Chris Landry has a great article, with embedded video, over at Soundings Online:

Boaters who purchase an EPIRB can increase their chances of survival if they know how the device works and where it should be mounted on board.

"Know your safety gear," says Tom Rau, a retired Coast Guard senior chief and an authority on recreational boating safety. "Boaters must understand that boats do go down quickly and that they may not have time to energize the EPIRB or reach it, or they could be injured and unable to reach the submerged EPIRB."

EPIRB users need to read the product support manual thoroughly, says Chris Wahler, marketing manager forACR Electronics, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based manufacturer of EPIRBs and other safety equipment. "And then it’s just as important to educate the crew that may someday be called upon to use that beacon in your absence," he says. "So understand how to deploy a beacon, understand its best operating orientation, and understand when the right time is to use a beacon. These are all very important things to get across to the crewmembers."

 

One of the mistakes EPIRB users make is holding the unit instead of allowing it to float freely, says Wahler. "It’s really better to tether it off and let it float and do its job. And give the beacon the best opportunity to communicate with the satellite by not putting obstructions in its way," he says. And once the EPIRB is on, leave it on until rescue arrives.

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