COSPAS SARSAT 406 MHz SATELLITE SYSTEM EXPLAINED

The Cospas-Sarsat 406 MHz satellite system has global coverage that provides a typical time to alert notification of between approximately 3 and 45 minutes. The geographical location of a Fast Find 210 (with inbuilt GPS receiver) can normally be resolved within 5 minutes and 45 minutes for a non-GPS Fast Find 200. The time to alert is dependant on which satellites are in view in the sky at the time of Fast Find activation. Non-GPS Fast Finds rely on passing orbiting satellites to determine an approximate position, this can take longer and the resolved position is less accurate than can be achieved compared to a GPS Fast Find.

406 is the all-important frequency for distress beacons operating with satellite systems. The Cospas-
Sarsat 406 MHz beacons have been specifically designed for use with the 'LEOSAR' satellite system.
The frequencies, between 406.0 - 406.1 MHz are stable and include a digital message which allows
the transmission of encoded data such as unique beacon identification. That's the information you
have supplied when you registered your Fast Find.

The 406 MHz system is composed of:

• 406 MHz radiobeacons like the Fast Find. A number of similar products using the same
  technology as well. These include those beacons carried aboard ships (EPIRBs), aircraft
  (ELTs), or used as personal locator beacons (PLBs);
• polar-orbiting satellites in low Earth which orbit from the LEOSAR system and geostationary
  satellites from the GEOSAR system; and
• the associated LUTs (Local User Terminals) for the respective satellite systems . These are on
  the ground.

When the satellite system receives 406 MHz beacon signals, the processor in the Fast Find recovers
the digital data from the beacon signal and processes it as digital data. It is then transferred to the
ground units for processing and relaying to search and rescue stations.

For an full explanation, visit the Cospas-Sarsat web site at http://www.cospas-sarsat.org.

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