[BC] Digital TV dispatches UK coastguard

[Bill Croghan]

	121.5 MHz is the Air distress frequency used by ELT's (Emergency
Locator transmitters) and maritime EPIRBS (emergency position indictor radio
beacons).  It is also monitored for voice traffic.  243 is the Military
equivalent.  While the Search and rescue satellite system will stop
monitoring these within a few years, they'll still be monitored my many
(Most) air towers and the Coast Guard, for a number of years.  The new ELT
frequency, already in use in some areas and in use by the Maritime services
is around 406.025 MHz with a couple of available channels.  This is a
shorter burst; with data that identifies the vehicle and may be locked to
the navigations equipment to give actual location when last updated (Just
before the crash!!!)  Between the short bursts on 406 MHz, there is a low
power conventional siren like signal on 121.5 for the close in DFing.
	121.5 and 243 are still distress frequencies and will be for many
years to come.
	In Civil Air Patrol we've found signals on these frequencies coming
from a wide variety of sources in addition to the ones mentioned before.
Personally I've DF'd to a cash register, a gas pump, and a medical lab as
well as over 70 "finds" on or in actual aircraft or avionics shops (Two
actual distress situations).  Some of the worst offenders were the FAA shops
on the Air Force base in Tucson. They'd leave signal generators running with
and without modulation and once left a communications transmitter keyed on
with no antenna on 243.  The satellites picked it up and we DF'd it from a
mile away.
Bill Croghan CPBE WB?KSW
Lt. Col. Civil Air Patrol
Chief Engineer, 
KOMP/KXPT/KENO/KBAD
Lotus Broadcasting
Las Vegas, NV
Email to loteng (at) lvradio.com
Phone 702-315-3030
Fax      702-876-6685







>-----Original Message-----
>From: broadcast-bounces at radiolists.net [mailto:broadcast-
>bounces at radiolists.net] On Behalf Of Tom Taggart
>Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 4:27 PM
>To: broadcast at radiolists.net
>Subject: RE: [BC] Digital TV dispatches UK coastguard
>
>The BBC story reported the frequency as 121.5.
>
>They noted that this frequency would not be monitored much longer locally,
>local distress moving to 460~ something.
>
>(Probablythe story meant for marine purposes--I assume 121.5 is also an
>aeronautical distress frequency)
>
>
>--
>
>_______________________________________________
>This is the BROADCAST mailing list
>To send to the list, email: broadcast at radiolists.net
>For sub changes, archives and info on this other lists:
>http://www.radiolists.net/