Do I need an EPIRB on a 5-metre tinny in Queensland?

State carriage rules turn on length, distance offshore and operational area. Many small boats that stay close inshore are not forced onto an EPIRB — and a PLB on the skipper is still the grown-up extra. Check the current MSQ (or your state) table before you argue with a forum.

Is a PLB a legal substitute for a required EPIRB?

Usually no. If the carriage rule says EPIRB, it means a float-free or packed boat beacon of the required class, registered to the vessel. A PLB is personal insurance, not a paperwork swap.

How often do I test it?

Use the beacon’s test function on the schedule in the manual — typically monthly — and replace it before the expiry printed on the case. A dead battery is a paperweight.

Comms and safety · 11 min read · Updated 2026-09-19

EPIRB vs PLB — AMSA requirements for Australian boats

An EPIRB belongs to the boat. A PLB belongs to a person. Registration, expiry and a 406 MHz beacon that AMSA knows about are the whole conversation.

An emergency position-indicating radio beacon

AMSA’s distress-beacon system is how Australian rescue finds a boat that can no longer raise VHF. A modern beacon is a 406 MHz transmitter with a GNSS, registered in the Australian beacon register so the first phone call is to someone who knows the hull.

The old AM Wholesale catalogue listed ACR among the safety and lighting brands. The brand on the case matters less than class, registration and an expiry you have not ignored.

EPIRB

An Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon is registered to a vessel. It is designed to float, to be deployed in a abandon-ship, and — if it is a float-free unit — to leave a sinking boat on its own. When a state or AMSA carriage rule says you must carry an EPIRB, this is the object.

Mount it where it can get out. A float-free housing in a locker under a dinghy is a joke. A packed EPIRB in a grab bag is a different, legitimate choice on some hulls — follow the rule that applies to you.

PLB

A Personal Locator Beacon is registered to a person. It goes on a lifejacket, a hike, a tender run, a man-overboard. It is smaller. It is not a substitute for a required EPIRB. It is the extra beacon that finds you when you are no longer on the boat.

Offshore crews often carry both: EPIRB for the yacht, PLB on the skipper and mate.

Registration is the product

An unregistered 406 beacon still makes a noise. A registered one tells AMSA who to call at 02:00. Register it. Update it when you sell the boat. The previous owner’s mobile number is how rescues start badly.

Expiry, batteries and testing

Beacons expire. The date is on the case. Replace the unit or the battery as the manufacturer and AMSA guidance say — this is not a DIY 9-volt job. Test with the test button, not by holding the real button “just to see”.

Put the expiry on the same calendar as the chart-card renewal and the life-raft service.

What a beacon does not replace

A radio, a plan, a lookout, an AIS transponder, a night of staying in port. Pair this page with VHF and DSC and the comms and safety hub. If you also run beyond VHF, read Iridium versus Starlink.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an EPIRB on a 5-metre tinny in Queensland?: State carriage rules turn on length, distance offshore and operational area. Many small boats that stay close inshore are not forced onto an EPIRB — and a PLB on the skipper is still the grown-up extra. Check the current MSQ (or your state) table before you argue with a forum.
Is a PLB a legal substitute for a required EPIRB?: Usually no. If the carriage rule says EPIRB, it means a float-free or packed boat beacon of the required class, registered to the vessel. A PLB is personal insurance, not a paperwork swap.
How often do I test it?: Use the beacon’s test function on the schedule in the manual — typically monthly — and replace it before the expiry printed on the case. A dead battery is a paperweight.