Anatomy Of A Rescue - ACR Electronics SARLink SOS-300 User Manual

Anatomy Of A Rescue

HOW THE BEACON'S 406 DISTRESS MESSAGE
WORKS.
How your beacon summons help.
406 MHz beacons are a type of portable emergency
equipment that transmits a distress signal to search and
rescue (SAR) organizations. The purpose of these beacons
is to aid SAR teams in tracking and locating ships or
individuals in jeopardy as rapidly as possible.
The 406 MHz frequency is a worldwide dedicated
emergency frequency that is detected by a network of
satellites called the Cospas-Sarsat system. When a 406 MHz
beacon is activated, the digital distress message is sent to
Cospas-Sarsat satellites and, in turn, the distress message is
relayed to SAR forces. The distress message contains the
beacon UIN and the GPS location of the beacon. Additional
information about the beacon is accessed by SAR forces
from the beacon registration database.
HOW THE BEACON'S TWO-WAY DATA CAPABILITY
(IRIDIUM FUNCTIONALITY) WORKS
The beacon sends two-way data communications in both
normal mode and emergency mode via the Iridium Satellite
Data Network. Iridium's constellation consists of low-earth
orbiting (LEO), cross-linked satellites operating as a fully
meshed network. Messages are relayed from one satellite to
another until they reach the satellite above the Iridium
Subscriber Unit and the signal is relayed back to earth. The
Iridium functionality can allow you to have two-way SMS
and email communications and transmit your GPS
coordinates.
This device does not include a 121.5 MHz homer.
Learn more about the
Cospas-Sarsat
satellite system:
www.cospas-sarsat.org
Learn more about the
Iridium Satellite Data
Network:
www.iridium.com
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