Y1-03-0241A i
About Cobham Life Support, ACR Products Cobham Life Support, ACR Products www.acrelectronics.com, designs and manufactures a complete line of safety and survival products including EPIRBs, PLBs, AIS, SARTs, Strobe Lights, Life Jacket Lights, Search Lights and safety accessories. The quality systems of this facility have been registered by UL to the ISO 9001:2000 Series Standards.
Table of Contents STEP ONE - REGISTERING YOUR BEACON _____________________ 3 STEP TWO - HOW THE BEACON WORKS ______________________ 5 STEP THREE - MAINTAINING YOUR PLB ______________________ 13 APPENDIX A - ACCESSORIES _______________________________ 16 APPENDIX B - THE COSPAS-SARSAT SYSTEM ___________________ 18 APPENDIX C - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ____________________ 19 APPENDIX D - WARRANTY, USEFUL LIFE POLICY, NOTICES ________ 20 NOTE re: Applicable products This manual supports all configurations of
STEP ONE - REGISTERING YOUR BEACON Why is registration important? As the owner of this 406 MHz beacon, it is mandatory that you register it with the PLB national authority of your country: It is the law. Please note that all 406 MHz beacons are required to have their registration updated every two years by the owner. Your personalized ID code programmed inside each beacon is transmitted to Search and Rescue (SAR).
What country should I register in? Register your beacon with the PLB national authority of the country for which the beacon was programmed, typically the country where purchased, regardless of where you live or do your adventuring. The beacon must be reprogrammed if you, as the owner, move out of the country where the beacon is registered. To verify the country for which a beacon is programmed, see the label with the UIN (Unique Identification Number) on the back of the unit.
Registration in Canada The national authority in Canada is the NSS (National Search & Rescue Secretariat). Canadian residents can register online at http://beacons.nss.gc.ca/. For more information please contact the NSS at +1 (613) 966-1504 or +1 (877) 406-7671.
The 406 MHz signal is detected by multiple satellites and from that information the location of the beacon can be calculated. This data alone is sufficient for SAR to find persons or ships in distress in a reasonable timeframe. However, as a further enhancement, some beacons have a GPS engine onboard. This feature allows the beacon to acquire current location coordinates from an internal GPS receiver. The purpose of this feature is to send an even more precise location of the beacon to the satellites, i.e.
3. Anatomy of your beacon Antenna: Wrapped around beacon. FRONT BACK UIN Label: Applied at the factory, the 15 character hexadecimal number is unique to each beacon. Multi-language label: This optional label may be applied for ease of use. Activation button cover Registration decal supplied by some countries: Once the beacon is registered, the label goes here. Keypad Battery expiration label with the month/ year the battery needs to be replaced.
4. Distinguishing PLB Features The distinguishing features available on your PLB vary with the particular model that you selected. The following table summarizes the similarities and differences in models.
NOTE: The appearance of your key pad may vary from this picture.
6. Activation (406 MHz and 121.5 MHz) To activate your beacon in a distress situation, follow these steps (see Figure 3 below). 1) Unfasten the antenna from the case. 2) Move it into the upright position 3) Depress the ON/OFF ( ) button for 1 full second. You will hear a “beep” and your beacon is now activated. While transmitting your distress signal, the red LED will flash once every 2 seconds, alerting you that your beacon is active.
will stop blinking and the red LED will flash once every 2 seconds until new GPS data is obtained. 9. GPS receiver orientation When activated, it is critical that you do not cover the beacon with any body part, water, clothing, etc. The GPS receiver is located under the bottom portion of the case behind the product logo (see Figure 4). To ensure optimum performance of the GPS receiver, the beacon needs to have an unobstructed view of the sky. Avoid submerging the GPS receiver in water if possible.
11. Preventing false alerts A false alert is any activation of the beacon, intentional or otherwise, that does not result from a situation of grave and imminent danger. Be sure to do the following to help minimize false alerts: Register your beacon. This does not reduce false alert rates; however, when the beacon is properly registered, the situation can usually be resolved with a phone call. Be careful with whom you leave your beacon.
To report false alerts outside of the USA, contact the national authority where your beacon is registered. STEP THREE - MAINTAINING YOUR PLB 1. Routine Maintenance Carefully inspect the beacon case for any visible cracks. Cracks may admit moisture, which could falsely activate the beacon or otherwise cause a malfunction. Any cracks observed should be immediately referred to ACR for evaluation by calling +1 (954) 981-3333.
A Self-test is initiated by holding the Self-test button ( or ) for at least 1 second and less than 5 seconds. Your beacon will sound an initial “beep” and flash the green LED to signify the test has begun. The green LED will flash a second time to indicate that the self test was successful. NOTE: The “beep” is a very high pitch that some people are unable to hear. Watching the LEDs may be more useful to you.
5. GPS acquisition test This test is NOT required as 100% of all GPS receivers that leave ACR have been tested to ensure they perform correctly. However, if you would like to ensure your GPS receiver is working, please follow these instructions very closely. CAUTION: The following test should not be performed more than twelve times during the life of the battery pack. Once this GPS testing feature reaches 12 times, the feature will be disabled by internal software until the battery is replaced.
letter, fax or telephone and informing the authority of the name and address of the new owner. The new owner of the beacon is required to provide the national authority with all of the information requested on the registration form. This obligation transfers to all subsequent owners. See step 1, page 3 for further details on this process. 7.
NOTE: ACR recommends that once you have clipped your beacon in place that you also anchor the beacon with the lanyard to your life jacket, backpack, etc. to ensure the unit will not be lost if it should break out of the clip. 2. Attachment Clip The AquaLink™ comes standard with an attachment clip. To install the clip, simply align the bottom tabs on the clip with the insert holes located on the bottom of the beacon.
APPENDIX B - THE COSPAS-SARSAT SYSTEM 1. General overview Beacons transmit to the satellite portion of the Cospas-Sarsat system. CospasSarast satellites are an international system that utilizes Russian Federation and United States’ low altitude, near-polar orbiting satellites (LEOSAR). These satellites assist in detecting and locating activated 406 MHz satellite beacons. Cospas-Sarsat satellites receive distress signals from beacons transmitting on the frequency of 406 MHz.
APPENDIX C - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 406 MHz Transmitter Frequency 406 MHz Output Power greater than 5 watts (typical: 6.3 watts) Frequency Stability ±2 parts per billion/100ms Digital Message: Format Long message Serialized1* Message protocol Standard Location Duration 520 ms Rate 400 bps Encoding Biphase L Modulation ±1.1 radians peak 1* Beacons are shipped from ACR with a Serialized code but can be reprogrammed at a service center to other coded formats including nationality of registration. 121.
APPENDIX D - WARRANTY, USEFUL LIFE POLICY, NOTICES Limited Warranty This product is warranted against factory defects in material and workmanship for a period of 1 (one) year* from date of purchase or receipt as a gift. During the warranty period ACR Electronics, Inc. will repair or, at its option, replace the unit at no cost to you for labor, materials and return transportation from ACR. For further assistance, please contact our Technical Service Department at ACR Electronics, Inc.
EC DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY ACR Electronics, Inc. hereby declares that the following products are in conformity with Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE), and has been type examined as described in this Declaration.
