INFO
"For decades, our aircraft have been required by government mandate to carry an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) that transmits on the civilian 121.5 MHz and military 243.0 MHz emergency frequencies. Pilots and rescuers have both become pretty soured on these ELTs because they have been the source of thousands of false alarms and precious few actual "saves" to their credit, not to mention being a source of mounds of paperwork and maintenance cost. Most aircraft owners would pitch them in a flash -- and will be permitted do just that in 2006 when the satellite system that monitors those two frequencies is scheduled to be phased out."
"While ELTs are known for their uselessness, 406 MHz PLBs offer a huge technological advance. I predict their small size, economical prices and advanced functionality will make them a must-have item for most pilots to carry in their flight bag or survival kit, as well as when camping, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and the like." - Dr. Brent Blue (read the full article)
The Fastfind standard 406 MHz personal location beacon provides an alert signal to the rescue services within 90 minutes and gives a positional accuracy to within 3 nautical miles. Once in the vicinity, the 121.5 MHz transmitter provides a sufficient signal for the rescue services to find an individual or vessel in distress.
Designed using miniaturized components to fit into an aesthetically styled compact casing, the Fastfind 406 406 MHz PLB has a simple three-stage activation. There is a choice of user-replaceable batteries for use in temperatures of –4°F or –40°F (–20°C or –40°C). The batteries last for five years and once activated, will transmit for 24 hours.
When activated, a visual indicator and audible alarm show the operating status confirming 406 MHz transmission and 121.5 MHz homing transmitter operation, providing comforting reassurance to the user that rescue personnel are on the way.
The Fastfind 406 MHz PLB comes complete with a lanyard fixing device for attaching to clothing or a lifejacket, and a convenient carrying case to ensure that the PLB is kept handy at all times. The unit is small enough to fit into a pocket or any flight bag. The Fastfind 406 MHz PLB has been designed to provide pilots, boaters, hikers, campers, mountain climbers, skiers, ATV users, hunters and divers with the very best chance of being found in an emergency.
OTHER INFO and FEEDBACK
Our 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacons take the "search" out of search-and-rescue! Now that the FCC has approved 406 MHz transmitters for use throughout the United States, it will be easier than ever to find and rescue people in remote areas.
These high tech, 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) utilize the exact same satellite technology that military, marine and aviation industries have trusted for nearly 20 years. At last count, more than 12,000 lives have been saved with 406 MHz beacons.
The FAA has recommended PLBs as a practical means for pilots to get the considerable advantages offered by alerting on the 406 MHz frequency as a complement to the often ineffective and unreliable 121.5 MHz ELT currently required in all aircraft.
What is a Personal Locator Beacon?
A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) is a battery-powered emergency transmitter which sends a coded 406 MHz signal when activated by a person in distress. The PLB's distress signal contains a Unique Identification Number (UIN) that uniquely identifies the owner. A signal received by the GEOSAR or the COSPAS-SARSAT Satellite System from a PLB is considered to be a serious distress emergency and appropriate Search and Rescue (SAR) agencies are notified to respond. In the United States, the U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) in Langley, Virginia, coordinates the local responses to terrestrial PLB signals.
Who needs a PLB?
406 MHz PLBs provide the very best chance of being rescued in an emergency for all outdoor enthusiasts, especially those involved in aviation, backcountry and remote-area activities. A 406 MHz PLB should now be an essential item of survival gear for all:
- pilots
- boaters
- fishermen
- hunters
- hikers
- campers
- snowmobilers
- skiers
- ATV riders
- backcountry users
- mountain guides
- other outdoor enthusiasts
How a PLB works
Each PLB is programmed with its own 15-character Unique Identification Number (UIN) that uniquely identifies its owner and instantly provides emergency contact information to rescuers. When the PLB is activated, its digital 406 MHz signal is received by a constellation of 10 COSPAS-SARSAT satellites in polar orbits, each of which makes an orbital pass every 90 minutes. Using the Doppler shift technique, the satellites take a precise fix on the origin of the signal.
The distress signal with its UIN and Doppler position (and possibly GPS coordinates if the PLB transmitted them) is stored by the satellite. As soon as the satellite passes over the next available ground monitoring station, or Local User Terminal (LUT), this information is downlinked. The LUT forwards the data to a Mission Control Center where it is verified that the signal is from an actual emergency.
One major advantage of a 406 PLB (compared to the older-technology 121.5/243.0 MHz ELTs) is that it provides unique identification information to rescue forces, so they can call the emergency contact numbers provided by the PLB owner and find out what to expect. Another advantage is that a 406 MHz PLB greatly reduces the time it takes to get to an individual in distress. Because of the satellite's sophisticated tracking capability, a Doppler position accuracy of one-half-mile is possible, narrowing down the search area considerably.
A GPS-enabled PLB (such as our FastFind Plus) is even more accurate because it utilizes GPS-derived position information to transmit precise lat/lon coordinates. This greatly reduces the time it takes to notify search-and-rescue (to as little as five minutes!), and greatly increases the accuracy of the position information they receive (to within 100 meters).
For much more information, be sure to read Dr. Brent Blue's in-depth article about 406 MHz PLBs.
Registering your PLB
When you purchase a 406 MHz PLB, you must fill out a registration form and forward it to the appropriate agency -- in the U.S., it's the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). On the form, you provide the make, model, and 15-character unique identification number (UIN) of your PLB, your name, address, phone number, and primary and alternate 24-hour emergency contact phone numbers.
This information is entered into a database accessible at the Mission Control Center, so that if your PLB is ever activated, your information will immediately pop up on a computer screen at the MCC. Personnel at the MCC will then attempt to contact you and your designated emergency contacts to establish that your distress signal is genuine (and not a false-alarm), and to find out everything they can about your whereabouts and situation. This information will then be passed on to the appropriate local search-and-rescue agency.
Users in the United States may now register their 406 MHz PLB online, and may also access and amend their registration information. The site is http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/.
IMPORTANT NOTE - PLB Registration is only open to US citizens, US Citizens living abroad, and alien residents currently living in the US with a valid US address. International customers living outside the US will not be able to register their PLB.
When to use your PLB
FCC rules state that a 406 MHz PLB must only be activated in a distress situation and only in remote areas where conventional communication facilities are not available. A "distress situation" involves an incident concerning grave danger to the safety of human life.
Because the consequences of a false distress signal are serious, we recommend that you:
- Avoid activation except in a true emergency
- Read all the instructions and know how your PLB works
- Ensure your PLB is in good working order and the battery has a full charge
- Make sure your PLB is properly registered and that all information is up-to-date
