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Emergency beacons

Updated: 03 Mar 2008
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Introduction

Emergency beacons help save lives - it's a fact. And if you never use your beacon, so much the better.

If you get into trouble in the wild outdoors you need an emergency beacon. If you haven't got one, search and rescue could be looking for a microscopic needle in a giant haystack - if they even know you're missing.

Note: this is a guide only. It does not contain test results or brand-specific recommendations.

Why have one?

People do adventurous things, and often in the middle of nowhere - tramping, fishing, mountaineering, four-wheel driving, kayaking, gliding, hunting, flying small aircraft ... the list goes on.

But the isolation means there's no one around to help if things go wrong. News items and TV shows regularly show us rescue volunteers searching in vain for missing adventurers - 55 people died in search and rescue incidents last year. These stories remind us that accidents can happen at any time to anyone - but we often don't believe it will happen to us.

English tramper Michael Johnson didn't think it would happen to him. In 2004 he fell and injured himself during a solo tramp in Mt Aspiring National Park. While he survived the fall, he wasn't able to walk or call for help. Had Johnson taken an emergency beacon, as he was advised to do, he could have been found within hours. Instead, his body was found a month later.

Hiring a beacon

Having your own beacon makes sense if you are in the outdoors a lot and are likely to take it with you regularly. But a personal locator beacon can cost up to $800 (see the Checklist for more information about prices), so renting one is a good option for the occasional trip.

Many tramping clubs and other outdoor pursuits organisations have beacons for hire at around $10 to $25 per day.

Staying safe in the outdoors

Carrying an emergency beacon is just one part of keeping yourself safe in the outdoors. Other things you should do include:

  • Plan your trip thoroughly.
  • Take warm clothing and wet weather gear even if it's fine when you set out.
  • Check all of your gear before leaving.
  • Check weather forecasts and warnings before you leave.
  • Always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
  • Educate yourself in first aid, navigation, and survival skills as much as possible.
  • Carry a first aid kit and some basic means of providing shelter and a fire.

How beacons work

Emergency beacons emit a signal that allows New Zealand Search and Rescue to find you. They come in three different types:

An Accusat personal locator beacon

  • ELT is an 'emergency locator transmitter' mounted on planes

  • EPIRB is an 'emergency position indicating radio beacon' used on boats

  • PLB (pictured) is a 'personal locator beacon' used by individuals for hiking, hunting, kayaking and other outdoor pursuits, and is probably of most interest to consumers. Sometimes they're incorrectly called "Personal EPIRBS". They tend to be smaller and lighter than EPIRBs, usually about the size of a small paperback novel.

Activation depends on the beacon type. In most cases PLBs are activated by the simple press of a button or two buttons simultaneously. EPIRBs can usually be set off by a button as well, but some are automatically set off if they're submerged in water, for example.

All emergency beacons emit a UHF or VHF radio signal when activated. This signal is picked up by satellites or aircraft and the beacon's position is passed on to the Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand (RCCNZ) who initiate a search. During 2007 New Zealand Search and Rescue (NZSAR) assisted over 2600 people in more than 2200 separate search and rescue incidents.

GPS

Beacons with built-in GPS narrow down the search area from as much as 5 nautical miles down to 300 metres. As Duncan Ferner from the New Zealand Search and Rescue Council says, "GPS essentially takes the 'search' issue out of search and rescue."

Rodney Bracefield from RCCNZ says GPS also means a faster response. "This enables us to receive an approximate position at the same time as we receive notification of the Hex Id (the unique code for your beacon). Without the GPS we have to wait for a second satellite pass which may take as long as 4.5 hours."


Using a beacon

There are a few things you need to be aware of when using a beacon:

  • The most important thing is to only use your beacon in a life-threatening situation. Non-urgent use wastes the resources of our search and rescue people, and puts their lives in danger too. Believe it or not, some countries have banned PLBs because they get so many false alarms.

  • Register your beacon and keep your contact details up-to-date.

  • Beacons are one-way only, so you won't get any confirmation that your signal has been received until a helicopter or search party finds you.

  • An activated beacon will transmit for around 24 to 48 hours and then stop. This is where rescuers will fix your position so it's important to remain there - don't try to walk your way out or paddle to the next island after you've activated the beacon - just stay put.

