abstract
| - There are three types of distress radiobeacons compatible with the Cospas-Sarsat system:
* EPIRBs (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons) signal maritime distress,
* ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitters) signal aircraft distress
* PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) are for personal use and are intended to indicate a person in distress who is away from normal emergency services, e.g., 9-1-1. The basic purpose of distress radiobeacons is to get people rescued within the so-called "golden day" (the first 24 hours following a traumatic event) when the majority of survivors can still be saved. Since the inception of Cospas-Sarsat in 1982, distress radiobeacons have assisted in the rescue of over 20,531 persons in 5,752 distress situations. In 2005 distress radiobeacons aided in the rescue of 1,666 persons in 435 distress situations. There are roughly 556,000 121.5 MHz beacons and 429,000 406 MHz beacons. As of 2002, there were roughly 82,000 registered (406 MHz) beacons, and over 500,000 of the older unregistered kind.
|