Leading manufacturers of 406 MHz Beacons raise awareness of EPIRBs & Personal Locator

406Day on April 6th raises awareness about the benefits of owning emergency 406 MHz beacons, such as ELTs, PLBs and EPIRBs © Saltwater Stone

Safety specialists ACR Electronics, ARTEX and Ocean Signal once again are raising 406 MHz beacon awareness on the seventh annual 406Day on Saturday, April 6th.

Every year, the leading beacon manufacturers team up with supporters and aviation, outdoor, and boating safety partners to highlight the benefits and responsibilities of owning an EPIRB (Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon), PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) or ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter).

The awareness day encourages aviators, boaters and outdoor enthusiasts to update their beacon registration, check their battery expiration date, and self-test their beacons to make sure they are working perfectly. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the 43,000+ lives saved worldwide since the mid-1980s by using emergency distress 406 MHz beacon signals and the Cospas-Sarsat system.

Mikele D'Arcangelo, Vice President of Global Marketing & Product Management, said: "406Day is about getting beacon owners more comfortable with their emergency 406 MHz device by testing their beacon, making sure they know how to use it, checking the battery expiration date and updating their registration information."

EPIRBs for boats, PLBs for outdoors and ELTs for planes operate on the 406 MHz frequency. Each 406 MHz beacon transmits a unique digital code that identifies the type of beacon and allows registration data to be associated with the device. The registration data provides information such as the beacon owner, the type of vessel and emergency points of contact.

ACR Electronics offers the following simple advice to beacon owners to ensure their EPIRB, PLB or ELT will operate effectively in the event of an emergency.

• Check the battery expiration date Each beacon is marked with the Month and Year the battery needs to be replaced.
• Update your beacon registration Make sure your contact information is correct and your emergency contacts information is accurate. It's the best way to assist Search and Rescue should you ever need to activate your beacon.
• Double check your beacon registration number matches your beacon Especially if you hand wrote your registration and mailed it in. It's easy for a 1 to look like a 7, so always confirm they match.
• Test your beacon 406Day is about getting beacon owners to be more comfortable with their beacon, so do a self-test and make sure it's working perfectly.

For evidence of the effectiveness of beacons check out SurvivorClub, ACR's one-of-a-kind 'You use it - we replace it program' which provides real-life testimonies shared by people of all ages and from all walks of life, who thanks to their beacon, have lived to tell the tale.

For further information about ARTEX and ACR Electronics' products, visit www.acrartex.com, and for Ocean Signal's products, visit www.oceansignal.com.