USAGE OF COSPAS-SARSAT 406 MHz PLB's in CEPT countries

 

 

 

Country	PLB allowed	Where	License required	Certificate required	The acceptance of a foreign license holder	Coding Protocol	Database	National Administration	Further information
Albania	Yes	All	Yes	Yes	Yes			AKEP
Austria	Yes	No info	Yes	No	No		National	bmvit	Austria
Belgium	Yes	?	Yes	No	Yes	UIN	IBRD	BIPT	Belgium
Croatia	Yes	Not specified	Yes	No	Yes	SUP/SLP	Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure	Hakom	Croatia
Czech Republic	Possession/No usage	NA	NA	NA	Possession/No usage	NA	NA	CTU	Czech Republic
Denmark	Possession/No usage	NA	NA	NA	Possession/No usage	NA	NA	IT- og Telestyrelsen	Denmark
Estonia	Yes	Pending	Yes	Pending	Pending			Estonian Technical Surveillance Authority	Estonia
Finland	Yes	All	Yes	No	Yes	SUP/NLP	National	FICORA	Finland
France	Yes	Maritime	Only in case MMSI	No			National	ANFR	France
Georgia	Yes	All	No	No	Yes			GNCC
Germany	No	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA		Germany
Greece	Pending	Pending	NA	NA	Pending	NA	NA		Greece
Iceland	Yes/No	Land	Yes	No	Yes	Under review	National	PTA	Iceland
Ireland	Yes	All	No	No	Yes	Under review	National	COMREG	Ireland
Lithuania	Yes	All	No	No	Yes	SUP/SLP	Civil Aviation Administration www.caa.lt Maritime Safety Administration www.msa.lt	Civil Aviation Administration www.caa.lt Maritime Safety Administration www.msa.lt
Malta	Pending	Pending	NA	NA	Yes	NA	NA		Malta
Moldova	Yes	Maritime	Yes	Yes			National	ANRCETI	Moldova
Montenegro	Yes	?	No	Not regulated yet				Ekip	Montenegro
The Netherlands	Yes	Maritime	Yes	Yes	Yes	SUP	National	Radiocommunications agency	The Netherlands
Norway	Yes	All	Yes	No	Yes	SUP/NLP	National	Post- og Teletilsynet	Norway
Poland	Yes	All	Yes	No	Yes		National	Uke
Portugal	Yes	Maritime	Yes	Yes	Yes	MUP	National	IPTM	Portugal
Romania	Yes	Land	No	No	Yes		National	ANCOM	Romania
Slovak Republic	Pending	Pending	Yes	No	Pending	NA	NA	Telecommunications Office of the Slovak Republic	Slovak Republic
Spain	Yes	Maritime	Yes	Yes	No	MUP	National	Direcciónn General de la Marina Mercante Ministerio de Fomento	Spain
Sweden	Yes	All	No	No	Yes	SUP/SLP	IBRD	Post- och Telestyrelsen	Sweden
Switzerland	Yes	All	Registration	No	Yes	SLP	National	OFCOM	Switzerland
The United Kingdom	Yes	Maritime	Yes	Yes	Yes	SUP/SLP	National	Ofcom	The United Kingdom
AT THIS MOMENT THE ECO HAS NOT OBTAINED YET THE PLB INFORMATION OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES:  ANDORRA, AZERBAIJAN, BELARUS, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA, BULGARIA, CYPRUS, HUNGARY, ITALY, LATVIA, LIECHTENSTEIN, LUXEMBOURG, MONACO, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, SAN MARINO, SERBIA, SLOVENIA, THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, TURKEY, UKRAINE and VATICAN CITY

 

 

The above table gives more information on the PLB usage in the listed European countries. This table will be updated as new information is received by the ECO. The end user is responsible for obtaining the latest information and operating in accordance with it.

 

Definition of PLB:

 

Abbreviation PLB comes from the words PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON. The equipment operates in the Cospas-Sarsat system using the same frequencies than EPIRBs onboard ships and ELTs onboard aircraft. PLB is, however, smaller in size and easier to carry. PLB equipment operates in the certain portion of 406 MHz band, which is monitored by satellites. The majority of PLB equipment also transmits in the aeronautical distress frequency 121,5 MHz for homing purposes. The latest models are fitted with inbuilt satellite positioning receiver, which means that the PLB transmission already includes accurate position. This enables faster mobilization of search and rescue operations by authorities.

 

Please note: PLB must be programmed and registered.

 

Please note also: PLB is neither an EPIRB nor an ELT, because of its characteristics and mechanical structure.

 

For more information, please see Cospas-Sarsat home page

 

You are welcome to provide your updates to Susanne Have, ECO e-mail [email protected]