ACR Electronics TERRAFIX IO406 MHZ PLB Product Support Manual page 8

4.2.4 GPS Antenna Orientation (2798.4 ONLY)
When activated it is critical that you do not cover the front bottom portion of the PLB with any body
part, water, clothing, etc. The GPS Antenna is located under the front bottom portion of the case
behind the embossed ACR logo. To ensure proper operation it needs to be unobstructed with a clear
view to the sky. Avoid submerging this portion of the PLB in water if possible, as water will shield
and inhibit the GPS receiver and may cause difficulties obtaining LAT/LON coordinates.
4.3 406/121.5 Antenna Position
For maximum performance you must deploy the PLB antenna into the proper position (see figure 2).
The antenna will snap into place and be slightly slanted to the side. Be sure the antenna is positioned
facing the sky and avoid submerging in water. If afloat employ all means to keep the PLB out of the
water and the antenna dry. For best results it is important to keep the antenna dry and away from the
water. Water acts as a detractor from the performance and reduces the PLB's effectiveness.
4.4 Deactivation
To deactivate your PLB, depress the "OFF" button for 1 second (see figure 5).
Once off, all blinking LED's will stop signifying that the PLB is no longer sending your rescue
message.
4.5 Self Test
PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE PERFORMING ANY OF THE TESTS.
BE PREPARED TO RECORD DATA FROM THE TEST
Self test is initiated by holding the self test button (see figure 1) for at least ½ second and less than
five seconds. Your PLB will sound an initial beep and green LED (Light Emitting Diode) flash to
signify the test has begun. The green LED will flash a second time to indicate that the self test was
successful.
TerraFix™ 406 GPS I (P/N 2798.2) Self tested components: Data Integrity and Memory;
406 MHz Synthesizer; RF Power/Battery
TerraFix™ 406 GPS I/O (P/N 2798.4) Self tested components: Data Integrity and Memory;
406 MHz Synthesizer; RF Power/Battery; GPS header
If your PLB flashes two green LED's, the test has been successfully completed. If you encounter
only the initial green LED flash alone, your PLB has failed the self test, please contact
ACR Electronics or an authorized Battery Replacement Center for servicing of your PLB.
NOTE: During a self test your PLB will send a 406 MHz signal coded as self-test to the satellite
system. The homing signal at 121.5 MHz is inhibited during self test; this allows you to test your
PLB any time during the day without causing any false alarms.
4.6 Battery Witness Seal Life
ACR strongly recommends performing the self test on the TerraFix™ 406 GPS on a monthly basis.
If your PLB flashes an initial Red LED at the beginning of the Self Test, this indicates that your
electronic witness has been broken and you have used more than 1 hour of battery life. While the
PLB will still operate normally in an emergency, ACR strongly recommends you have your battery
replaced and the electronic witness reset to ensure that you will have 24 hours of battery power
should you ever need to activate your unit in an emergency
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