| Title: | Space Exploration |
| Notice: | Shuttle launch schedules, see Note 6 |
| Moderator: | PRAGMA::GRIFFIN |
| Created: | Mon Feb 17 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Thu Jun 05 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 974 |
| Total number of notes: | 18843 |
Article: 78234
Newsgroups: sci.space
From: [email protected] (Doug Macdonald)
Subject: Sarsat Information
Organization: Electronic Resource Center, Syracuse
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 93 09:43:55 EST
November 22, 1993
I have accumulated the following information on the Search
and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking (Sarsat) System in the
following Internet News Groups and Compuserve Forum.
- rec.boats
- rec.aviation.misc
- sci.space
- [SPACEFOR]
In a lot of cases I have just parroted back what someone else
sent me. In other cases I have tried to paraphrase what someone
sent as I understood it.
I am involved with UniForum Central New York, the local UNIX Users
group, and am interested in writing short articles in our monthly
newsletter about various ways computers are used to collect, process
and transmit data.
As usual, the information I have already received sparked more
questions which I have included below. I would certainly appreciate
any comments on any of the included information as well as responses
to the questions below. I will, of course, be glad to update this
writeup and send it to all who provided information.
Doug MacDonald
[email protected]
************************************************************************
1. Sarsat has been operational for several(5) years. It consists of
satellite based equipment and boat/aircraft based equipment.
2. I received the following conflicting information relative to a
land based system.
a. There is currently no LEGAL way for ground units of any sort
to use the system.
b. Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT)s are commercially
available for aircraft, boats and hikers.
c. There was a proposal for personal locator transmitters, but,
it was denied in the form presented by the FCC.
d. The beacons operate on the international distress frequencies
(two) and are available at most stores for under $150.
e. "They" are in the initial stages of a massive upgrade which
will do some pretty neat things, like encode user numbers and
incorporate GPS data.
3. False alarms from this equipment have been tying up the
emergency frequency and confusing search and rescue operations.
Be warned that setting one off in the absence of a real emergency
(even accidentally) gets you in serious trouble.
4. Federal agencies involved with Sarsat:
a. FAA - Responsible for the search and rescue operations
b. FCC - Responsible for the design of the system
5. When the satellite picks up an ELT signal on 2 consecutive orbits
it will notify the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC)
at Scott Air Force base in Belleville, Illinois.
Scott will then notify the local Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Wing, which
will declare a mission, and attempt to find the ELT. Sarsat gives
the location to within a couple of miles. Often aircraft are used to
futher localize the signal.
In response to this another message read: "Nothing so complex. The
satellite merely rebroadcasts (on a different frequency) all the
signals it hears. The ground stations sort out the details."
6. Additional information is available in back issues of the
Aviation Week and Space Technology.
7. The Satellite equipment is as follows.
a. The Sarsat equipment "rides piggy-back on" some NOAA
weather satellites and Russian weather satellites.
b. The Sarsat equipment consists of:
b1. An antenna
b2. Electronics which receives the signal and
relays it back to Earth.
c. The Sarsat equipment receives signals from two different
types of radio beacons:
c1. 121.5/243 MHz beacons originally developed as an
emergency beacon for downed aircraft. This
frequency is also known as the International
distress frequency.
c2. 406 Mhz beacons developed for commercial shipping.
8. Land and Sea based equipment is as follows.
a. The term Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) appears to be
associated with the 121.5/243 Mhz system. These devices
are built into all US aircraft.
b. The term Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacon (EPIRB)
appears to be associated with the 406 Mhz system. This is
a "smarter" ELT that sends out the boats Lat Long position
gathered from the LORAN system.
c. The transmitters don't have GPS capability presently. Instead,
your approximate location is computed on the ground using
information downlinked from the Sarsat satellite.
d. The size of the transmit equipment is as follows:
d1. Class 1 EPIRB - The 406 MHz unit tends to be large
(10 lbs or more) and expensive (around $1000). The
EPIRB is about a foot long and six inches in diameter
with a small antenna.
d2. Mini B - A smaller EPIRB.
d3. The 121.5 MHz unit is smaller and cheaper than the
Class 1 406 MHz unit but is probably too big and
expensive for the average hiker.
e. The equipment in aircraft is set to transmit on impact of
a crash. They don't always survive the impact however.
