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McMurdo
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(Sep. 17, 2004 - DELRAY BEACH, FL.)... In a recent system check of the Personal Locator Beacon Emergency Response System in Vermont, the McMurdo Fastfind Plus PLB turned in the best performance among the PLBs tested in terms of time needed to fix on the target and locate the beacon. McMurdo is a leading manufacturer of Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs).
In early August, a complete system check of the Vermont segment of the U.S. National Personal Locator Beacon Emergency Response System was conducted by the state of Vermont in cooperation with the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), and manufacturers of PLBs and related tracking equipment. The U.S. National PLB plan is being implemented on a state-by-state basis and Vermont is the first to come on line. This system check was an opportunity to test all the facets of the system from the activation of a PLB and the automated alert processing through the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system and mission control center to the AFRCC and ultimately to search and rescue personnel on the ground.
The test involved two teams who were deployed to remote locations around Waterbury, VT. One team carried the McMurdo Fastfind Plus PLB and the second team carried the ACR TerraFix PLB. Each team activated their PLB and waited for a Vermont State Patrol response team to locate them.
The McMurdo team activated their PLB at 9:45 am and acquired a GPS fix in 1 minute, 19 seconds. The Fastfind Plus recorded a "hit" on the NOAA geo-stationary satellite and was received by the mobile command post at 9:49 am. This signal had the GPS location coordinates encoded into the signal and the rescue response team was notified. Within a minute, the response team had picked up the 121.5 MHz homing signal from the Fastfind Plus. At 10:00 am, the position of the McMurdo team was confirmed and the response team was dispatched at 10.20 am.
Once they arrived at the general location, the Vermont State Troopers used direction-finding equipment to follow the Fastfind Plus homing signal. Fifteen minutes later at 10:42 am, the search and rescue team found the McMurdo PLB in a small clearing surrounded by trees. Total rescue time from the first alert received was 53 minutes.
The ACR team, using its new TerraFix 406 PLB, which it is understood had not been granted approval by the FCC at the time of testing, activated their beacon at 8:45 am. The ACR PLB recorded a hit on the NOAA geo-stationary satellite at 8:50 am but the signal did not include any GPS data in the transmission. When GPS data is unavailable, search and rescue personal are not sent out until a position has been confirmed using the Doppler processing method. During this test, the ACR team had to wait for the next pass of the low earth orbiting satellite at 9:24 am.
The ACR PLB recorded a "hit" on the low earth satellite at 9:26 am and the Doppler position was determined at 9:45 am. The rescue response team was dispatched at 9:55 am with its direction-finding equipment. The team was unable to pick up the homing signal from the ACR TerraFix at the testing headquarters. However, they did pick it up nearer the reported beacon location, but an hour later they were still searching. The ACR PLB was finally located at 11:46 am in a wooded area with significant tree canopy. Total rescue time from the first alert received was 2 hours and 56 minutes, 2 hours and 3 minutes more than for the McMurdo PLB.
The units were tested again later that day at the testing headquarters. With a full 360-degree view of the sky, the ACR failed to acquire a GPS fix within 45 minutes. During the same retest, under the same conditions, the McMurdo Fastfind Plus acquired a GPS fix in 1 minute, 15 seconds.
About the Fastfind Plus PLB
When activated in an emergency, the Fastfind Plus transmits a satellite distress signal to geo-stationary and low earth orbit COSPAS-SARSAT satellites, providing worldwide coverage. The signal is then routed through the AFRCC to the relevant search and rescue authority. With its built-in GPS, the Fastfind is totally self-contained and eliminates the need for any external plug-in connections or additional add-on equipment. The GPS data can provide search and rescue personnel with LAT/LON information. To further assist rescue personnel, the Fastfind Plus transmits a 121.5 MHz homing frequency. It also transmits its unique ID number, which can be matched to the user through registration. |
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