PLB (Personal Locator Beacon)

A small transmitter device designed to provide a distress and alert-

ing capacity for use by the general public in life-threatening situations in remote environments, after all other means (e.g., telephone and radio) of notifying search and rescue responders have been exhausted.

Although it is not necessary to license a PLB, it is mandatory to register it with the National Oceano-graphic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Thereby, search and rescue personnel will know who you are, where you are, and whether there are any pre-existing medical conditions that may require treatment when they reach you. PLBs transmit in the 406.0–406.1 MHz band, which is an internationally recognized distress frequency to the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system, to which 36 countries belong. The satellites fix on the location using a Doppler Shift location method or GPS data from the terminal. The coordinates are then relayed to a local tracking station, of which there are a great many throughout the world. Each PLB transmits a unique 15-digit alphanumeric code that identifies the user and allows search and rescue personnel to access personal information maintained in an international database. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates LPRS, which is in the family of personal radio services. See also FCC, GPS, and personal radio services.

• Figure C-6
• Figure D-1
• Figure D-2
• Figure D-3
• Figure E-1
• Figure E-2
• Figure E-3
• Figure F-1
• Figure F-10
• Figure F-2
• Figure F-3
• Figure F-4
• Figure F-5
• Figure F-6
• Figure F-7
• Figure F-8
• Figure F-9
• Figure G-1
• Figure G-2
• Figure H-1
• Figure I-1
• Figure I-2
• Figure K-1
• Figure L-1
• Figure L-2