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USCG/NOAA SARSAT CONFERENCE 2011 EPIRB’s How They Work

USCG/NOAA SARSAT CONFERENCE 2011 EPIRB’s How They Work. How the System Works. C/S 406 MHz Beacons. COSPAS-SARSAT 406 MHz Beacons EPIRB Emergency Position Indicating Radio PLB Personal Locator Beacon ELT Emergency Locator Beacon SSAS Ship Security Alert System. Types of Beacons.

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USCG/NOAA SARSAT CONFERENCE 2011 EPIRB’s How They Work

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  1. USCG/NOAA SARSAT CONFERENCE 2011EPIRB’sHow They Work

  2. How the System Works L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  3. C/S 406 MHz Beacons • COSPAS-SARSAT 406 MHz Beacons EPIRB Emergency Position Indicating Radio PLB Personal Locator Beacon ELT Emergency Locator Beacon SSAS Ship Security Alert System L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  4. Types of Beacons Maritime Distress Beacon • EPIRB 406 MHz Automatic activation when out of bracket and wet. Floats up right able to transmit Strobe light Min 48 hour transmit Some GPS enabled L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  5. 406 MHz VDR • 406 MHz Voyage Data Recorder • EPIRB with black box data recorder built in. • Records last 12 hr “Black Box” data for ship. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  6. Types of Beacons Distress Beacon for Personal Use (Land Rescue) • PLB Manual activation Carried on persons May or may not float Held out of water to transmit NO Strobe light required Min 24 hour transmit Some GPS Enabled L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  7. Types of Beacons ELT Aviation Distress Beacon Operational Applications • Automatic Fixed - AF • Automatic Portable - AP • Survival Equipment – S • Class A (buoyant) • Class B (non-buoyant) • Automatic Deployable - AD • 406 MHz ELTs 406/121.5 MHz 24 hr Transmitter “ON-OFF-ARMED-RESET” controls ELT activated by pilot, crash forces or water activated. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  8. Types of BeaconsELT AD S Class B Aviation Distress Beacon AF AP S Class A L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  9. SSAS • 406 MHz Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) • All SOLAS vsls on international voyages. • Two stealth switches for remote activation. • Alert goes to Atlantic Area. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  10. SEND SATELLITE EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION DEVICES • Operate over any satellite system except Cospas-Sarsat. • Provide individuals in remote areas a means to alert others of an emergency situation and to aid search and rescue personnel to locate those in distress. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  11. C/S 406 MHz Beacon Operational Requirements • Beacon 406 MHz Signal - 5 Watts • Short bursts at approximately 50 second intervals (varies between 47.5 and 52.5 s), with a transmission time of 440 ms or 520 ms. • Transmits in the 406.0 to 406.1 MHz band. • Beacon Self Test L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  12. C/S 406 MHz Beacon Transmission Transmission consists: • Unmodulated carrier, for 160 ms, • Short synchronization signal, signal inverted for test, • Digital message that provides stored information (identification, nationality, type of user), • Optionally, current information like, type of emergency and estimated location. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  13. 15 Hex ID • C/S Beacon identification, when decoded into its 15 character hexadecimal representation, which is the EPIRB’s unique identifier. • A C/S Decode Program is available at: http://www.cospas-sarsat.org/index.php?option=com_beacondecode&task=showBeacon&Itemid=85&lang=ennique identifier number. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  14. 15 HexID • Bits 26 to 85 are converted from binary to hexadecimal. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  15. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  16. C/S Beacon Coding A Beacon Coding Guide is available at: http://www.cospassarsat.org/index.php?op=com_content&view=article&id=189&Itemid=118&lang=en L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  17. Available C/S Beacon Message Protocols • EPIRB = 10 protocols • PLB = 4 protocols • ELT = 12 protocols • SSAS = 1 protocol L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  18. Country Codes • MID or Country Codes are assigned by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). • US Country Codes: 366 is the preferred US Code, but 303, 338, 358, 367, 368, 369, 536 and 559 are available. MID = Maritime Identification Code L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  19. Country Codes • A full list of all the country codes is available to download at: http://www.morrazo.org/baleadous/documentos/MMSI%20CODIGOS%20PAISES.pdf L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  20. C/S 406 MHz 406 Frequency Stability • Frequency stability very important • C/S Beacon gets on frequency fast and is super stable L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  21. 