specialist. Keen to ensure that his customers receive a swift
response from rescue services, Alan incorporated a GPS positioning
chip in his latest E100G Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon
(EPIRB). He sought the advice of Alpha Micro,
independent distributor of electronic components and experts in GPS
positioning solutions.
An EPIRB is a radio transmitter which, when set off as a result
of an emergency at sea, transmits a signal via satellite to
land-based emergency station, so a rescue can be coordinated.
According to Alan, there are two distinct disadvantages to EPIRBs
which do not feature GPS - the first being that the satellite can
only work out the position of a vessel by orbiting and typically
only within a five mile radius of the vessel, and the second being
that because the satellite is orbiting, it takes time for the
distress signal to be picked up. With the addition of GPS, geo
stationary satellites are able to pick up the signal
instantaneously and provide positioning coordinates within a of 50
metres radius, so the speed of response from rescue services can be
much faster.
Aware that the EPIRB and GPS module would need to meet standards
defined by the International Maritime Organisation (SOLAS),
International Electrotechnical Commission, European Directives and
Decisions and United States Coastguard as well as many other
applicable national and international rules, Alpha Micro
recommended the u-blox NEO-5Q high performance GPS receiver
module. Distinguished from its competition by its superfast
' KickStart' acquisition technology, the
NEO-5Q becomes active within 30 seconds of a cold start, so the
EPIRB which lies dormant until activated, can transmit a distress
signal almost instantaneously.
Alpha Micro also helped Ocean Signal to optimise the signal
transmitted by the EPIRB by designing an antenna solution
specifically optimised for the E100G.
Commenting on the support he received from the design team at
Alpha Micro, Wayne Card, Senior Engineer, Ocean Signal, said:
"The design team at Alpha Micro were extremely helpful at all
times. Response time was super swift and all our technical
queries were resolved quickly and efficiently. If they
weren't able to provide an answer, the team would seek advice from
the manufacturer of the component, keeping us in the loop at all
times. I was very impressed."
Commenting on the contract, Maxine Hewitt , Marketing Director,
Alpha Micro Components concluded: "We are really excited about
working on a project that can potentially save people's lives. The
Ocean Signal range of safety products which greatly assist in
search and rescue operations have a reputation for reliability and
quality. U-blox offers world class solutions for this type of
application and with their next generation of modules, we feel that
Ocean Signal will be benefitting from even better accuracy and
speed of location."
Alpha Micro's design-based approach to distribution and in-depth
product knowledge includes a team of in-house design engineers
that work at integrating components from the company's franchised
product lines into board-level designs, therefore adding real value
to the solutions on offer and providing customers with
products that exactly meet their varied and demanding
requirements.
