EPIRBhire

Australia's leading EPIRB hire & PLB hire service since 2002 (12 successful rescues so far)

Need to hire an EPIRB or a Satphone? It's very easy....... phone or email us.
Free delivery Australia wide for hires over 1 week
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth plus most major towns.

We hire and rent at weekly/daily rates, the longer you rent the cheaper it gets - call for a quote..

We rent and hire...
Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) & EPIRBs - $88 first week
Iridium Satellite phones - $140 first week
Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro - $120 first week
Satellite broadband BGAN - $230 first week
Marine VHF radios - $85 first week
UHF radios - $70 first week
GPS - $75 first week
GoPro Camera - $100 first week
scroll down for more info.

Contact Details:
Office call Anna 0410 506 709
Yachting and technical enquiries call Peter 0415 263 750 (available 24/7)
Accounts call Caroline - 0415 940 939
Landline +61 (0)2 4997 8183

Offices - SYDNEY, NEWPORT NSW, MANLY NSW, BULAHDELAH NSW.
Email Contact: info@epirbhire.com.au
Stock returns - PO Box 99 BULAHDELAH NSW 2423

We stock both Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) and EPIRBs (for the boat) to suit all safety requirements.

Minimum hire (7 days) $88 incl. GST and delivery, then a daily rate,
the longer you rent, the cheaper it gets.
10 days $98, 2 weeks $110, 3 weeks $131, 4 weeks $152.........
reduced price for multiple hire and repeat business.

We look after the Australian Search & Rescue Authority (AusSAR) registration details.

To hire a Satellite phone the cost is $140 for the first week.
The daily rate gets cheaper the longer you hire it, i.e. 10 days $200, 2 wks- $266, 3 wks - $375,
For 3 weeks and over we will negotiate a price that will suit.
For frequent users we are able to negotiate more economical terms.

Outgoing calls costs vary depending who you are calling and where you are calling to and from. The calls are not too expensive, budget on approx $2 to $3 per minute for calls within Australia and you won't get any surprises. You can SMS any mobile or send to an email address for 99c.

Incoming calls are no charge to you - the caller pays the same as calling a normal Mobile phone.

Hire or rent the IsatPhone Pro for $120 for the 1st week.
The IsatPhone Pro is cheaper to rent than the Iridium - why?
It's cheaper for us to buy and supply - don't let the price fool you, this is a great device.

The daily rate gets cheaper the longer you hire, i.e. 1 wk $120, 10 days $165, 2 wks- $200, 3 wks - $250,

For 3 weeks and over we will negotiate a price that will suit.
For frequent users we are able to negotiate more economical terms.

With three stationary satellites inline with the equator (above PNG, Africa and East Pacific) Inmarsat has excellent clear reception for most users - outside the polar regions.

With the advantage of one of Inmarsat's three stationary satellites being above PNG, the reception is excellent in Australia. We are very impressed with the call quality and reliability.

It is the ideal outbound communication tool. Note the emails are actually converted to SMS you are restricted to 160 characters (including the subject line)

Note - if you have a hill between you and the Satellite it won't work. If you are in Hobart the satellite is 40 degrees above the north horizon (Brisbane 56d, Perth 43d). The phone needs to see the satellite, so unlike the Iridium you can't leave it on the dash of the car and wait for a call. The IsatPhone is best suited for making outbound calls/emails/SMS as and when you need to. The incoming calls are expensive to the caller (no cost to you).

Features of the IsatPhone Pro include voicemail, text, Bluetooth, email messaging and GPS location data.
Battery life: up to 8 hours talk time and up to 100 hours standby time.
Operates at -20° to 55°C; dust, splash and shock resistant.

The cost to rent the IsatPhone Pro is $120 for the first week with a daily rate that gets cheaper the longer you hire it. We will charge you $1 per unit used. Click here for terms and conditions, Outgoing call costs, Instructions.

