ACR Electronics PLB-350B Instructions d'installation

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CAUTION: Before proceeding to install, test or use your new

ACR Electronics’ product, please read this Product Support Manual

in its entirety.

If you have questions regarding the contents of the manual or

something not covered in the manual, please contact our Technical

Service Department at ACR Electronics, Inc., Telephone +1 (954)

981-3333. You can also visit our website at

www.acrelectronics.com and access the Frequently Asked

Questions (FAQs) section for further information. If in the future you

lose this manual, you may access and print a replacement on the

ACR website.

PLEASE READ ALL WARNINGS, CAUTIONS AND

NOTES CAREFULLY

About Cobham Life Support, ACR Products

Cobham Life Support, ACR Products www.acrelectronics.com,

designs and manufactures a complete line of safety and survival

products including EPIRBs, PLBs, AIS, SARTs, Strobe Lights, Life

Jacket Lights, Search Lights and safety accessories. The quality

systems of this facility have been registered by UL to the ISO

9001:2000 Series Standards. Recognized as the world leader in

safety and survival technologies, ACR has provided safety

equipment to the aviation and marine industries as well as to the

military since 1956.

About Cobham plc

Cobham plc is an international company engaged in the

development, delivery and support of advanced aerospace and

defense systems for land, sea, air and space. The company has

four divisions that collectively specialize in the provision of

components, subsystems and services that keep people safe,

improve communications and enhance the capability of aerospace

and defense platforms.

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Table of Contents

STEP ONE - REGISTERING YOUR BEACON _____________________ 3

STEP TWO - HOW THE BEACON WORKS ______________________ 5

STEP THREE - MAINTAINING YOUR PLB______________________ 13

APPENDIX A - ACCESSORIES _______________________________ 17

APPENDIX B - THE COSPAS-SARSAT SYSTEM___________________ 19

APPENDIX C - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ____________________ 20

APPENDIX D - WARRANTY, USEFUL LIFE POLICY, NOTICES ________ 21

NOTE re: Applicable products

This manual supports all configurations of PLB-350B beacons. In addition

to the part numbers listed on the cover page, other configurations of these

products may be available, thus you may have purchased a product

configuration with a different version of the part number (for example,

2880.63). As long as the first four digits are the same as one of the part

numbers on the cover, this manual is applicable.

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STEP ONE - REGISTERING YOUR BEACON

Why is registration important?

As the owner of this 406 MHz beacon, it is mandatory that you register

it with the PLB national authority of your country: It is the law. Please

note that all 406 MHz beacons are required to have their registration

updated every two years by the owner.

HOW REGISTRATION WORKS:

All 406 MHz beacons transmit a Unique Identifier Number (UIN) when

activated. This UIN is programmed into the beacon based on the

country in which the beacon is registered, thus authorities are able to

determine which country’s database will have your registration

information. SAR forces will have information as to who you are as the

owner of the beacon, the name and type of vessel that you have (if

applicable), your address, and who to contact that might know of your

current situation - but only if your beacon has been properly registered.

Valuable search and rescue resources are wasted every year

responding to false alerts, and registering your beacon helps to resolve

this quickly.

Your personalized ID code

programmed inside each beacon is

transmitted to Search and Rescue

(SAR). SAR forces use this code to pull

up your registration to find out valuable

information about who needs help.

YOUR RESCUE WILL

BE DELAYED IF YOUR

BEACON ISN’T PROPERLY

REGISTERED!

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What country should I register in?

The beacon must be registered in the country of the owner’s residence.

If the beacon is not programmed to that country’s code and protocol,

and the residence is outside of the USA, the beacon needs to be

reprogrammed.

Additionally, the beacon must be reprogrammed if you, as the owner,

move out of the country where the beacon is registered. To verify the

country for which a beacon is programmed, see the label with the UIN

(Unique Identification Number) on the back of the unit.

How do I register?

Registration in the United States

The national authority that accepts registrations in the United States is

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

There are three ways to register:

1. The fastest and easiest way to register is online at

www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/.

2. Faxing a registration is also acceptable. Fax the registration form to

the fax number on the top of the registration form.

NOTE: Do not confuse the registration form with the ACR Electronics

warranty card.

3. If online or fax registration is not available, mail the registration form

with the pre-addressed, postage paid envelope to:

Registration NOAA/NESDIS

NSOF, E/SP3

4231 Suitland Road

Suitland, MD 20746

All registration forms will be entered in the 406 MHz beacon registration

database within 48 hours of receipt. The information you provide on the

registration form is used for rescue purposes only.

A confirmation letter, a copy of the actual registration and a proof-of-

registration decal will be mailed to you within two weeks. When you

receive these documents, please check the information carefully,

and then affix the decal to your beacon in the area marked “BEACON

DECAL HERE.” It is very important that the proof of registration

decal matches the UIN on the beacon. If you do not receive

confirmation back from NOAA within two weeks, call toll free (888) 212-

7283 for assistance.

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Registration in Canada

Canadian residents can register online at:

http://canadianbeaconregistry.forces.gc.ca/ or contact the Canadian

Beacon Registry by phone at: 877-406-7671 or by fax at: 877-406-3298.

