Industry recognizes safety beacons on 406Day

Today — April 6, 4/06 — is National 406Day, a day designed to raise awareness of safety at sea through the use of 406MHz beacons. Florida-based safety equipment manufacturer ACR Electronics is coordinating the effort to highlight the benefits and responsibilities of owning an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon), PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) and ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter).

Boaters are encouraged to register and regularly run safety checks, maintenance procedures and testing of their beacons.

More than 41,000 lives have been saved worldwide since the mid-1980s through use of emergency distress 406 MHz beacon signals and the Cospas-Sarsat system.

ACR Electronics and its brands Ocean Signal and ARTEX invite everyone to join the conversation and help spread the word about beacon use by including #406Day18 when posting to share advice and experiences, to thank rescue authorities or to celebrate a life saved. By combining social media platforms and news coverage with increasing support from partners, such as the National Safe Boating Council, NOAA, USCG, Sea Tow, Boat US Foundation, and West Marine, #406Day18 is anticipated to reach thousands of people as the nation prepares to get back on the water for the upcoming summer boating season.

“406Day has grown from a photo-share contest to being a real community builder in the industry,” said Nichole Kalil, ACR Electronics public affairs and media manager. “I look forward to seeing this concept grow in the Outdoors and Aviation industries as 406 technology is just as pertinent for their safety needs.”

EPIRBs for boats, PLBs for outdoors and ELTs for planes operate on the 406 MHz frequency. Each 406 MHz beacon transmits a unique digital code that identifies the type of beacon and allows registration data to be associated with the beacon. The registration data provides information such as the beacon owner, the type of vessel and emergency points of contact.

ACR Electronics offers the following advice to beacon owners to ensure their beacons will operate effectively in the event of an emergency.

• Check the battery expiration date
• Update the beacon registration
• Ensure the beacon is properly mounted
• Test the beacon

For more information about ACR Electronics’ products, visit www.acrartex.com, and for Ocean Signal’s products, visit www.oceansignal.com.