Advisory

Personal Locator Beacons

Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) are designed for personal use, and can be critically important in case of injury or emergency on back country tramps.

The switch to 406MHz PLBs

From February 2009, the signal from 121.5MHz and 243MHz Personal Locator Beacons (PLB’s) is no longer monitored by satellite. If you need help in an emergency and try to use an old beacon to alert rescuers, the satellites will have no way of hearing you. The signal is already unreliable as there are fewer satellites monitoring the old frequencies. Switch to a digital 406MHz PLB now. They’re small enough to fit in your pocket, and are activated manually.

Kinds of 406MHz PLB

A PLB with in-built GPS dramatically improves accuracy. Your location can be identified by Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand on the first contact with a satellite. If the unit does not have GPS it requires two satellites to pick up your beacon signal, to resolve the ambiguity of the satellite positions. The time between satellite passes varies greatly, ranging between 20 minutes and 4.5 hours.

Where should I keep it?

On your person. Don’t keep it in clothing or pieces of equipment that might get left behind or dropped in an accident.

Don't buy a foreign 406

Each country has an individual 406 code. When you purchase a 406MHz PLB make sure it’s coded for New Zealand. The New Zealand Country Code is 512. If you buy one from overseas or over the Internet, and had to activate it, the satellite could notify the wrong rescue coordination centre leading to potentially life-threatening delays.

It’s vital to register your new beacon.

This means Search and Rescue can contact you or a person you nominate to verify activation. This can improve search response time and help cut down on false alarms. Once your beacon is registered, you will need to keep your details up to date and notify the register if the beacon changes ownership.
How to register

There are two easy ways to register your 406MHz beacon:
1 Fill out the online 406 registration form.
2 Or download the .PDF registration form, complete it and post, email or fax your form to:
Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand
PO Box 30050
Lower Hutt 5040
New Zealand
Fax: +64 4 577 8041

Phone 0800 406 111 or email 406registry@maritimenz.govt.nz to make registration enquiries.

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