No More Satellite Monitoring of 121.5 MHz
Posted by Jeffrey on February 2nd, 2009
Satellite Monitoring of the Emergency Frequency is Over
You might remember that I wrote an article about the emergency frequency awhile ago. You can find the article here, “YOU’RE ON GUARD!” THE EMERGENCY FREQUENCY CHANNEL, if you would like to read it again.
But, you might have also heard, COSPAS-SARSAT, the international satellite-based search-and-rescue, distress alert detection and information distribution system, (ok, that’s a mouthful) will cease satellite monitoring of the 121.5 MHz frequency on February 1, 2009.
It turns out that over time, it has become more and more difficult to accuractly track and monitor the 121.5 frequency, which was wasting rescuer time and money. So they have gone to monitoring digital 406 MHz instead which is more accurate, which I won’t get into here.
But what it amounts to is if you fly a general aviation airplane, you need to upgrade your ELT to equipment that it uses this frequency…or you might as well fly without a seat belt.
You see, I continually monitor 121.5 MHz when I fly, as do many professional and general aviation pilots, so if we hear that familiar sound of an ELT going off, we notify ATC. But all ATC can do is triangulatein on where the beacon is coming from, hoping that they will narrow in on the location of the distress signal in time to help. Time is sooooo important in a emergency that the more quickly they can locate a down aircraft, the more quickly they can provide assistance. Most times it is a false alarm, possibly the result of a hard landing or an inadvertent flip of the test switch, but that doesn’t deter everyone from trying to help the best that they can.
Luckily, unlike most things, it is an E-A-S-Y fix.
ACR Aerofix 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacon
Right now MyPilotStore.com is selling the
ACR AeroFix 406MHz Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) w/GPS Interface (2799.2)
at almost 50% off the list price. But I don’t know for how long, so you better get over their quick. You know these things are going to go fast.
And depending on your needs too, you might want to consider the ACR AeroFix 406MHz Personal Locator Beacon w/Onboard GPS (2799.4) or ACR MicroFix 406MHz Personal Locator Beacon, which is the smallest, lightest, reliable most function-rich PLB alerts Search and Rescue to your precise location in an emergency.
Depending on which one you chose, they are all priced to sell!
If you need another reason to buy one of these PLB’s remember what happened to Steve Fossett (www.stevefossett.com)? He crashed in the Nevada desert and it took weeks to find him. Rescuers resulted to high-resolution imaging to try and find him, when if he had a PLB, it is possible they may have found him sooner. To me, Steve Fossett is one of the truly great unsung heroes of aviation. You can buy one of his books here for more information on this great aviator:
- Chasing the Wind: The Autobiography of Steve Fossett
- Racing on the Wind: Steve Fossett
- Modern Day Explorer: Steve Fossett
So the bottom line is that the emergency frequency, 121.5 MHz is no longer being monitored by COMPAS-SARSAT. If you fly an aircraft with an ELT, visit SARSAT website (http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/) for further information and read the whole article, but I’ve reproduced the article here for you as well:
February 1, 2009: The Phaseout of 121.5 MHz Beacons
for Satellite Distress Alerting
In October 2000 the International Cospas-Sarsat Program, announced at its 25th Council Session held in London, UK that it plans to terminate satellite processing of distress signals from 121.5 and 243 MHz emergency beacons on February 1, 2009. All mariners, aviators, and individuals using emergency beacons on those frequencies will need to switch to those operating on the newer, more reliable, digital 406 MHz frequency if they want to be detected by satellites.
The decision to stop satellite processing of 121.5 / 243 MHz signals is due to problems in this frequency band which inundate search and rescue authorities with poor accuracy and numerous false alerts, adversely impacting the effectiveness of lifesaving services. Although the 406 MHz beacons cost more at the moment, they provide search and rescue agencies with more reliable and complete information to do their job more efficiently and effectively. The Cospas-Sarsat Program made the decision to terminate 121.5/243 MHz satellite alerting services, in part, in response to guidance from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). These two agencies of the United Nations are responsible for regulating the safety on international transits of ships and aircraft, respectively, and handling international standards and plans for maritime and aviation search and rescue. More than 180 nations are members of IMO and ICAO.
NOAA, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, and NASA (the four Federal Agencies who manage, operate, and use the SARSAT system) are strongly advising users of 121.5/243 MHz beacons to make the switch to 406. Meanwhile, anyone planning to buy a new distress beacon may wish to take the Cospas-Sarsat decision into account.
So keep monitoring the emergency frequency when you fly, check your frequency to make sure you aren’t going to transmit on it, and most of all…
To Your Flying Success…
P.S. Here are three other websites you might be interested in :
-
What’s Up With 121.50 MHz ELTs? by AOPA
-
Update on National 121.5/243 Emergency Beacon Alert Phase Out – by USAF Air Combat Command
