PRODUCT SUPPORT MANUAL Y1-03-0174 Rev. A-Draft TerraFix™ 406 GPS I PLB Product No. 2798.2 PLB-201 TerraFix™ 406 GPS I/O PLB Product No. 2798.4 PLB-200 Personal Locator Beacon FCC Type Approval is currently pending -DRAFTOnly ACR Electronics, Inc. 5757 Ravenswood Road Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33312 +1(954) 981-3333 • Fax +1 (954) 983-5087 www.acrplb.com Email: Info@acrelectronics.
* * * WARNING * * * THIS TRANSMITTER IS AUTHORIZED FOR USE ONLY DURING SITUATIONS OF GRAVE AND IMMINENT DANGER * * * DELIBERATE MISUSE MAY INCUR A SEVERE PENALTY * * * Forward Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the ACR TerraFix™ 406 GPS Personal Locator Beacon. The combination of superior design, high quality raw materials and quality controlled manufacturing produce a product that will perform for years to come.
SECTION 1 - REGISTRATION OF 406 MHz BEACONS 1.1 Registration Importance It is mandatory that the owner of this 406 MHz Beacon registers it with the National Authorities*. All 406 MHz Beacons transmit a Unique Identifier Number (UIN) when activated. This UIN is programmed in the Beacon based on the country in which the Beacon was purchased. Registration provides the Search and Rescue forces with emergency contact information, and will speed the launch of a rescue operation.
The information provided on the Registration Form is used only for rescue purposes. The Registration Form should be filled out and mailed immediately. Registration can be expedited by faxing the registration form or by completing the form online in the event the Beacon is to be placed in immediate service. Registration forms will be entered in the 406 MHz Beacon Registration Database within 48 hours of receipt.
beacon tells Search and Rescue who you are, where you are, and that you are facing a life threatening situation. 2.2 Self Test PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE PERFORMING ANY OF THE TESTS. BE PREPARED TO RECORD DATA FROM THE TEST Self test is initiated by holding the self test button (see figure 1) for more than half a second and less than five seconds. Your beacon will sound an initial beep and green LED (Light Emitting Diode) flash to signify the test has begun.
2.3 GPS Testing 2.3.1 GPS O (Onboard) Test (P/N 2798.4 only) Warning: To conserve battery power the following test should not be performed more than once during the five-year life of the battery pack! The TerraFix™ 406 GPS is fitted with an internal Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver that will determine the navigational coordinates, latitude and longitude of its position on the globe. To test the internal GPS you must be outdoors and have a clear view of the sky.
in the beacon via the GPS I or GPS O the red LED will turn off and the green LED will take over flashing once every 2 seconds. The TerraFix™ 406 GPS (model 2798.4 only) is equipped with an internal GPS engine. If no external GPS interface receiver is found, upon activation, the TerraFix™ 406 onboard GPS engine will search to find you’re LAT/LON and incorporate it into your 406 MHz signal. In the case when external and internal GPS are present, the internal GPS data will have priority at activation.
2.4.2 Deactivation To deactivate your PLB depress the “OFF” button for 1 second SECTION 3 - REPORTING FALSE ALARMS 3.1 Should there be an inadvertent activation or false alarm, it must be reported to the nearest search and rescue authorities. The information that should be reported includes the PLB Unique Identifier Number (UIN), Date, Time, duration and cause of activation, as well as location of beacon at the time of activation. 3.
NOTE: There are no user serviceable items inside the PLB. DO NOT OPEN THE PLB UNLESS TO DISABLE IN CASE OF FAULTY ACTIVATION if the OFF button does not stop the transmission. Power is provided by self contained long life batteries with a five-year recommended replacement cycle. See Factory Authorized Service Center for replacement. Battery replacement includes servicing the PLB by replacing all o-rings, testing the water seal and the electronic diagnostic properties.
5.2.2 COSPAS-SARSAT is an international system that uses Russian Federation and United States low altitude, near-polar orbiting satellites (LEOSAR) that assist in detecting and locating activated 121.5/243 MHz PLBs and 406 MHz Satellite PLBs. 5.2.3 COSPAS and SARSAT satellites receive distress signals from satellite PLBs transmitting on the frequency of 406 MHz.
GEOSAR SATELLITE ORBIT Figure 6 SECTION 6 - AUTHORIZATIONS 6.1 The TerraFix™ 406 GPS PLB meets the requirements of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Part 95 Subpart K 5.2 Characteristics The TerraFix™ 406 GPS PLB is a buoyant, battery operated Personal Locator Beacon. The beacon case, with its external antenna, is waterproof. The semiconductor circuits are mounted within the case assembly which also contains the battery power supply.
Frequency 406.028 MHz Frequency Stability ±2 parts per billion/100ms Output Power 5 watts Digital Message Format Long message / serialized Message protocol Standard Location (2798.2 – 2798.4) Duration 520 ms Rate 400 bps Encoding Biphase L Modulation ±1.1 radians peak PLB’s leave ACR with Serialized code but can be reprogrammed at a service center to other coded formats including nationality of registration. 121.5 MHz Transmitter Frequency 121.
SECTION 7 - GPSI/O Frequently Asked Question Q. How do I download position data from my GPS to my beacon? A. You must have a NMEA 0183 version 1.5 or higher output ready GPS unit and a GPS interface cable. The NMEA 0183 optical interface connector supplied with your TerraFix must be connected to the GPS interface cable using a universal serial adapter. Turn on your GPS unit and allow it to acquire the necessary satellites.
Q. What happens if I plug the GPS into the beacon first and press the GPS I or I/O button without waiting for the GPS to acquire satellites? A. The beacon will function normally, but will not store GPS coordinates. As soon as the GPS has acquired satellites the data will be transferred to the beacon. Q. How long does the beacon hold data in memory? A. 4 hours. If new GPS data has not been downloaded, the TerraFix will return to default mode Q.
