INSTALLATION MANUAL OPERATION MANUAL INSPECTION LOG
KANNAD 406 AF-COMPACT
PAGE: 1
FEB 01/2008
SYSTEM OVERVIEW
1. COSPAS-SARSAT System
A. Description
Launched in the early eighties by the four founder countries (Canada, France,
Russia, USA), the COSPAS-SARSAT system provides satellite aid to search
and rescue (SAR) operations for maritime, aeronautical and terrestrial vehicles
anywhere in the world.
It uses distress beacons fitted on mobiles and a constellation of LEO and GEO
satellites which relay the 121.5 / 243 MHz signals and process the 406 MHz
signal to ground stations (LUT) where the beacon positions are determined
(with a precision of 10 NM with 121.5 / 243 signals and less than 2 NM with 406
signals).
Several types of beacons are designed to match the various applications of the
COSPAS-SARSAT system:
• EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) for maritime
applications.
• ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) for aeronautical applications.
• PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) for land expeditions.
Figure 1: COSPAS-SARSAT System
