Termination of 121.5 MHz Service

Are you ready for the termination of Cospas-Sarsat processing of 121.5 MHz beacons?

The International Cospas-Sarsat System will cease satellite processing of 121.5/243 MHz beacons from 1 February 2009. All beacon owners and users should begin taking steps to replace their 121.5/243 MHz beacons with 406 MHz beacons as soon as possible. A good time to consider purchasing a 406 MHz beacon is when the battery on your 121.5 MHz beacon needs replacing. Typically, batteries need replacing about every five years. The sooner you upgrade, the better the service that the Cospas-Sarsat System can provide you if your beacon is activated in a distress event.

Beginning in 2009, only 406 MHz beacons will be detected by the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. This affects all maritime beacons (EPIRBs), all aviation beacons (ELTs) and all personal beacons (PLBs).

Cospas-Sarsat made the decision to cease satellite processing at 121.5 MHz in response to guidance from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). These United Nations organizations mandate safety requirements for aircraft and maritime vessels and have recognised the limitations of the 121.5 MHz beacons and the superior capabilities of the 406 MHz alerting system.

The digital 406 MHz beacons offer many advantages over analog 121.5/243 MHz beacons. With a 406 MHz beacon, the position of the distress can be relayed to rescue services more quickly, more reliably and with greater accuracy.

With a 121.5 MHz beacon, only one alert out of every 50 alerts is a genuine distress situation. This has a significant effect on the resources of search and rescue (SAR) services. With 406 MHz beacons, false alerts have been considerably reduced (about one alert in 17 is genuine) and when properly registered can normally be resolved with a telephone call to the beacon owner using the encoded beacon identification. Consequently, real alerts can receive the attention they deserve.

When a 406 MHz beacon signal is received, SAR authorities can retrieve information from a registration database. This includes beacon owner contact information, emergency contact information, and vessel/aircraft identifying characteristics. Having this information allows SAR services to respond appropriately. Make sure your 406 MHz beacon is properly and accurately registered