ACR Electronics GlobalFix iPRO RLB-36 Product Support Manual

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ACR Electronics GlobalFix iPRO RLB-36 Product Support Manual Manual pdf 7 page image

Y1-03-0233 Rev. D 6STEP TWO - HOW THE BEACON WORKS1. How your beacon brings help406 MHz beacons are a type of portable emergency equipment that transmitsa distress signal to search and rescue (SAR) organizations. The purpose ofthese beacons is to aid SAR teams in tracking and locating ships orindividuals in jeopardy as rapidly as possible.The 406 MHz frequency is a worldwide dedicated emergency frequency thatis detected by a special system of satellites called the Cospas-Sarsat system.This satellite system was established by, and continues to be supported by,its primary benefactors - the USA, Russia, Canada and France. The Cospas-Sarsat system has saved over 23,500 lives - and counting - since itsinception. See Appendix G or the Cospas-Sarsat website for moreinformation about the system at www.cospas-sarsat.org.When a 406 MHz beacon is activated, the digital distress message is sent toCospas-Sarsat satellites and, in turn, the distress message is relayed to SAR.The distress message contains important information about the beacon andits owner. Additional information about the beacon is accessed by SAR fromthe beacon registration database. At the same time the 406 MHz signal isactivated, a 121.5 MHz signal is turned on. The 121.5 MHz signal is used bySAR to home in on the beacon as they approach it.The 406 MHz signal is detected by multiple satellites and from thatinformation the location of the beacon can be calculated. This data alone issufficient for SAR to find persons or ships in distress in a reasonabletimeframe. However, as a further enhancement, some beacons have a GPSengine onboard. This feature allows the beacon to acquire current locationcoordinates from an internal GPS receiver or download coordinates from anexternal GPS receiver. The coordinates are added to the ID of the unit, whichis transmitted with the 406 signal. This enables the SAR authorities to locatethe beacon to an accuracy of 110 yards (100 m).