Distress beacons

Here I am! Emergency transmitters help to find a damaged yacht or a person who has fallen overboard. For this purpose, the emergency alarm and the GPS position are transmitted via various channels: via COSPAS/SARSAT satellites, as a radar echo, via AIS or DSC. Bright LED and infrared light signals additionally help with the approach. To choose the right distress beacon from EPIRB, PLB, SART, AIS-SART and MOB, two questions need to be answered first: Do I want to draw attention to a vessel or person? Should my distress signal be able to be received at close range or (beyond) at long range?

To be found again as a person who has fallen overboard, a MOB (Man Overboard Beacon) or PLB (Personal Locater Beacon) can be used. The MOB alerts via AIS and DSC in close range, the PLB uses the worldwide available COSPAS/SARSAT system. State-of-the-art PLBs combine these technologies in one device. In an emergency, the ship is alerted via a SART (Search and Rescue Radar Transponder) or an AIS-SART (Search and Rescue Radar Transmitter) at close range and at long range via an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Beacon). Again, equipment is available that uses multiple alerting paths simultaneously. While vessels are required to carry certain emergency transmitters, more and more recreational crews are also increasing their safety by doing so.