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About Cobham Life Support, ACR Products Cobham Life Support, ACR Products www.acrelectronics.com, designs and manufactures a complete line of safety and survival products including EPIRBs, PLBs, AIS, SARTs, Strobe Lights, Life Jacket Lights, Search Lights and safety accessories. The quality systems of this facility have been registered by UL to the ISO 9001:2000 Series Standards.
Table of Contents STEP ONE - REGISTERING YOUR BEACON _____________________ 3 STEP TWO - HOW THE BEACON WORKS ______________________ 5 STEP THREE - MAINTAINING YOUR PLB ______________________ 13 APPENDIX A - ACCESSORIES _______________________________ 17 APPENDIX B - THE COSPAS-SARSAT SYSTEM ___________________ 19 APPENDIX C - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ____________________ 20 APPENDIX D - WARRANTY, USEFUL LIFE POLICY, NOTICES ________ 21 NOTE re: Applicable products This manual supports all configurations of
STEP ONE - REGISTERING YOUR BEACON Why is registration important? As the owner of this 406 MHz beacon, it is mandatory that you register it with the PLB national authority of your country: It is the law. Please note that all 406 MHz beacons are required to have their registration updated every two years by the owner. Your personalized ID code programmed inside each beacon is transmitted to Search and Rescue (SAR).
What country should I register in? The beacon must be registered in the country of the owner’s residence. If the beacon is not programmed to that country’s code and protocol, and the residence is outside of the USA, the beacon needs to be reprogrammed. Additionally, the beacon must be reprogrammed if you, as the owner, move out of the country where the beacon is registered.
Registration in Canada Canadian residents can register online at: http://canadianbeaconregistry.forces.gc.ca/ or contact the Canadian Beacon Registry by phone at: 877-406-7671 or by fax at: 877-406-3298. Canadian Beacon Registry CFB Trenton, PO Box 1000 Stn Forces Astra, Ontario K0K 3W0 Registration in Other Countries In countries other than the United States and Canada, 406 MHz beacons are registered with that country’s national authority at the time of purchase.
The 406 MHz signal is detected by multiple satellites and from that information the location of the beacon can be calculated. This data alone is sufficient for SAR to find persons or ships in distress in a reasonable timeframe. However, as a further enhancement, some beacons have a GPS engine onboard. This feature allows the beacon to acquire current location coordinates from an internal GPS receiver. The purpose of this feature is to send an even more precise location of the beacon to the satellites, i.e.
3. Anatomy of your beacon Antenna: Wrapped around beacon FRONT BACK UIN Label: Applied at the factory, the 15 character hexadecimal number is unique to each beacon. Multi-language label: This optional label may be applied for ease of use. Antenna latch Activation button cover Registration decal supplied by some countries: Once the beacon is registered, the label goes here. Keypad GPS antenna location Battery expiration label with the month/ year the battery needs to be replaced.
4. Distinguishing PLB Features The distinguishing features available on your PLB vary with the particular model that you selected. The following table summarizes the similarities and differences in models.
NOTE: The appearance of your key pad may vary from this picture.
6. Activation (406 MHz and 121.5 MHz) To activate your beacon in a distress situation, follow these steps (see Figure 3 below). 1) Unfasten the antenna from the case. 2) Move it into the upright position 3) Depress the ON/OFF ( ) button for 1 full second. You will hear a “beep” and your beacon is now activated. While transmitting your distress signal, the red LED will flash once every 2 seconds, alerting you that your beacon is active.
will stop blinking and the red LED will flash once every 2 seconds until new GPS data is obtained. 9. GPS receiver orientation When activated, it is critical that you do not cover the beacon with any body part, water, clothing, etc. The GPS receiver is located under the bottom portion of the case behind the product logo (see Figure 4). To ensure optimum performance of the GPS receiver, the beacon needs to have an unobstructed view of the sky. Avoid submerging the GPS receiver in water if possible.
