[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 127 (Monday, July 2, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34912-34913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-16575]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 010501107-1107-01]
RIN 0648XA67


Termination of 121.5/243 MHz Satellite Alerting

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice informs the public that the International Cospas-
Sarsat Program plans on terminating 121.5/243 MHz satellite alerting on 
February 1, 2009. This action responds to guidance provided by the 
United States National Search and Rescue Committee, the International 
Maritime Organization, and the International Civil Aviation

[[Page 34913]]

Organization. These organizations have requested that 121.5/243 MHz 
satellite alerting be terminated, due to the high number of false 
alerts and the negative impact on 121.5/243 MHz emergency beacons users 
and search and rescue responders. The intended effect of this action is 
to transition the public from 121.5/243 MHz emergency beacons to 
emergency beacons operating at 406 MHz.

DATES: The termination of 121.5/243 MHz satellite alerting is expected 
to take place on February 1, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ajay Mehta, SARSAT Program Manager, at 
(301) 457-5678.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National 
Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) manages 
the Nation's operational geostationary and polar-orbiting environmental 
satellites, and manages a large collection of atmospheric, geophysical 
and oceanographic data. Within NESDIS, the Office of Satellite Data 
Processing and Distribution (OSDPD) manages and directs the operation 
of the central ground facilities which ingest, process, and distribute 
environmental satellite data and derived products to domestic and 
foreign users. OSDPD manages the United States Search and Rescue 
Satellite-Aided Tracking (SARSAT) Program, and represents the United 
States to the international Cospas-Sarsat Program. NOAA, along with the 
United States Coast Guard, United States Air Force and the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration, is responsible for implementing 
the Cospas-Sarsat Program at the national level in the United States.
    Cospas-Sarsat's ultimte mission is to assist in saving lives. The 
Cospas-Sarsat System has assisted in the rescue of more than 11,000 
persons since its inception in 1982. The current Cospas-Sarsat Program 
was established by an inter-governmental agreement signed in 1988 
between the Governments of Canada, France, the former Soviet Union and 
the United States.
    The system works in the following manner: Search and rescue 
instruments are flown on the United States's NOAA polar-orbiting and 
geostationary-orbiting satellites and Russian Nadezhda series of polar-
orbiting satellites. These instruments are capable of detecting signals 
from emergency beacons referred to as Emergency Locator Transmitters 
(ELTs), Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs), or 
Personal Locator Beacons (PLSs). ELTs are primarily used by aircraft, 
EPIRBs by maritime vessels, and PLSb by individuals on land.
    ELTs, EPIRBs, and PLBs may operate on either the 121.5, 243 or 406 
MHz frequencies. 121.5/243 MHz beacons transmit an analog signal that 
does not contain any information about the beacon or user. 
Alternatively, the 406 MHz beacons transmit a digital code that 
contains information about the type of beacon. Each 406 MHz beacon in 
the world has a unique identifier. The unique identifier allows for 
additional information called registration data to be linked to each 
beacon. After receipt of ELT, EPIRB or PLB signals by the satellite, 
the satellite relays the signals to earth stations referred to as Local 
User Terminals (LUTs).
    The LUT, after computing the location of the emergency beacon using 
Doppler technology, transmits an alert message to its respective 
Mission Control Center (MCC) via a data communication network. The MCC 
performs matching and merging of alert messages with other received 
messages, geographically sorts the data to determine the appropriate 
search and rescue authority, and subsequently transmits a distress 
messge to another MCC, an appropriate search and rescue authority such 
as a national Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) or a foreign SAR Point 
of Contact (SPOC). In the United States, distress alert data is 
transmitted to one of the following search and rescue authorities: the 
United States Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) at Langley 
AFB in Virginia; the 11th Rescue Coordination Center at Elmondorf AFB 
in Alaska; one of 10 United States Coast Guard Rescue Coordination 
Centers; or the Joint Rescue Coordination Center located in Key West, 
Florida that is responsible for some overseas search and rescue 
regions.
    The USMCC also transmits distress messages internationally to: SAR 
Points of Contact (SPOCs) in other nations that are considered within 
the USMCC service area, but outside of its national search and rescue 
region; or MCCs in other nations.

Termination of 121.5/243 MHz Satellite Alerting

    The Cospas-Sarsat Program made the decision to terminate 121.5/243 
MHz satellite alerting services in response to guidance from the 
International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Civil 
Aviation Organization (ICAO). These two agencies of the United Nations 
are responsible for regulating the safety of ships and aircraft 
respectively, on international transits, and handling international 
standards and plans for maritime and aviation search and rescue. More 
than 180 nations are members of IMO and ICAO.
    Another major factor in the decision to stop satellite processing 
of 121.5/243 MHz signals is due to problems in this frequency band 
which inundate search and rescue authorities with false alerts, 
adversely impacting the effectiveness of lifesaving services. Although 
the 406 MHz beacons currently cost more, they provide search and rescue 
agencies with more reliable and complete information to do their job 
more efficiently and effectively.
    The implication of this Cospas-Sarsat decsion is that users of 
ELTs, EPIRBs, and PLBs that operate on 121.5/243 MHz should eventually 
begin using beacons operating on 406 MHz if they wish to continue 
having their beacons detected by satellites. United States registered 
civil aircraft may carry a 121.5 MHz ELT to satisfy the requirements 
described in CFR Title 14, part 91, section 207. At the present time, 
the United States does not mandate the carriage of 406 MHz ELTs. The 
carriage of 406 MHz ELTs is optional. The United States does not have 
any mandatory carriage requirements for 121.5 MHz EPIRBs.
    Cospas-Sarsat is an international program and the decision to 
terminate satellite processing of distress signals at 121.5/243 MHz 
does not mean that users cannot continue to use 121.5/243 MHz emergency 
beacons. The result of this termination process is that the 121.5/243 
MHz signals will no longer be detected by satellites, under the 
auspices of Cospas-Sarsat. This lack of signal processing could result 
in a distress signal from a 121.4/243 MHz emergency beacon not being 
detected, or the detection being significantly delayed. The termination 
of 121.5/243 MHz processing is planned far enough into the future to 
allow current 121.5/243 MHz emergency beacon users to transition 
smoothly to 406 MHz beacons.
    (Authority: Pub. L. 98-8, Title I, 104 (1983); 15 U.S.C. 313; 33 
U.S.C. 883a; 49 U.S.C. 44720(b))

Gregory W. Withee,
Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services.
[FR Doc. 01-16575 Filed 6-29-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-HR-M