Author: kevin

What is an RLS-Enabled Beacon?

 

Always test your beacon according to the instructions of the beacon manufacturer. Always ensure that you properly register your beacon using the hexadecimal (0-9 and A-F) identification (“Hex ID”) printed on the beacon before beginning any testing (so that if a false alert accidentally is transmitted, the authorities will know who to contact before dispatching search-and-rescue services. Most beacons have a special switch (button) or a special switch-position setting to use for testing, and this should be the only switch/setting used for routine testing. Activating a 406-MHz beacon with the distress switch for even a very short time will generate a Cospas-Sarsat distress alert message that will be relayed to search-and-rescue services for immediate action. Older, legacy 121.5/243-MHz distress beacons can be activated briefly for testing at defined time periods (for example, during the first five minutes of each hour). THIS IS NOT THE CASE FOR 406-MHZ BEACONS. 406-MHz beacons are digitally coded and transmit distress signals without delay. Therefore, 406 MHz beacons must not be activated using the distress switch except in real distress situations or unless special prior arrangements have been made with the Cospas-Sarsat Mission Control Centre (MCC) that services your region, to ensure that no search-and-rescue resources will be deployed.

Warning!!! Activating a beacon for reasons other than to indicate a life-threatening distress situation or without the prior authorization from a Cospas-Sarsat MCC is considered an offence in many countries of the world, and could result in prosecution.

How Should I Test My 406-MHz Beacon?

Always test your beacon according to the instructions of the beacon manufacturer. Always ensure that you properly register your beacon using the Hex ID printed on the beacon before beginning any testing. 406-MHz beacons are designed with a self-test capability that is activated by a separate test switch or switch-position setting for evaluating key performance characteristics. Initiating the beacon self-test function will not generate a distress alert in the Cospas-Sarsat System, and the self-test can be performed at any time (i.e., it is not restricted to certain times during an hour). However, it will use some of the beacon’s limited battery power, and should only be used in accordance with the beacon manufacturer’s guidance for the number of tests to be performed over the lifetime of the beacon. Excessive testing may mean that the beacon-battery reserve will be inadequate for full performance during a real distress situation. (Though the self-test function will not generate a 406-MHz distress alert in the Cospas-Sarsat System, some self-test functions may briefly transmit a 121.5-MHz “homing” signal. This should be taken into consideration in deciding where and when to conduct a self-test of your beacon.) If you have questions regarding your beacon’s self-test mode, contact your beacon manufacturer before attempting a self-test.

If you inadvertently activate the beacon in its distress mode by using the distress switch (or by automatic means, such as water contact by an EPIRB with such an automatic feature), deactivate the beacon (if it has a deactivation function) AND contact the nearest Cospas-Sarsat MCC or your local Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) as soon as possible to request cancellation of the distress alert. (Deactivating the beacon alone does NOT cancel the distress alert that already has been transmitted by the beacon and received by Cospas-Sarsat. That is why you must call the appropriate MCC or RCC.)

“Live” Beacon Testing

In rare circumstances there may be a need to activate a 406-MHz beacon in its distress mode for test purposes. Regardless of the beacon’s location or the duration of activation, a 406-MHz beacon likely will be detected by Cospas-Sarsat and the resulting distress-alert message will be routed to an MCC and RCC for search-and-rescue resource deployment. Consequently, careful coordination is required to ensure that the appropriate MCCs are informed in advance of the planned test transmission. (A 121.5-MHz “homing” signal is likely also to be transmitted at the same time during a “live” test, and this must also be taken into consideration.) Beacons rarely should require testing in their operational (distress-alert) mode.

Requests to conduct a live beacon test should be directed to the Cospas-Sarsat MCC that services the location in which the test is planned and the Cospas-Sarsat MCC that supports the country code programmed into the beacon (if different).

There are more than 1.5 million Cospas-Sarsat 406-MHz distress beacons in operation. In view of the number of beacons in service, coupled with the effort and resources required to coordinate a live beacon test, beacon owners should be aware that authorization to activate a beacon for testing will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

Aircraft Cockpit Testing of Distress Beacons by Aircraft Maintenance Facilities

Generally, remote cockpit activations are performed on initial installation and during maintenance work on the ELT itself. Routine ELT testing (for example, by cockpit crews), REGARDLESS OF THE TIME DURING AN HOUR, should be undertaken only by using the test-switch position intended for that purpose. If activation of the distress-switch function is required, electromagnetic shielding of the beacon antenna should be considered prior to the “live” distress-switch-activated test.