Canadian Beacon Registry

CFB Trenton, PO Box 1000 Stn Forces

Astra, Ontario K0K 3W0

Registration in Other Countries

In countries other than the United States and Canada, 406 MHz

beacons are registered with that country’s national authority at the time

of purchase. The sales agent may have assisted you in filling out the

forms and sending them to the country’s national authority. Alternatively,

many countries allow online registration in the International 406 MHz

Beacon Registration Database (IBRD) at www.406registration.com.

To verify that the unit is properly programmed for your country, view the

UIN label on the back of the unit. In the event that the beacon is not

programmed for your country, the sales agent (if properly equipped) can

reprogram the unit for the correct country.

STEP TWO - HOW THE BEACON WORKS

1. How your beacon brings help

406 MHz beacons are a type of portable emergency equipment that

transmits a distress signal to search and rescue (SAR) organizations.

The purpose of these beacons is to aid SAR teams in tracking and

locating ships or individuals in jeopardy as rapidly as possible.

The 406 MHz frequency is a worldwide dedicated emergency frequency

that is detected by a network of satellites called the Cospas-Sarsat

system. This satellite system was established by, and continues to be

supported by, its primary benefactors - the USA, Russia, Canada and

France. The Cospas-Sarsat system has saved over 28,400 lives - and

counting - since its inception. See Appendix or the Cospas-Sarsat

website for more information about the system at www.cospas-

sarsat.org.

When a 406 MHz beacon is activated, the digital distress message is

sent to Cospas-Sarsat satellites and, in turn, the distress message is

relayed to SAR. The distress message contains the beacon UIN and on

some models the GPS location of the beacon. Additional information

about the beacon is accessed by SAR from the beacon registration

database. At the same time the 406 MHz signal is activated, a 121.5

MHz signal is turned on. The 121.5 MHz signal is used by SAR to home

in on the beacon as they approach it.

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The 406 MHz signal is detected by multiple satellites and from that

information the location of the beacon can be calculated. This data

alone is sufficient for SAR to find persons or ships in distress in a

reasonable timeframe. However, as a further enhancement, some

beacons have a GPS engine onboard. This feature allows the beacon to

acquire current location coordinates from an internal GPS receiver. The

purpose of this feature is to send an even more precise location of the

beacon to the satellites, i.e., latitude and longitude data. This helps SAR

to reach the location even faster.

2. Internal GPS position system

The PLB-350 is fitted with an internal GPS receiver that will determine

the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the beacon’s position on the

globe, to be transmitted to the Cospas-Sarsat emergency system.

When the beacon is activated, the internal GPS immediately attempts to

acquire positional coordinates. GPS coordinates can be acquired any

time that the GPS is on, but only valid data is saved. Once the beacon

acquires valid coordinates, the data is included as part of the next

transmitted 406 MHz digital message.

The internal GPS operates on a schedule during a beacon activation.

The GPS is on for a time, actively acquiring coordinates, and off for a

time, in a standby state. The schedule is designed to conserve battery

but, at the same time, assure that navigational coordinates are regularly

updated.

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3. Anatomy of your beacon

NOTE: The appearance of your beacon may vary from this picture.

Figure 1

Antenna

Latch

FRONT BACK

GPS antenna

location

Antenna:

Wrapped

around

beacon

UIN Label: Applied at

the factory, the 15

character hexadecimal

number is unique to

each beacon.

Activation

button cover

Battery expiration label

with the month/ year

the battery needs to be

replaced.

Keypad

Multi-language label:

This optional label may

be applied for ease of

use.

Registration decal

supplied by some

countries: Once the

beacon is registered,

the label goes here.

Antenna

latch

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4. Distinguishing PLB Features

The distinguishing features available on your PLB vary with the

particular model that you selected. The following table summarizes the

similarities and differences in models.

PLB-350B

Product

names

AquaLink™ 406 GPS PLB

SARLink™ 406 GPS PLB

ACR

Product

Number

2882

2883

Unique

features

LED strobe, 12 GPS acquisition tests

GPS engine

Internal, 66-channel GPS receiver

Top case

Clear

Buoyant

Yes

Included

Accessories

Attachment Clip

Multi-Function Belt Clip

Optional

Accessories

Flotation pouch (ACR P/N 9504)

5. Activating your beacon

Overview

Personal Locator Beacons are designed to be manually activated. They

are only to be activated when all other means of self-rescue have been

exhausted. When properly registered as required, the activation of the

beacon tells Search and Rescue who you are, where you are, and that

you are facing a life threatening situation.

WARNING: This transmitter is authorized for use only during

situations of grave and imminent danger. Deliberate misuse may incur

a severe penalty.

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NOTE: The appearance of your key pad may vary from this picture.

Figure 2 - Key Pad Functions

NOTE: If you notice the PLB is flashing the red or green LED and

“beeping” periodically on its own, this likely means it has accidentally

been activated and needs to be shut off and reported as a false alert see

section on false alerts.

Activation

diagram

When activated:

(Red LED) transmitting

406 MHz during

activation

(Green LED) 406 MHz

includes GPS data

(IR LED) Programming

Interface

(Not owner accessible)

Self-test /

GPS Test Button

ON / OFF Button

(visible only when

antenna is deployed)

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