ACR Electronics SATELLITE 406, Product Support Manual

SECTION 1 - THE SYSTEM

1.1

GENERAL

1.1.1

This manual provides installation, operation and maintenance

instructions for the 

Satellite 406

TM 

 Emergency Position Indicat-

ing Radio Beacon, hereinafter referred to as the Beacon. This

section describes the characteristics and details of the Beacon

System. The FCC authorizes the use of 406 MHz Radio Beacons

by any ship that is also equipped with a VHF Ship Station. This

will make the 406 MHz Radio Beacon available for use on most

U.S. ships and boats. EPIRB carriage requirements are con-

tained in USCG regulations.

1.2

PURPOSE

1.2.1

The 

Satellite 406

TM

 Beacon provides distress alerting via radio

transmission on 406 MHz to satellites of the COSPAS-SARSAT

network. The message transmitted by the 

Satellite 406

TM

 is

unique for each EPIRB, which provides identification of the

transmitter through computer access of registration files main-

tained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

or other national authority. 

It is the users responsibility to

fill out and mail the enclosed registration form to the

appropriate agency of the country under which the vessel

is registered.

  US flagged vessels send the enclosed NOAA/

NESDIS form to NOAA in the stamped envelope provided.  For

vessels registered in other countries, the 

Satellite 406

 must be

reprogrammed by an ACR authorized programming facility for

the registered country.  

Remember

, if your EPIRB in 

not

registered

, SAR Authorities do not know who you are, what

type of vessel, your home port, or where to contact anyone who

might know anything about your situation.

1.2.2

Once Search and Rescue (SAR) forces are alerted by the

Satellite 406 

TM

 signal (406 MHz), relayed through the COSPAS-

SARSAT network, they can converge on the position estimated

by the satellite. Intermediate and short range location is aided by

the 

Satellite 406 

TM'

s on board radio beacon transmitter (121.5

MHz) and high intensity xenon strobe light.

1.2.3

Model numbers 2754, 2756, 2772, and 2773 of the 

Satellite 406

TM

 may be deployed and activated automatically by the built-in

hydrostatic float free release. Once free from the release

bracket, the 

Satellite 406 

TM

 will automatically turn on if the

water sensors are wet. Alternately, the 

Satellite 406 

TM

 can be

manually activated by pulling the red lanyard to break the yellow

key, remove the yellow key and move switch to “ON” position.

1.2.4

Power is provided by self contained long life batteries with five

and one half year recommended replacement cycle.

1.2.5

Self test (Section 3.2 and 3.3) is initiated by momentarily moving

the switch to the test position. During self test, an actual satellite

message is transmitted while certain key performance param-

eters are measured and recorded. The self test message is

modified such that the satellite will not forward an alert message

during self test. The red LED will light to indicate correct test

status. The strobe light will also flash as a test.

1.3

SATELLITE DETECTION

1.3.1

The 

Satellite 406 

TM

 constitutes the satellite EPIRB portion of the

COSPAS-SARSAT System. The system was developed and

implemented by the COSPAS-SARSAT Partners (Russian Fed-

eration, Canada, France and the United States).

1.3.2

COSPAS-SARSAT is an international system that uses Russian

Federation and United States low altitude, near-polar orbiting

satellites that assist in detecting and locating activated 121.5/243

MHz EPIRBs and 406 MHz Satellite EPIRBs. The Russian

Federation provides aboard COSMOS navigation spacecraft

COSPAS payloads that are inter-operable with the SARSAT

System. In addition to weather and environmental sensors,

SARSAT payloads, provided by Canada and France, are carried

aboard the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration’s (NOAA’s) Advanced TIROS environmental

satellites. (See Figure 1: Satellite Detection)

1.3.3

COSPAS and SARSAT satellites receive distress signals from

satellite EPIRBs transmitting on the frequency of 406.025 MHz.

The COSPAS-SARSAT 406 MHz satellite EPIRB signal consists

of a transmission of non-modulated carrier followed by a digital

message format that provides identification data. The 406 MHz

system uses spacecraft-borne equipment to measure and store the

Doppler-shifted frequency along with the satellite EPIRB digital

data message and time of measurement. This information is

transmitted in real time to an earth station called the Local User

Terminal (LUT), which may be within the view of the satellite,

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