Digital vs Analogue

Why switch to 406?

From 1 February 2009 Cospas-Sarsat satellites will no longer detect 121.5 MHz distress beacons.

Major advantages of switching to a 406 MHz distress beacon are:

• their improved accuracy - especially those that are GPS capable;
• the capability for search and rescue authorities to determine whether the alert is legitimate – for those that are registered, a simple phone call can determine this; and
• a faster response – valuable information about those in distress and the distress location can be gained by rescue authorities contacting friends and family nominated as emergency contacts.

It is estimated that there are some 150,000 121.5 MHz distress beacons that will need to be switched over to 406 MHz beacons and expectations are that demand will outstrip supply, leaving many distress beacon owners without the appropriate beacon. Distress beacon owners are encouraged to make the switch now or risk not having the required safety equipment when it is needed most

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What if 121.5 MHz distress beacons are used after 1 February 2009?

With the satellite system no longer receiving alerts from 121.5 MHz from 1 February 2009, over-flying aircraft will be the only means of detecting activated analogue beacons. In some areas within the Australian search and rescue region this could amount to days rather than hours before a 121.5 MHz beacon could be heard. In some circumstances, the 121.5 MHz beacon may not be detected at all. Not all aircraft ‘listen’ to the 121.5 MHz frequency and those that do are generally very high flyers. As a consequence, the search area resulting from these detections could be very large and it would take rescue authorities considerable time and resources to localise the distress signal. This would also apply to distress beacons activated directly under a well used flight path.

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A comparison of 406 MHz vs 121.5 MHz distress beacons.

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