They can also be set off by a hard landing.
f. The equipment in a boat is set to transmit when it gets wet.
It should be mounted in the boat where it can break clear
of the vessel if it overturns. The smaller Mini B can be
attached to a life ring/vest.
Thanks to:
Jake McGuire [email protected]
Peter D. Engels [email protected]
Henry Spencer [email protected]
Kris Maine [email protected]
Bruce Pennypacker [email protected]
Eric Pawtowski [email protected]
Ron Natalie [email protected]
Robert G. Oler Compuserve 71461,34
Steve Chamberlain Compuserve 73164,1104
*****************************************************************************
Questions:
1. What does NOAA stand for?
2. Can anyone tell me which back issues of Aviation Week and
Space Technology have articles on Sarsat? Also, what is the
best approach to obtaining the back issue AW&ST articles?
3. Are the specifications available which define the system?
4. Is the FCC responsible for writing the spec's. Is FCC responsible
for defining enhancements and upgrades to the system?
5. I visited a Marine Sales Store, a sporting goods store and a
hiker's store none of which carried EPIRBs. Can someone
suggest a manufacturer of EPIRBs whom I could call?
6. What kind of equipment is used to collect the data that is
returned from the satellite? Is the information only
collected at Scott Air Force Base or are there other sites?
7. What information is included in the returned data? Is the
data public domain?
8. Are there FCC licenses involved in owning an EPIRB?
9. What is the significance of the ELT frequency being written as
121.5/243?
10.How many Sarsat satellites are operational?
11.What exactly is the Mini B? Less powerful transmitter? How
heavy, what is size etc.?
12.Will an additional transmit frequency be added for land based use?
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 878.1 | Russia, U.S., and Canada practice aerospace rescues | VERGA::KLAES | Quo vadimus? | Mon Feb 14 1994 11:16 | 50 |
Article: 6797 From: [email protected] (Reuters) Newsgroups: clari.world.europe.eastern,clari.news.hot.ussr,clari.news.canada Subject: RUSSIA, CANADA, U.S. TO TRAIN ARCTIC RESCUE TEAMS Date: Thu, 10 Feb 94 10:40:10 PST MOSCOW (Reuter) - Russia, the United States and Canada will hold ``aerospace rescue'' exercises in the Arctic next month to rehearse procedures for tackling emergencies, a Russian official said Thursday. The six-day exercises, starting on March 20 at a U.S. military base in Alaska, are designed to simulate situations such as air and sea disasters or forced landings by space crews. ``We will practice rescue operations in extreme conditions using modern equipment,'' said Valery Bruss, an official of the Russian Federal Aerospace Rescue Service. A Russian military rescue delegation visited the base this week and agreed a plan for the exercises, in which about 100 aircraft will take part. The Russian team consists of 55 paratroopers, pilots and civilian doctors who are experienced in cosmonaut rescue training. A giant Antonov-124 ``Ruslan'' transport plane will deliver to the training area a Mi-8 B ``Bisector'' helicopter, for use as an air hospital, together with a Mi-8 MT transport helicopter and a dozen light rescue planes. Bruss said the Americans and Canadians would supply five C-130 ``Hercules'' planes, as well as HH-60, CH-47 and coastguard helicopters. Civil aircraft will also take part. Bruss said the U.S., Russian and Canadian national rescue services planned to divide the Arctic into three sectors to improve their readiness to combat possible emergencies in the future. Other countries were also interested. Russia conducted rescue exercises in the Arctic in April 1993 with the participation of a U.S. team. Two Canadian generals also went as observers. Bruss described the Arctic as the most dangerous zone on Earth and said rescue operations were extremely difficult. ``The exercises in March will help us to create an international rescue service there,'' he said. | |||||