| About EPIRBs and PLBs |
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An Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) is used to alert search and rescue services in the event of an emergency. It does this by transmitting a coded message on the 406MHz distress frequency. This message is relayed via satellite and earth station to the nearest rescue co-ordination centre. This is a 21st Century alternative to rocket flare, to raise a distress alarm, with the added advantage of global coverage. What’s the difference between an EPIRB and a PLB? All EPIRBs are required to float free and upright, to transmit for 48 hours, and to incorporate a strobe light. They may be manually or automatically deployed, and are always activated when immersed in water. PLBs may or may not float, are always deployed manually, do not have the ability to be activated by being immersed in water and have to transmit for a minimum of 24 hours. The Kannad PLB does float and transmits for 48 hours. 406MHz EPIRBs and PLBs work with the Cospas-Sarsat polar orbiting satellite system which provides true global coverage.
The satellite can determine the position of your EPIRB or PLB to within 5km (3 miles). The coded message identifies the exact vessel to which the EPIRB is registered or the person the PLB is registered to. This information allows the rescue services to eliminate false alerts and launch an appropriate rescue. The GPS-enabled EPIRB and PLB have built-in multi-channel GPS receivers. These are much more accurate and will enable rescue services to come straight to your location. Since its inception in 1982 the Cospas-Sarsat System has provided distress alert information which has assisted in the rescue of over 18,865 people in 5,317 distress situations. The Cospas-Sarsat programme assists search and rescue (SAR) activities on a worldwide basis by providing accurate, timely, and reliable distress alert and location data to the international community on a non-discriminatory basis. |
This picture shows how the system works.