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	<entry>
		<id>https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3169:_EPIRBs&amp;diff=391109</id>
		<title>3169: EPIRBs</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3169:_EPIRBs&amp;diff=391109"/>
				<updated>2025-11-17T23:13:45Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;2607:FA78:103F:1164:985:F3AA:4A45:7292: /* Explanation */ Capitalization&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;{{comic&lt;br /&gt;
| number    = 3169&lt;br /&gt;
| date      = November 17, 2025&lt;br /&gt;
| title     = EPIRBs&lt;br /&gt;
| image     = epirbs_2x.png&lt;br /&gt;
| imagesize = 317x386px&lt;br /&gt;
| noexpand  = true&lt;br /&gt;
| titletext = 'Oh no, the box is drifting out into the harbor!' 'Yeah, I wouldn't worry about losing it.'&lt;br /&gt;
}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Explanation==&lt;br /&gt;
{{incomplete|This page was created BY AN UNATTENDED DISTRESS BEACON. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
An {{w|emergency position-indicating radiobeacon}} is a maritime safety device that when it comes in contact with water sends a distress signal via satellite communications.  This signal is detected by search and rescue organizations such as the {{w|United States Coast Guard}} so that they can dispatch a rescue team.  Their purpose is to automatically notify such authorities of emergencies at sea such as ship sinking when it is out of range or normal radio communications.&lt;br /&gt;
 	&lt;br /&gt;
In the comic Cueball and Megan accidentally drop a box containing 1,600 EPIRBs into the water while moving it from a ship to a dock.  Because EPIRBs automatically activate when immersed in water, the result would be 1,600 simultaneous signals of a ship sinking.  The text beneath the comic is a quote of them calling the Coast Guard to again apologize for the overwhelming flood of signals.  The joke of the comic is that the automatic nature of EPIRBs could allow such an overload if a package of them were dropped in water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
==Transcript==&lt;br /&gt;
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
{{comic discussion}}&amp;lt;noinclude&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>2607:FA78:103F:1164:985:F3AA:4A45:7292</name></author>	</entry>

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