Live distress-function testing of a 406-MHz ELT from the cockpit may be performed taking into account that if the switch is in the distress-alert position for more than 5 seconds, a distress transmission may be initiated, and the nearest MCC, RCC and Air Traffic Services (ATS) Centre for the location of the alert transmission must be advised so that no search-and-rescue resources will be deployed. When performing a live distress-alert-function test, also consider that a 121.5/243-MHz homing transmission may also be activated as part of this test, and precautions must be taken to ensure that the 121.5/243-MHz signal is not falsely interpreted by other aircraft or airport facilities as a distress alert (this is the one situation in which it may be advisable to test in the first five minutes of an hour).

Some countries have regulations that are more restrictive. Please check with the appropriate regulatory authority regarding the time and duration of the test. 

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority and the NOAA Satellite and Information Service (USA) provide comprehensive information on beacon testing.

 

 

1.    User activates beacon 

 

When your beacon is activated, either by a person manually pressing a button, or automatically (e.g., an aircraft ELT activated by a physical shock, such as in a crash, or a ship’s EPIRB activated by contact with water) it begins to transmit a series of very short, digitally-coded signals (“bursts”) that indicate that you are in distress.  Though the bursts are kept short to prolong the life of the beacon battery, each burst sends a message that identifies the beacon, and may include information about your aircraft or vessel, and your location if that information is available from a navigation device in the beacon or attached to it.

To reach the Cospas-Sarsat satellites the beacon must have a relatively unobstructed view of the sky.  A submerged beacon, or one with its antenna blocked by the body of an aircraft or vessel, is unlikely to be received by the satellites.  Similarly, it may take longer to detect a beacon activated, for example, in a canyon as there may be a delay before a satellite passes within view overhead.

 

2.    Satellite detects the beacon

Some Cospas-Sarsat satellites only relay the distress message transmitted by the beacon.  Other satellites relay the message and also gather details about the signal that will enable computers on the ground to estimate the beacon’s location.  Different kinds of satellites may be visible from your location at different times and, in remote areas, there can be an additional delay in the distress signal being relayed to a ground station for processing.

3.    Beacon signal is transferred from satellite to LUT 

Once detected by the Cospas-Sarsat System and relayed to a ground station (government-owned dish antennas and associated equipment called a Local User Terminal or LUT, that tracks the satellites), powerful computers analyze the signal from your beacon to estimate its location.

 

4.    LUT transfers the beacon message and location data to its associated MCC

 

The location estimate calculated by the LUT ground station (along with any location information that may have been transmitted from the beacon in its distress message), and all other information sent in the beacon distress message is sent by the LUT ground station to an associated Mission Control Centre (MCC), which performs the task of routing the distress message and the location estimates to the proper authorities.

 

5.    The MCC transfers the Cospas-Sarsat alert message to two places:

The Mission Control Centre (MCC) sends the alert message and estimated location to the governmental authority responsible for search and rescue in the area where the beacon is believed to be.  The message transmitted from the beacon also includes a “country code” that normally indicates the origin of the beacon. (For a ship or aircraft this normally would be the nation under which it is “flagged”.  For a PLB carried by a person, the code normally would be that for the country where the PLB was purchased or where the owner has registered the beacon.)  The alert message information and the location estimates also are sent to the government associated with the country code transmitted by the beacon.  In this way the authorities closest to the distress are alerted, as are the authorities of the nation of origin of the aircraft, vessel or person.

6.    The rescue authorities take action:

All of the information in the beacon distress message, along with the location estimates, ends up at national-government Search-and-Rescue Points of Contact (SPOCs) that have the responsibility to react to distress alerts.  Crucial to the job of launching a rescue effort is knowing as much about the aircraft/vessel/person as possible, and having accurate emergency contact information for organizations or people who may be able to provide additional details about aircraft/vessel characteristics, travel plans, supplies likely carried by those in distress, etc.  Rescue authorities retrieve this crucial information from beacon registration databases.  That is why it is extremely important that you ensure that your beacon is properly registered with the correct governmental authorities.  Register your beacon by visiting www.406registration.com.