Emergency Numbers to use when calling from the isatPhone (000 & 112 do not work)

We suggest you put all emergency numbers in the phone address book before you leave.

Australian Rescue Coordination Centre (AMSA) in Canberra (24Hrs) +61 2 6230 6811

Royal Flying Doctor Service.
    - Emergency Numbers (24 Hour Medical & Emergency calls)
    - Western Operations WA (24 Hour Medical & Emergency calls) + 61 8 9417 6389
    - Central Operations SA & NT* Port Augusta Base 08 8648 9555 (note *NT everything south of Tennant Creek)
    - Queensland Section
            Charleville Base +61 7 4654 1443; Mt Isa Base + 61 7 4743 2802; Cairns Base + 61 7 4040 0500
    - South Eastern Section NSW, VIC, TAS Broken Hill Base +61 8 8088 1188

Poison Information Centre +61 13 11 26 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

We are providing the GoPro Motorsports HERO for hire for two reasons.
1. They are really cool and just too much fun to use, it's addictive....
2. When you do try it you'll more than likely want to buy one - we can sell you one too.

Rent the GoPro HD Camera - the worlds best selling wearable HD camera.
The GoPro 1080p is High Definition video and still photo camera in a waterproof housing.

It shoots professional quality HD resolution video record (and sound) at 30 & 60 fps.

This camera can shoot automatic 5 megapixel photos at 2/5/10/30 & 60 second intervals during your activity - hands free. Press the shutter button once at the start of your activity and record up to 2.5 hours of poster-print quality photos.

If you would like to hire a Go Pro Camera just call. 0415 263 750 or email: info@epirbhire.com.au

We can supply a range of mounting accessories from suction cups, headbands, chest straps, clamps and adhesive mounting pads and extra batteries and 3D housing kits.

Easy! - send us an email or call. You can pay by credit card, direct debit/transfer or cheque. We will deliver, generally within 24 hours if needed to most locations in Australia well before your departure date.
We look after all the registration with Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). We will ask for some basic trip and contact details.

The trip details are made available to the rescue co ordination centre (RCC) instantly 24/7. This information is vital to the authorities.

We take your safety very seriously. We only use GPS enabled PLBs (in fact we feel the non GPS units should be banned)
We have had 12 beacons activated to date. All have had a response (i.e. Rescue Helicopter in most cases) at their location within 2 hours, far quicker than non GPS PLBs. If you are in need of rescue, time can make all the difference.

We rent both types of distress beacons: either the floating EPIRB for the boat or the smaller lighter, hand held personal locating beacon (PLB).

See below for further details or call Peter (available 24hrs/7days for orders) on 0415 263 750

We recommend and supply only GPS enabled personal EPIRBs (PLBs)
If you are thinking about buying a PLB please DON'T try to save money buying the non GPS version.

They should not be on the market, they are slow and less accurate and will waste critical time in the event of a rescue.
a Non GPS PLBs can take up to 3 hours to pinpoint your location.
EPIRBhire has had 12 rescues to date with GPS enabled PLBs, all had a rescue response at their location within 2 hours.

If you hire or borrow an EPIRB make sure your trip details plus any follow up

information is instantly available 24/7 to AMSA to assist in your rescue.
call Peter on 0415 263 750 for a chat any time if you have any questions.

$55 for one or $50 for three or more per boat - (Short overnight races $44)
Please help us out by booking early

Our pricing is flexible. If multiple PLBs are needed on one boat, having just the one crew member order means we can reduce the administration costs.
So get together, find out how many PLBs are needed on your boat, give us a call and we will organise the rest.

Where possible we are reducing the cost for boats that are organised, get in early, use us regularly, return quickly and where we just deal with one crew member for hire delivery and return.

Category One races: the Lord Howe $88. Coffs Harbour $88, Sydney to Hobart $135 ($25 refund for early return in Hobart),
all prices include Registration & GST.

