406Day: ACR Electronics issues urgent pre-season prepared to survive alert

ACR Electronics is leading this year’s 406Day campaign with an urgent call to action for boaters, hikers, and aviators: be prepared to survive by equipping yourself with the best 406 MHz emergency beacon available.

The annual event, dedicated to raising awareness on the importance of 406 MHz PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons), EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons), and ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitters), highlights the critical role these distress beacons play in saving lives.

This call to action follows the recent launch of ACR’s ‘Prepared to Survive’ campaign which reinforces the alarming difference emergency beacons can make in life-threatening situations and to bridge the disturbing gap that currently exists in safe boating practices – in which recent statistics suggest only 2.6% of vessels have a registered EPIRB, and just 3.0% of individuals carry a registered PLB.

These devices are not a luxury; they are a necessity. Every 406 MHz beacon transmits a unique digital code that allows global Search And Rescue (SAR) authorities to pinpoint a distress signal. Accurate registration of a beacon means SAR authorities can identify information such as the beacon owner, vessel type, and emergency points of contact. ACR urges all beacon owners to update their beacon registration, check battery expiration dates, and conduct self-tests to ensure optimal functionality.

Mikele D’Arcangelo, VP of Global Marketing and Product Management said, “Carrying an emergency beacon before your next adventure could mean the difference between a fast rescue and being stranded for days—or not making it home at all.”

All ACR safety beacons operate on the 406 MHz frequency, providing real-time location tracking and immediate alerts to worldwide rescue authorities.

ACR’s latest beacon innovations, including the ResQLink AIS Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and GlobalFix V5 AIS EPIRB, go a step further and integrate AIS (Automatic Identification System) technology, enhancing vessel tracking precision, collision avoidance, and the likelihood of rescue from nearby vessels.

Additionally, ACR’s ELT 5000 Distress Tracking ELT, launched earlier this year, is the leading GADSS-compliant solution available on the market for commercial and transport aircraft, redefining standards for emergency location transmitters by delivering real-time location updates and autonomous distress tracking while the aircraft is still in flight. Upon detecting a distress condition, the ELT 5000 automatically activates, transmitting the aircraft’s precise coordinates, which are autonomously acquired through GNSS technology, to the Cospas-Sarsat system.

By providing these latest beacon advancements, ACR ensures that mariners, adventurers, and aviators have the best possible chance of survival in an emergency.