  • Try to have a clear view of the sky. Beacons need line-of-sight to a satellite and are less effective in dense bush, valleys and gorges.

Checklist

 
 
A personal locator beacon

A personal locator beacon

Here's what to look for in a personal locator beacon (PLB):

Price and availability

The most commonly available PLBs in New Zealand are made by GME and TerraFix. A PLB without GPS normally costs $480 - $700 depending on the brand, size, and features. Models with GPS cost $650 - $900.

PLBs can be found in many marine stores as well as some outdoor and adventure shops. A comprehensive list of beacon retailers is available at www.beacons.org.nz. PLBs can also be rented from many tramping clubs and other organisations.

NZ supplier

Buy a beacon from a New Zealand supplier - don't buy one from an overseas internet retailer. Overseas beacons are coded for different search and rescue regions and have to be recoded for New Zealand. Some PLBs can't be recoded and are worthless, while others can but at a very high price. Avoid the hassle and buy a local one.

Size and weight

Most PLBs weigh around 230g - 350g and are around the size of a small paperback novel. Make sure the size and weight are comfortable for you. If not, you're less likely to carry it.

406MHz

Get a beacon that works on the 406MHz frequency. Don't buy one that only works on the older 121.5 / 243MHz frequencies (see Frequency changes for more information).

Fit for purpose

Get the right one for the job. If you're going anywhere near the water, will the beacon float? Is it fully waterproof rather than just splash-proof? Does it have a light, a wrist strap or another feature you may need?

GPS

While beacons with built-in GPS are more expensive (see Price and availability, above) they narrow down the search area from as much as 5 nautical miles down to 300 metres and also enable a much faster response. Think about it this way: if you fall into a mountain creek and break your leg, how long would you like to wait while you're located? An extra $150-$200 would probably look like a pretty good deal.

Frequency changes

Older beacons working on the 121.5MHz radio frequency will stop working in February 2009. From that date, satellites will no longer be monitoring the frequency -you could set off your old beacon and no one would hear it or dispatch the rescue unit.

What you need is a new 406MHz beacon. These are already in operation and working. While many people may be grumpy about changing their perfectly good existing beacon, the advantages of the new "406" system are enormous.

Advantages of the new beacons

  • The 406 beacon is registered to you so that when it's activated, rescuers know your details and emergency contacts. They can call to see if you're missing, check if it's a false alarm, or find out extra information from your contacts to help in the search. The old beacons are anonymous. All they reveal is that somebody or something is around. They also easily suffer interference and around 90 percent of their activations are false alarms.

  • The new digital 406 beacons work all over the world (not just within 900 to 1500kms of New Zealand).

  • Their signal may be received within minutes, unlike the old signal that could take up to five hours to receive.

  • The 406 is accurate to around 3 nautical miles (nm), or even as little as 300 metres using GPS. The old system was only accurate to 20nm - and in the ocean or bush that's a very large search area.


Retailers should not try to sell the nearly-obsolete 121.5MHz beacons, but be careful as some still are.

Many in the boating and outdoor pursuits fields are waiting for lower prices and for the switch-off date of February 2009 before changing from a 121.5 to a 406MHz beacon. This isn't prudent. Prices aren't coming down - if anything they're likely to go up with increased demand.

Even before the switch-off date, the effectiveness and coverage of 121.5 is being reduced. Equipment on the 121.5 frequency is receiving neither maintenance nor repair, so if a satellite fails it's not repaired or replaced. It makes sense both for your wallet and your safety to change over as fast as possible.

What to do with your old beacon

You can call the RCCNZ on 0800 406 111 or 0508 406 111 to find out where the nearest disposal centre is (outside normal working hours leave a message and your call will be returned), or courier your old beacon to them and they'll dispose of it. Other options are to hand it in to your local police station, or to the retailer when you buy a new 406MHz beacon.

You can dispose of your old beacon yourself but you MUST remove the battery, remove the aerial and crush the case. If you don't, the beacon could be activated by mistake and searchers despatched to scour your local rubbish dump.


More information

These organisations have valuable information on emergency beacons, survival in the outdoors, and links to training courses available:


Report by Marc Wendelborn