 

PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) are intended for use by an individual person (i.e., not necessary linked to a ship or an aircraft like EPIRBs and ELTs). They can be used in any environment (e.g., on land, at sea and in aircraft) and installed in a mobile unit (e.g., vessel, aircraft). Carriage of PLBs depends on national regulations. Generally, PLBs can only be activated manually, with the exception of certain PLBs specifically designed for military use.

Note: National beacon regulations can be found on the Cospas-Sarsat Professional website in System document C/S S.007 (Pro/Documents/Beacon Regulations Handbook).

Country / Territory	For terrestrial applications	In maritime environment	On aircraft	Comments
	Country recognises PLB activations	Country recognises PLB activations	Country recognises PLB activations
Albania	Y	Y	Y
Algeria	Y	Y	Y	PLB may not submit for required carriage of ELT or EPIRB
Argentina	Y	Y	Y
Australia	Y	R	R	In a maritime environment, a PLB cannot be used as a substitute for an EPIRB that is required by regulation. See Civil Aviation Regulation 252A for rules concerning PLBs on aircraft.
Austria	Y	N/A	R	Terrestrial alerts are relayed to Police or Landeswarnzentrale. Appropriate SAR action cannot be guaranteed as no legislation and no formal responsibilities/procedures are available. A mobile telephone, emergency radio network access, emergency telephone or satellite telephone are more suitable for raising the alarm in an emergency for some circumstances.
Belgium			Y
Brazil	Y	Y	Y	PLB activation is allowed. However, ony PLBs registered in the Brazilian database for ultralight airplanes or as part of an aircraft/ship survival kit will trigger the Brazilian SAR System. Activations other than mentioned above will be relayed to regional Civil Defense offices.
Canada	Y	R	R	Response to terrestrial PLB alerts is the responsibility of the provinces and territories. PLBs may not be substituted for the required carriage of ELTs or EPIRBs. PLBs may only be used as supplementary alerting devices in this case. Users are encouraged to note any linkages between PLBs used in maritime and aviation environments to relevant vessel/aircraft data during the registration process.
Cayman Islands	Y	Y	Y
Chile	Y	Y	Y
China (P.R. of)	Y	Y	Y
Chinese Taipei	Y	Y	Y
Croatia	Y	Y	Y
Cyprus	Y	Y	Y
Denmark	N	R	R	PLB must be coded as EPIRB (maritime) or ELT (aircraft).
Estonia	Y	Y	Y
Faroe Islands (DK)	N	R	R	PLB must be coded as EPIRB (maritime) or ELT (aircraft).
Finland	Y	Y	Y
France	Y	Y	Y
Germany	R	R	R	Serial-coded PLBs are not allowed in Germany.
Greece	Y	Y	Y
Greenland (DK)	Y	R	R	PLB must be coded as EPIRB (maritime) or ELT (aircraft).
Hong Kong, China	Y	Y	N	The carriage of PLBs on Hong Kong registered aircraft shall meet the Civil Aviation Department requirements on portable electronic devices that can be intentionally or unintentionally transmitting.
Iceland	Y	Y	Y
India	Y	Y	Y	PLBs are currently in use for land and aviation applications. For marine applications, there are no users yet, but there are no restrictions on their usage.
Indonesia	Y	Y	Y
Ireland	R	R	R	All PLBs carried in Ireland (terrestrial or in the maritime environment) must be registered with ComReg. Details available at the following link ComReg PLB online Registration. PLBs must have a serial number beginning with 1F4E
Israel	Y	Y	Y
Italy	Y	Y	Y	PLB may not replace an EPIRB or ELT on-board vessels or aircraft when these are required by national or international rules.
Japan	N	Y	R	The use of PLBs for private persons is not permitted in Japan except for PLBs on maritime and aircraft. Land activations are prohibited and subject to penalty by radio law.
Kenya	Y	Y	Y
Korea (Rep. of)	N	N	N
Liechtenstein	R	Y	Y	Note: Terrestrial Alerts are relayed to Police. Appropriate SAR action cannot be guaranteed as no legislation and no formal responsibilities or procedures are available. A mobile telephone, emergency radio network access, emergency telephone or satellite telephone are more suitable for raising the alarm in an emergency for some circumstances.
Malta	Y	Y	Y	Refer to S.L.399.40
Marshal Islands	Y	Y	Y
Malaysia	Y	Y	N
Moldova			Y
Myanmar	N	N	N
Netherlands (The)	Y	Y	Y
New Zealand	Y	Y	Y	PLBs are only to be coded with serial number and not MMSI nor registration mark.
North Macedonia	N	N	N
Nigeria	Y	Y	Y
Norway	Y	Y	Y
Pakistan	Y	Y	Y
Peru	Y	Y	Y
Philippines	Y	Y	Y	There are no regulations yet against the use of PLBs, so CAAP ORCC would accommodate the inclusion of PLBs in the IBRD. Steps are currently being taken to disseminate information on IBRD registration of PLBs.
Poland	R	R	R	A radio licence issued by the Polish Office of Electronic Communication is required.
Qatar	Y	Y	Y
Russian Federation	N	R	R	According to the national regulation the PLB could be installed on the vessel or aircraft. In these cases, PLB is coded accordingly as EPIRB with the maritime protocols or as ELT with the aviation protocols.
Serbia	Y	Y	Y
Singapore	Y	Y	N
South Africa	Y	Y	Y	In terms of the current PLB’s regulations, PLB’s use as replacement for mandatory ELT or EPIRB is not accepted. PLBs are only to be coded with serial number and neither MMSI nor registration mark. Beacon regulations are currently under review and any future departure from current provisions will be reported to the Secretariat.
Spain	N	R	N or R	A PLB with a Spanish country code is only allowed by the Spanish Administration in a maritime environment provided that it is associated with a vessel on which it is not mandatory to install an EPIRB. It should be programmed with its MMSI and installed only for use on that vessel.
Sweden	Y	Y	Y
Switzerland	R	Y	Y	Note: Terrestrial Alerts are relayed to Police. Appropriate SAR action cannot be guaranteed as no legislation and no formal responsibilities or procedures are available. A mobile telephone, emergency radio network access, emergency telephone or satellite telephone are more suitable for raising the alarm in an emergency for some circumstances.
UAE	Y	Y	Y
United Kingdom	Y	Y	Y
USA	Y	Y	Y
Vietnam	Y	Y	Y