We are selling 18 month old ex hire stock - 150gram GPS enabled FastFind 211 for $285
Incl. GST and delivery

They are 18 months old with battery expiry date of March 2015.
Call Peter 0415 263 750

With three stationary satellites inline with the equator (above PNG, Africa and East Pacific) the Inmarsat has excellent clear reception for most users - outside the polar regions.

With the advantage of one of Inmarsat's three stationary satellites being above PNG, the reception is excellent in Australia. We are very impressed with the call quality and reliability.

Note - if you have a hill between you and the Satellite it won't work. If you are in Hobart it is 40 degrees above the north horizon (Brisbane 56d, Perth 43d). The phone needs to see the satellite, so unlike the Iridium you can't leave it on the dash of the car and wait for a call. The IsatPhone is best suited for making outbound calls/emails/SMS as and when you need to. The incoming calls are expensive to the caller (no cost to you).

We can do deals on 6 month old ex demo (hire) - I have 7 5 3 left. The history of these phone is we had a large order of phones needed buy one client for emergency use if needed. We are selling some of these off, they look brand new and we will cover the 1 year warranty,

Buying an ex demo IsatPhone Pro will cost $780 incl. GST and delivery and 100 units/minutes of credit. If you would like to try before you buy we are more than happy to work out a rental agreement and credit to the eventual purchase.

"We are able to offer an added service to buyers. If you have any problems whatsoever with your phone we can quickly supply replacement phone. If you buy a phone and need more to cover busy work periods our rates will be adjusted accordingly ."

If you buy the phone, we offer a prepaid SIM pre loaded with call units that are valid for 2 years.

You can purchase extra units from us that are added to your SIM at approx .83 cents (A$) per unit.
To call a cellphone - 1.2 units per minute, Landline - 1 u.p.m., SMS (half a unit), Another IsatPhone 1.5 u.p.m.

The data can be done.
It has been a struggle to make it happen with very inconsistent results. Although I have managed to download GRIB files, slow but it worked. Downloading GRIB files is a great asset I will continue to refine the process and let you know.

Emergency Numbers to use when calling from the isatPhone (000 & 112 do not work)

Australian Rescue Coordination Centre (AMSA) in Canberra (24Hrs) +61 2 6230 6811

Royal Flying Doctor Service.
    - Emergency Numbers (24 Hour Medical & Emergency calls)
    - Western Operations WA (24 Hour Medical & Emergency calls) + 61 8 9417 6389
    - Central Operations SA & NT* Port Augusta Base 08 8648 9555 (note *NT everything south of Tennant Creek)
    - Queensland Section
            Charleville Base +61 7 4654 1443; Mt Isa Base + 61 7 4743 2802; Cairns Base + 61 7 4040 0500
    - South Eastern Section NSW, VIC, TAS Broken Hill Base +61 8 8088 1188

Poison Information Centre +61 13 11 26 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

Inmarsat BGAN - Broadband Global Area Network - is the world's first mobile communications service to deliver broadband data and voice simultaneously through a single, portable device offering guaranteed data rates on demand.

The BGAN service is accessible via small, lightweight satellite terminals that can be connected quickly and easily to notebook PCs or Macs. BGAN is suited for land based rather than marine as it needs a relatively stable platform.

The smallest terminal, weighing just 1kg, will give you a connection speed of 230kbps, although this is not as fast as your home/office metro broadband, it is 5 times the speed of the old phone dialup and you are only charged data, not time. Voice communication is as simple as plugging the handset into the ISDN port.

You can stay connected as long as you like and only pay for the data movement, i.e. there is no charge on time, just data. The data charges are not cheap at approximately $9 per MB (yes that is $9,000 per Gig). We will credit the SIM card with a set amount of units, we can inform you when the credit is getting low and top up the units within hours of the request. This system allows you to choose the data expectations before hand and will limit your exposure to incorrect or misuse of a data connection. At the end of the hire we can credit you most of the unused units.

