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SATFIND RADIO BEACONS
Abandon ship!
You're sinking! You need help, and fast! But you're not
thinking straight, and you forget to send out an SOS on
your radio. Will anyone come to save you, or are you doomed
to be a modern-day Robinson Crusoe?
Not to worry. Your emergency position-indicating radio
beacon to the rescue!
Ears in space
For some twenty years now, mariners have been able to
rely on a satellite network listening for distress signals
all around the globe. This new emergency position-indicating
radio beacon, or EPIRB, transmits the usual information
to the satellite, but also the location of the ship, using
GPS technology. Rescue operations are faster and more
accurate as a result.
Recipe for a rescue
1) As soon as it hits the water, the beacon determines
its position to within 100 metres, using signals from
four GPS satellites.
2) The beacon transmits its position and the name
of the ship to satellites in the COSPAS-SARSAT and GEOSAR
search and rescue networks. The call for help is heard
within minutes.
3) The satellites transmit the signal to an earth
station.
4) The earth station informs a mission control
centre, which in turn alerts the rescue co-ordination
centre.
5) Emergency teams are notified and race to your
rescue, aided by the light on the radio beacon showing
your position.
Satisfied customers
In 2001, the COSPAS-SARSAT system rescued 1,340 mariners
in distress. The new radio beacon, developed by Transport
Canada, has already saved a number of lives. In fact,
it has won the prestigious Seatrade and Freeman Pittman
safety awards. So don't leave home without it, unless
you'd like to spend some time alone on a desert island!
Thanks!
The radio beacon is on loan from the Transport Canada
Transportation Development Centre.
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