EPIRB's are classed as follows:
(a) Class A--an EPIRB that has been type approved or type accepted by the FCC as a Class A EPIRB. These EPIRB's are capable of floating free of a vessel and activating automatically if the vessel sinks.
(b) Class C--An EPIRB that has been type approved or type accepted by the FCC as a Class C EPIRB. These EPIRB's are manually activated and are not required to be Coast Guard approved. [39 FR 10139, Mar. 18, 1974, as amended by CGD 80-024, 49 FR 40409, Oct. 16, 1984]