JK Max Test a McMurdo Fastfind Plus
| On the 22nd March 2006, Vestas are a global They have numerous offshore |
Vestas Offshore Windfarm, North Hoyle |
Vestas take the safety of their engineers very seriously indeed. Until now, each engineer has worn a 121.5MHz PLB whilst working on the wind turbines out at sea, closely watched by a support vessel which stays on site until the last man is safely onboard again. Should any of these lone-workers fall into the sea, the 121.5MHz PLB would be activated, alerting the support vessel by means of onboard direction-finding equipment. The support vessel and crew would then perform the rescue.
During tests, it was proved that the 121.5MHz beacon just wasn’t fit for purpose. The range of the beacon was not sufficient to reach the support vessel at sea level, if an engineer fell into the water at one end of the wind farm, and the boat was at the other, which can be anything up to 2 miles away. Despite wearing high-quality survival suits, every minute counts when it comes to getting a casualty out of the water, especially in the North Sea in winter!
JK Max offered a solution, in the McMurdo Fastfind Plus GPS PLB and Vestas were keen to see this in action. Steve travelled to the Scroby Sands Windfarm in Great Yarmouth to perform the test. McMurdo had programmed a Test Hex-ID into his Fastfind Plus, which was a condition of the UKMCC for allowing the test to go ahead.
The second condition was that the beacon was activated at 13:00, no earlier, and that it was de-activated at 13:15, no later. If it didn’t work in this 15 minute window, tough!
Preparing for the off Dummy in place, PLB attached, ready to go
The unit was strapped to a training dummy, ready to be floated out to sea in the middle of the wind farm. It was deliberately attached in a way that the antenna was not able to “cheat” by being perfectly vertically polarised. A series of cable ties were used to stop it from becoming detached from the dummy, that’s all. To add to the correct test environment, there was a good 3m swell to contend with on the day.
The test was two-fold. To check the performance of the 121.5MHz homer in the Fastfind, using the DF equipment on the boat. But the main aim was to test the 406MHz and GPS performance.
At 13:00, the dummy was floated away from the supporting RIB, and the beacon was activated. The distance was then gradually increased between the dummy and the main support vessel to test the 121.5MHz and the DF.
The dummy is released from the support RIB, pictures taken from the main support vessel
By 13:10, the 121.5 signal was getting weak and intermittent, due to the sea conditions. This signal is fantastic between a casualty and an aircraft at altitude, but at sea-level, it’s a different story. 121.5 was clearly showing its limitations. Yes, it can reach satellite, but the UKMCC will only have a vague location of transmission, equating to hundreds of square miles, and, there is no unique identification. UKMCC are left guessing, and have no choice but to wait for more satellite passes to confirm a more accurate location. This process can take literally hours, which is potentially fatal for a casualty in the water.
However, 406 GPS technology saved the day. Remember, the beacon was activated at 13:00. At 13:04, UKMCC, based at RAF Kinloss had a report from their system.
The satellite had picked up the 121.5MHz homer, but the position was about 30km out. But the 406MHz transmitter and built-in GPS receiver not only identified the Fastfind Plus as the very one belonging to Steve at JK Max; it also gave its position right in the middle of the Scroby Sands Wind Farm. In FOUR MINUTES! “Both the 406MHz Doppler and encoded positions matched very well. Job’s a good’un”, stated Tom Taylor from UKMCC. He also added that the receiving satellite was half way across the Atlantic at the time. Impressive or what!
Needless to say, Vestas were happy, and we are in full flow with a supply contract to their wind farm sites throughout the UK and Northern Europe. Well over 100 units have been shipped already.
Special thanks to the Sales & Service Team at McMurdo for preparing Steve’s beacon for the test. Thanks also to Tom Taylor and his team at UKMCC, RAF Kinloss for authorising the test. Finally, thanks to the Vestas guys, Ole Hylleberg, Dave Armstrong, Owen Nutt and the Scroby Sands team for hosting us and making the test possible on the day.
Fax update from the UKMCC, showing the data received at 22-MAR-06 13:04:37, just 4 minutes after the beacon was activated. Note:
- The HEX ID is clearly displayed, so they know it's us
- The Lat & Lon are clear, and accurate, so they know where we are
52 37 52 N
1 46 40 E - Number of detections: ONE! Not two, not three - ONE!
- Number of passes: Also - ONE!
This is why JK Max Navigation support McMurdo Fastfind range of PLBs. They are reliable, accurate, and WILL save your life if called upon. We have tested it, and the proof is right here.