# GPS alarm raised by BMW on board the....



## willincity (Jul 11, 2007)

..........*European Endeavour*
A rescue operation was launched off the Welsh coast after a distress signal was received from the "European Endeavour" on June 14, 2011, four miles off the coast of Point Lynas, in Anglesey, north Wales at around 9 p.m., but it turned out to be an electronic car alarm from a BMW onboard the ferry on its way from Dublin to Liverpool. The volunteer crew of the nearby Moelfre lifeboat were paged and minutes later their Tyne class boat was launched. Homing in on where it was detected, they searched in vain for around three hours before being informed the signal actually came from a car on the P&O ferry. Experts believe that the rocking of the ferry activated a system called E-call or Emergency Telematics on a BMW or Volvo in the hold of the ship. The device then sent out a GPS signal because to alert emergency services. The manufacturers are investigating to see why it could have gone wrong. The coast guard service believed it was the first time a rescue mission had been caused by an anti-theft device fitted to a car safely parked on a ferry.


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## Tmac1720 (Jun 24, 2005)

Coastie thought it was the smoke alarm on his Breville.. (Jester)


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Yes, I read that. I guess yet again, it is a case of "Nice Idea, pity the consequences weren't thought through enough".

I suppose the answer is to have some sort of software upgrade to distinguish Maritime from Land-Based origins

David
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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

The car was obviously fitted with BMW' enhanced Emergency Assist facility. When a car fitted with the system crashes, an alerting call is made automatically and indication is given of the severity of the collision, the number of people in the car and so on. The idea is that the rescuers are aware of the seriousness of the incident and the facilities that may be needed to deal with the likely injuries.

See http://www.euroncap.com/rewards/bmw_assist_advanced_ecall.aspx for more information.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

I wonder what kind of damage it reported from the ferry ? Shaken, not stirred ??

But seriously, I guess that as this is the only reported incident so far, it may well have been faulty.

David
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## smithax (Jul 16, 2009)

How did the system manage to receive a GPS signal in the hold of a ship?

Andy


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## OLD STRAWBERRY (Jan 20, 2006)

It's a pity that my daughters new BMW didn't send an emergency signal to the law whilst being trashed during the night recently.


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## Coastie (Aug 24, 2005)

That's just it though, it'll work when it's not supposed to and NOT work when it IS supposed to!

Incidently, it was Gulpers Watch which was on when this incident occurred, so you'r almost right, Tmac!!


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