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PERSONAL EMERGENCY LOCATOR SYSTEM
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PERSONAL EMERGENCY LOCATOR SYSTEM
Source: Popular Communications, July 1990
By: Gordon West, WB6NOA
Reprinted by: John Johnson, KWV8BP
of The Hotline BBS
As an emergency communications specialist, you need to know all about our present EPIRB systems, al as the new proposal for a personal emergency locating band on 220 MHz. This article will bringyuu o date on EPIRBs, plus review the new 406 MHz EPIRBs, and then tell you all about PELTS.
An EPIRB sends out a distinctive warbling tone on 121.5 MHz and 243 MHz. Mariners will manually ace a Class B EPIRB in times of emergency. Mariners may also operate float-free, automatic, Class PRsthat self-activate in case of an immediate sinking. Most commercial vessels that carry passeges orhie are required to carry Class A and Class B EPIRBs on-board.
Aircraft pilots call the EPIRBs simply ELT, emergency locator transmitter. The aircraft ELT operateilar to a marine EPIRB, but it self-activates on sudden impact. It may also be manually activate,to he big problem with marine and aviation EPIRBs is accidental activation. Over 98 percent of llEPRBacivations are simply false alarms..
This is a major problem to the COSPAS-SARSAT system that employs overhead satellites to relay EPIRls. The satellites don't know the real thing from a false activation, and rescue agencies must takdw the EPIRB to find out whether it's a crash, or simply an accidental activation from a hard anin, r et duffel bag.
Class A and Class B EPIRBs depend on a line-of-sight transmission to polar-orbiting satelltes, or rcraft or search parties. And for the satellites to be effective, an EPIRB emergency coordinatio etrmust also be line-of-sight to that same satellite because satellites on Class A and B EPIRBsdono sor and forward data. They will on the new 406 MHz system, but not Class A and Class B EPIRs.
Class C EPIRBs were a giant flop in the marine community. They were designed to emit a warbling sign Channel 16, 156.80 MHz. Channel 16 is such a mess these days that all of the interference actulysuds like an activated Class C EPIRB! Class C is a flop, and I can't remember a single rescue ro aClssC signal on 156.80 MHz.
The new 406 MHz EPIRB is being adopted as a global standard, and provides much more accurate locatand coded search and rescue information. Category I 406 MHz EPIRBs float free and automatically ciae and Category II must be manually set on.
The big Improvement on 406 MHz EPIRBs is the ability to send up to a satellite encoded information the type of vessel it was on, and possibly what the nature of the distress is in case of maual ciain. The satellite will then store this information, and will downlink itself when commanded b agrun sation in another part of the world. This means that the ground station does not need to e i siultneos line-of-sight with the satellite when the EPIRB goes off. The encoded information ill lso llowgroud stations to better track down false activations, and pinpoint the culprit.
406 MHz EPIRBs are just arriving on the scene, type-accepted by the FCC. It will still be several years before the entire marine community fully adopts the 406 MHz EPIRB system. When it does, chne r traditional Class A and B EPIRBs at 121.50 MHz may be relegated for extinction -- or possiby nl uedas an ELT aboard small aircraft. Presently, there are 80,000 121.50 MHz EPIRBs in servic abardboas. here have been a few hundred good saves with the older EPIRB system, but literally tousads o fale acivations costing over millions of dollars to track down through search and rescu effots. Hpefuly, 40 MHz will cure this!
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| This transmitter is authorized for use only during |
| Emergency, Life Threatening situations. The User is |
| cautioned that careless activation of this Transmitter |
| could interfere with an actual distress situation that |
| could result in a fine and possible liability for |
| damages from the injured party. |
| |
| Registration of this satellite EPIRB with the National |
| Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is |
| necessary to ensure effective action by search and |
| rescue agencies in the event of a distress situation. |
| Use the registration form provided or call the NOAA |
| Toll-Free Number 800-XXX-XXXX |
|--------------------------------------------------------|
Warning label on new 406 MHz EPIRB
A brand new system called PELTS is under consideration by the Federal Communications Commission. Idesigned for local tracking and search and rescue activities for hikers, skiers, and local mounti n iver rescue squads. These tiny units, resembling a handheld walkie-talkie, would have capabiitesof2-ay FM voice, emergency activation for homing capabilities, and a host of options to furter ts ineof-ight range to incoming rescuers.
Five frequency pairs in the new 220-222 MHz band are proposed for the PELTS system. Amateur radio oors are presently vacating these frequencies that have been reassigned to the land mobile radio evc.The personal ELT system would have 50 KHz of proposed spectrum, and this would allow hikers, as wellearch and rescue agencies, plenty of "elbow room" to establish communications with lost parties ihtePLT transmitter, and then home in on them using handheld radio direction finding equipment.
The new PELTS system would have nothing to do with satellites -- it would only be ground-based, so ergency communicators, start thinking about homing capabilities on the new 220 MHz band for PELT.
Proposed Frequencies
1. 220.9775 MHz Assistance/Emergency Bases
2. 220.9825 Assistance/Emergency Bases
3. 220.9875 Information Channel Bases
4. 220.9925 Short Distance Mobiles
5. 220.9975 Short Distance Mobiles
6. 221.9775 Assistance/Emergency Mobiles
7. 221.9825 Assistance/Emergency Mobiles
8. 221.9875 Short Distance Mobiles
9. 221.9925 Short Distance Mobiles
10. 221.9975 Emergency/Notification/Homing Beacons
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