406 MHz Detection Rangewith the USCG DF-430 L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  22. C/S Beacon Self Test • Battery Voltage Check • Full Circuitry Check • Test Data burst • GPS acquisition Test (Self Locating) • Not required to check remaining power available in the battery. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  23. EPIRB • C/S 406 MHz Maritime Satellite • Emergency • Position-Indicating • RadioBeacon L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  24. EPIRB Operational Requirements • Strobe Light • Auxiliary Radio-Locating Device121.5 MHz, 25 mW, Warble, (US. and SOLAS requirement) • Lanyard – 5 to 8 meters • Battery – 48hrs of continuous operation • Buoyancy and Stability – float upright • Designed to prevent inadvertent activation L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  25. Types of Brackets • Category 1 (Float Free) Automatic Release between 4 to 13 ft. EPIRB is transmitting when it gets to the surface Hydrostatic release needs replacement every two years. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  26. Type of Brackets • Category 2 (Non Float Free) Manual Release Wet sense deactivation magnet No Bracket carriage requirement L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  27. Types of EPIRBs • Class A & B 121.5MHz and 243 MHz only • Now illegal to use in the USA • No Satellite Detection • 406 MHz and 121.5 EPIRB • Cat 1 and 2 brackets, Class 1 and 2 batteries • 406 MHZ and 121.5 Self locating EPIRB • Cat 1 and 2 brackets, Class 1 and 2 batteries, GPS interface or internal GPS L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  28. Class 1 and 2 Batteries • Operating • Class 1 -40° to + 55° C • Class 2 -20° to + 55° C • Stowage • Class 1 -50° to + 70° C • Class 2 -30° to + 70° C L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  29. Lanyard Lanyard: 5 to 8 meters Orange/yellow color Not rot/deteriorate L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  30. Battery Replacement • Required at Expiration date or if EPIRB activated for any reason besides test. • Expiration of battery = ½ Useful Life. • Useful Life = power for all required testing + 48 hrs operation. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  31. EPIRB Operational Requirements • Positive visual and/or audible indication that EPIRB is activated (strobe light flashing). • Easily manually deployed, activate, and deactivated, and transferred to survival craft. • Not be activated or deactivated by conditions encountered in maritime environment. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  32. EPIRB Control • Ready – EPIRB will be ON in the water unless in its bracket. Sometimes labeled “OFF”. • ON – EPIRB operates regardless of location or orientation. Unconditional “ON” position. (Requires two physical actions) • Test – Self-test Function. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  33. EPIRB Switches L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  34. Prevention of Inadvertent Activation • Must be fitted with means to prevent inadvertent activation and deactivation. • Not automatically activate when water washes over while in bracket. • Most EPIRBs use bracket with magnet to disable activation circuit. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  35. EPIRB Deactivation • Remove beacon from water and dry off or replace in bracket • Move switch to OFF or Ready position • Remove cover and disconnect battery L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  36. EPIRB Activation • How • By definition it transmits: • out of bracket and wet, • by manual switch, in or out of bracket, Or • Self test L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  37. EPIRB Activation • What Happens; • Beacon starts transmitting its Unique Hex ID in a 406 MHz digital message, • 121.5 MHz homer with an audible warble, • Strobe Light starts flashing. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  38. Brackets • Brackets – Cat 1 L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  39. Brackets • Brackets - Cat 1 L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  40. Testing Bracket Magnet A Compass provides simple detection on bracket magnet. L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  41. Bracket Water Testing L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

  42. Questions? Larry.T.Yarbrough@uscg.mil (305) 415 6868 L. Yarbrough/D7CFVS

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