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The United States Coast Guard “ Marine Safety Center” has recently announced the planned termination of the 121.5 and 243 MHZ Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBS). Mariners and other users of these beacons will need to switch to an emergency beacon that operates at 406 MHZ in order to be detected by satellites. The decision to terminate the older system is largely based on the huge number of 121.5 MHZ false alerts that inundate the search and rescue centers. These false alerts can severely impact the overall efficiency of the satellite based rescue system and reduce the effectiveness of the lifesaving services in responding to your emergency alert.
The 121.5 MHZ (civilian) and the 243 MHZ (military) system depends a satellite system that does not have the capability to store distress information from these frequencies. This means the satellite must be 'mutually visible” to both the transmitting beacon and a ground in-order to transmit your distress alert. This limitation, in combination with the ability to only fix your position to a large 12 mile radius can lead to significantly extended search and rescue response times. Additionally, with most ground based receivers only operating in the Northern Hemisphere, a satellite that receives an emergency alert received from a mariner in the Southern Hemisphere may not be able to retransmit your signal.
The very sophisticated 406 MHZ class of beacons have taken advantage of the major technology advances of the past few years to include four major improvements over the older units. These new features can not only reduce response times but also send specific information about your particular vessel, aiding the rescue units in determining your level of need.
The improvements include:
The SARSAT satellites can receive and store in memory the 406 MHZ EPIRB emergency message until over a ground station, thus making worldwide coverage
possible.
The 406 signal transmitted from your beacon now has an embedded code that provides your vessel identification to the ground station This also gives the USCG
and other rescue agencies the opportunity to attempt to contact you before sending out the rescue units.
The increase power and precision of these units can now fix your position to a two-mile radius, a major improvement over the old twelve-mile standard. This smaller area of operation allows rescuers to concentrate their efforts, not only reducing rescue costs, but more importantly helping them locate you much quicker
than ever before.
Possibly the most significant improvement to be introduced, is the marriage of the 406 beacons with a GPS ( Global Positioning Satellite) receiver. This combination of technologies enables the beacon to transmit not only vessel ID information, but your actual vessel position to the satellites. With a estimated 5-minute notification time to the ground stations, the rescue time can be reduced by as much as one hour!
If you have not yet had the chance to checkout a 406 MHZ EPIRB, the perfect time might be at the upcoming Miami Boat show. This will be an excellent opportunity to have a good look at a wide variety of units, meet with the factory representatives, and compare features including automatic-vs-manual deployment, inside or outside storage, battery life, durability, weight and purchase price (don't forget to ask for special boat show pricing). These and other considerations can be very important factors when making a decision of this importance for the safety of you and your passengers.
Source: Troy E. Parker Resolve F&R
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