A satellite solution for those lost at sea or in the air
New search method in 1982 relied on a beacon to pinpoint a plane or boat's location
Whether on a plane or in a boat, those who somehow got lost along the way had a better chance of being found in 1982 — if they had the right equipment.
"Now, a new satellite system is proving to be faster than anything yet known in finding people and coming to the rescue," said host Knowlton Nash on CBC's The National on Nov. 6, 1982.
Reporter Roxana Spicer told viewers how an "electronic appeal for help" could come "bleeping through the airwaves."
It was, she said, a signal that could be more important than a call of "mayday" for a quick rescue by air or at sea.
A beacon of hope
A key part of the process was the presence of an Emergency Locator Transmitter: a "gizmo" the size of a shoebox that was mandatory equipment on every airplane in Canada.
"There's also a device for boats," said Spicer. "But no law forcing fishermen to carry one on board."
It was called an EPIRB, or Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon.
But neither device could save lives unless something picked up the signal they emitted.
Previously, that had been a plane — if it was in range. As Maj. Gary Naylor of the air force explained, a plane flying at 30,000 feet could pick up a signal only if it was within 60 nautical miles of the distress signal.
But, he said, a satellite made a pass over any given spot on Earth "approximately once every one and a half hours."
'Electronic net' to catch signals
"For the first time, there will be a vast electronic net over North America to catch the electronic mayday," said Spicer.
That "electronic net," called Cospas-Sarsat, had been a Canadian idea. It made use of signals from Russian, American and French satellites deciphered by computers at Search and Rescue headquarters in Halifax.
"Ultimately we hope to save more lives because of reduced reaction time to accidents," said Naylor.
Spicer said the system had recently proven its value when three people in a lifeboat off Sable Island were saved.
But she pointed out that "all the millions of dollars of fancy equipment flying in the sky" were no help for a boat without an EPIRB, which was a $300 investment.