(Y = green, allowed / N = red, not allowed / R = amber, restrictions (see comments).

If a beacon is inadvertently activated, the beacon immediately should be turned off if possible. If the beacon does not have an “off” function, it should be shielded from the sky by placing it in a metal container (a solid metal box or a refrigerator, for example).

Because an alert likely will be received by the satellites even if the beacon was on for only a short time, you should immediately contact the agency in your region responsible for managing Cospas-Sarsat distress alerts to prevent unnecessary assignment of search and rescue resources that may be needed for a real emergency somewhere else. If your region has a Cospas-Sarsat Mission Control Centre in the “Contact Lists” (select “MCC – Mission Control Centre” from the drop-down choices), please notify the centre in your area. Otherwise select “SPOC – SAR Point of Contact” from the “Contact Lists” and notify them of your inadvertent alert. The “Contact Lists” are available under our Professional website.

There is no penalty for inadvertent activation of a beacon if there was no malicious intent.

 

CNES – Beware of False Alerts

 

Properly maintaining the registration information about your beacon may make the difference between life and death. Accurate registration information about your beacon allows search-and-rescue authorities in an emergency to retrieve crucial information about you, your aircraft or vessel, and people who can provide valuable information about you (your emergency contacts).

It is the responsibility of beacon owners to ensure that the information they have supplied in a beacon registry is kept up-to-date. It is strongly recommended that you take a few minutes at least every two years to review and update your information in the registration database. This is a mandatory requirement in some countries.

If you sell, give or otherwise transfer a beacon to a new owner, you MUST update the information in the registry where your beacon has been registered to indicate this change. You also should encourage the new owner to properly register the beacon for themselves. The new owner of the beacon is required to properly register it with the information associated with the new owner and aircraft/vessel identification. Update your registration information or register a newly acquired beacon at www.406registration.com.

If a change in beacon ownership is made from an aircraft, vessel or resident of one country to an aircraft, vessel or resident of another country, in most cases the hexadecimal identification (Hex ID) electronically programmed into the beacon will need to be reprogrammed by a qualified service center to change the “country code” programmed into the Hex ID. This is important because that country code determines one of the places where authorities are alerted if you activate your beacon in a distress emergency.

Also note that when the country code of a beacon is changed, the appropriate database for registering the beacon may also change. Find out where to register your beacon with a new country code at www.406registration.com.