First week $230 then
$110 per week - data only
$140 per week - calls and data
Long term POA

We have established an excellent prepaid/recharge system with INMARSAT, resulting in DATA costs approx $9.00 per MB and CALL costs approx $1.00 per minute

I recently sailed from Sydney to Lord Howe then Mooloolaba on a 46 foot Cat and tested the two satellite communication devices consistently. I have outlined the good and the not-so-good below.

Satellites - IRIDIUM Satellite phone uses 61 orbiting Satellites,
BGAN needs to point to a stationary satellite. (in this area it's above PNG)

Service - IRIDIUM is Phone and SMS only, BGAN is Phone and internet.
Portable - IRIDIUM is better, BGAN has to point at the Satellite and will need a PC for internet.
Reliability -Inmarsat BGAN was much better although it does need a stable platform.
Outgoing call costs - Inmarsat is cheaper.
Inbound Calling Inmarsat BGAN is expensive - see above for Iridium inbound calls.
Power - Both have 240 and 12 volt chargers with a similar battery life.

The Catamaran provided a stable platform while sailing, the BGAN could cope with over 20 degrees off target before dropping out. It was very forgiving once it had locked on.
The IRIDIUM would drop out for short periods depending on Satellite availability. But with good signal you could call from within the cabin inside the boat.
As a business tool the BGAN was brilliant. I was able to talk on the phone while emailing using Gmail.
The high data costs is worth the money. For example to boot up the Browser (Firefox) and the email client (Gmail) and see all emails generally used approx. 600k. Depending on how many emails I read or sent, the session rarely passed 1 MB (1000kb), with most outgoing text emails around 20kb.
I sent a few 250kb to 500kb group emails that had text and 6 pictures, this resulted in a cost of less than $6 for the email.

If you would like to know more about either device or the review conditions please feel free to call me for a chat. 0415 263 750

EPIRBhire can supply the complete package including a computer with the BGAN unit if needed.

We hire the ICOM IC-M33 handheld Marine VHF; the world's first floating VHF radio.
The radio is supplied with a 240v charger and long life lithium battery.

The cost to hire the ICOM VHF is $65 for 4 days then $6 per day.
Click here for product specs.

Hire a UHF radio from $70 per week - (reducing).
We hire the ICOM 41S handheld, 5 watt UHF Radio. Click here for product stats
and the ICOM F4003 handheld, 5 watt UHF Radio. Click here for product stats
The radio is supplied with a 240v charger and long life lithium battery.

The cost to rent the ICOM UHF is $55 for 4 days then $5 per day.
Hand microphones are available for some models at $30 for the hire period.
Longterm and multiple units POA.

Adventurers Chris Bray and Clark Carter.
EPIRBhire and been a proud supporter of Chris Bray for almost 10 years.
In this time Chris has established himself as one of Australia's finest young adventurers and now an accomplished photographer hosting fantastic photography courses/safaris. http://www.chrisbray.net/
Back in July 2005 Chris Bray and Clark Carter, plunged deep inside the Arctic Circle to do what no one ever had – travel unsupported across Victoria Island, the world’s ninth largest and largely unexplored island. Their route - from the most Easterly tip of the island to the most Westerly – would take them past approximately 1,000km of incredibly varied terrain - in 2008 they did it again - http://www.chrisbray.net/adventure.php

For more information about Search & Rescue and general inquiries of a non-urgent nature.

406Mhz Distress Beacon enquiries please contact: Australian Rescue Coordination Centre.
Ph: 1800 406 406 (local within Australia) or
Ph: +61 2 6279 5766 (overseas) Business hours 8am-4.30pm.

Direct contact with the Australian Rescue Coordination Centre in Canberra (24Hrs):
Ph: 1800 641 792 (local within Australia) or Ph: +61 2 6230 6811 (overseas)
Email: rccaus@amsa.gov.au