Satellite Distress Beacons

Rescue coordination centre is notified your distress call is escalated through a local user terminal mission control centre and then the rescue coordination centre rcc responsible in.

Satellite distress beacons.

Plbs must be registered. Distress beacon update australian 406mhz mmsi register linda berryman manager 406 mhz mmsi database. The phaseout of 121 5 mhz beacons for satellite distress alerting february 1 2009. In case of an emergency such as the aircraft crashing the ship sinking or a hiker becoming.

An emergency locator beacon is a radio beacon a portable battery powered radio transmitter used to locate airplanes vessels and persons in distress and in need of immediate rescue. 121 5 mhz distress beacons are no longer detected by satellite and are no longer licensed for use. Peter pokorny principal advisor maritime communications navigation safety international. Beacons transmit on 406mhz which is detectable by satellite and 121 5mhz so emergency services can hone the beacon with special search and rescue equipment.

In october 2000 the international cospas sarsat program announced at its 25th council session held in london uk that it plans to terminate satellite processing of distress signals from 121 5 and 243 mhz emergency beacons on february 1 2009. Distress signal is sent to a satellite. If you buy a plb you ll be required to register it free of charge in the noaa sarsat search and rescue satellite aided tracking database. Like epirbs and elts all plbs also have a built in low power homing beacon that transmits on 121 5 mhz.

Once your distress signal reaches its satellite network it needs to get to a staffed terrestrial dispatch service. Satellite distress beacons vhf data exchange system marine15 5 may 2015 presenter. A recognized beacon can operate on one of the three currently cospas sarsat satellite compatible frequencies. Do not risk your life by relying on a 121 5 mhz distress beacon.

Replace your old 121 5 mhz beacon to a gps 406 mhz distress beacon as soon as possible. Some plbs also allow gps units to be integrated into the distress signal. This allows rescue forces to home in on the distress beacon once the 406 mhz satellite system has provided the necessary position information. We review equipment from eight different brands but they all use one of these four satellite networks.

Provided your emergency fits the above criteria your device sends a signal to one of just four satellite networks. Don t forget to dispose of your old beacon correctly and register your replacement beacon. The frequency used distinguishes the capabilities of the beacon. Distress beacons transmit distress signals on the following key frequencies.