11. Preventing false alerts A false alert is any activation of the beacon, intentional or otherwise, that does not result from a situation of grave and imminent danger. Be sure to do the following to help minimize false alerts: Register your beacon. This does not reduce false alert rates; however, when the beacon is properly registered, the situation can usually be resolved with a phone call. Be careful with whom you leave your beacon.
To report false alerts outside of the USA, contact the national authority where your beacon is registered. STEP THREE - MAINTAINING YOUR PLB 1. Routine Maintenance Carefully inspect the beacon case for any visible cracks. Cracks may admit moisture, which could falsely activate the beacon or otherwise cause a malfunction. Any cracks observed should be immediately referred to ACR for evaluation by calling +1 (954) 981-3333.
batteries contained in this equipment to make sure they properly label your package. Call ACR’s Technical Service department at +1 (954) 981-3333 for proper shipping instructions or visit the ACR website in the Support section entitled “Hazmat, MSDS Sheets, & Info”. 3. Self-Test ACR strongly recommends performing a Self-test once per month, or at least two weeks prior to a trip, to allow enough time for service, should your beacon require it.
4. Battery witness seal failure If your beacon flashes an initial red LED at the beginning of the Selftest, this indicates that your electronic witness has been broken and you have used more than the allotted battery life for self-testing. While the beacon will still operate normally in a distress situation, ACR strongly recommends you have your battery replaced and the electronic witness reset to ensure that you will have 24 hours of battery power. 5.
6. Changing ownership or contact information As the owner of the beacon, it is your responsibility to advise the national authority of any change in your registration information. If you are transferring the beacon to a new owner, you are required to inform the national authority. You can do this by using their online database or by letter, fax or telephone and informing the authority of the name and address of the new owner.
APPENDIX A - ACCESSORIES 1. Multi-Function Belt Clip The SARLink™ comes standard with a multifunction belt clip. To install the clip, simply align the bottom tabs on the clip with the insert holes located on the bottom of the beacon. Snap the clip in place by pressing the top of the clip so that the two top tabs engage in the two insert holes on the top of the beacon (see Figure 5). To remove the clip, push up and back on the top tabs one at a time to disengage the clip from the beacon.
2. Attachment Clip The AquaLink™ comes standard with an attachment clip. To install the clip, simply align the bottom tabs on the clip with the insert holes located on the bottom of the beacon. Snap the clip in place by pressing the top of the clip so that the two top tabs engage in the two insert holes on the top of the beacon (see Figure 6). To remove the clip, push up and back on the top tabs one at a time to disengage from the beacon.
APPENDIX B - THE COSPAS-SARSAT SYSTEM 1. General overview Beacons transmit to the satellite portion of the Cospas-Sarsat system. CospasSarast satellites are an international system that utilizes Russian Federation and United States’ low altitude, near-polar orbiting satellites (LEOSAR). These satellites assist in detecting and locating activated 406 MHz satellite beacons. Cospas-Sarsat satellites receive distress signals from beacons transmitting on the frequency of 406 MHz.
APPENDIX C - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 406 MHz Transmitter Frequency 406 MHz Output Power greater than 5 watts (typical: 6.3 watts) Frequency Stability ±2 parts per billion/100ms Digital Message: Format Long message Serialized1* Message protocol Standard Location Duration 520 ms Rate 400 bps Encoding Biphase L Modulation ±1.1 radians peak 1* Beacons are shipped from ACR with a Serialized code but can be reprogrammed at a service center to other coded formats including nationality of registration. 121.
APPENDIX D - WARRANTY, USEFUL LIFE POLICY, NOTICES Limited Warranty This product is warranted against factory defects in material and workmanship for a period of 1 (one) year* from date of purchase or receipt as a gift. During the warranty period ACR Electronics, Inc. will repair or, at its option, replace the unit at no cost to you for labor, materials and return transportation from ACR. For further assistance, please contact our Technical Service Department at ACR Electronics, Inc.
EC DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY ACR Electronics, Inc. hereby declares that the following products are in conformity with Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE), and has been type examined as described in this Declaration.
