IEC 61097-2:2021

Global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) - Part 2: Cospas-Sarsat EPIRB - Emergency position indicating radio beacon operating on 406 MHz - Operational and performance requirements, methods of testing and required test results

IEC 61097-2:2021(E) specifies the minimum performance requirements, technical characteristics and type-testing requirements of the emergency position-indicating radio beacon used in the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system (EPIRB), as required by the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) as amended, and which is associated with IEC 60945. When a requirement in this document is different from the requirements in IEC 60945 or other standards, the requirement in this document takes precedence.
This document incorporates the performance standards of IMO Resolution MSC.471(101), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations as well as the technical characteristics for such transmitters contained in Recommendation ITU-R M.633, and takes account of the general requirements contained in IMO Resolution A.694(17).
This document also includes minimum performance standards for a non-float-free EPIRB without float-free release mechanism (see Annex C).
The contents of the corrigendum of December 2021 have been included in this copy.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 23-Jun-2021
• ICS: 47.020.70 - Navigation and control equipment
• Technical Committee: TC 80 - Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems
• Drafting Committee: MT 19 - TC 80/MT 19
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 24-Jun-2021
• Completion Date: 23-Jul-2021

Relations

• Corrected By: IEC 61097-2:2021/COR1:2021 - Corrigendum 1 - Global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) - Part 2: Cospas-Sarsat EPIRB - Emergency position indicating radio beacon operating on 406 MHz - Operational and performance requirements, methods of testing and required test results
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023
• Revises: IEC 61097-2:2008 - Global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) - Part 2: COSPAS-SARSAT EPIRB - Satellite emergency position indicating radio beacon operating on 406 MHz - Operational and performance requirements, methods of testing and required test results
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 61097-2 ®
Edition 4.0 2021-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) –
Part 2: Cospas-Sarsat EPIRB – Emergency position indicating radio beacon
operating on 406 MHz – Operational and performance requirements, methods of
testing and required test results
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC
copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or
your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

IEC Central Office Tel.: [phone]
3, rue de Varembé [e-mail]
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.

About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.

IEC publications search - webstore.iec.ch/advsearchform IEC online collection - oc.iec.ch
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a Discover our powerful search engine and read freely all the
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical publications previews. With a subscription you will always
committee, …). It also gives information on projects, replaced have access to up to date content tailored to your needs.
and withdrawn publications.
Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
The world's leading online dictionary on electrotechnology,
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published
containing more than 22 000 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and
and French, with equivalent terms in 18 additional languages.
once a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary

(IEV) online.
IEC Customer Service Centre - webstore.iec.ch/csc

If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or
need further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: [e-mail].
IEC 61097-2 ®
Edition 4.0 2021-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) –

Part 2: Cospas-Sarsat EPIRB – Emergency position indicating radio beacon

operating on 406 MHz – Operational and performance requirements, methods of

testing and required test results

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 47.020.70 ISBN 978-2-8322-9925-8

– 2 – IEC 61097-2:2021 © IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 7
1 Scope . 9
2 Normative references . 9
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 11
3.1 Terms and definitions . 11
3.2 Abbreviated terms . 11
4 Performance requirements. 11
4.1 Compliance . 11
4.2 General . 12
4.3 Operational . 14
4.3.1 Prevention of inadvertent activation . 14
4.3.2 Immersion, buoyancy and drop into water . 14
4.3.3 Activation . 14
4.3.4 Self-test . 14
4.3.5 Colour and retro-reflecting material. 16
4.3.6 Lanyard . 16
4.3.7 Exposure to the marine environment . 17
4.3.8 Ergonomics . 17
4.3.9 Indication of insufficient battery energy . 18
4.4 Control and indicator functions . 18
4.4.1 Control functions . 18
4.4.2 Indicator functions . 18
4.5 Float-free arrangements . 19
4.5.1 General . 19
4.5.2 External power or data connection . 19
4.5.3 Ability to check the automatic release . 19
4.5.4 Manual release . 20
4.6 Environment for EPIRB . 20
4.6.1 General . 20
4.6.2 Temperature and icing . 20
4.6.3 Wind speed . 20
4.6.4 Stowage . 20
4.6.5 Shock, vibration and other environmental conditions. 20
4.7 Environment for float-free arrangement . 20
4.8 Interference – Electromagnetic compatibility . 21
4.9 Maintenance . 21
4.10 Safety precautions . 21
4.11 Equipment manuals . 22
4.12 Labelling . 23
4.12.1 Equipment labelling . 23
4.12.2 Float-free arrangement labelling . 24
4.12.3 Battery labelling . 24
4.13 Installation . 24
5 Technical characteristics . 24
5.1 Transmitted frequency . 24
5.2 Signal and message format . 24
5.3 Distress message memory . 25

5.4 Beacon identification code . 25
5.5 121,5 MHz homing signal . 25
5.6 AIS locating signal . 26
5.7 GNSS receiver and position reporting . 27
5.8 RLS . 27
5.8.1 RLS capability . 27
5.8.2 RLS self-test . 27
5.9 Power source . 28
5.9.1 General . 28
5.9.2 Battery life and expiry date . 28
5.9.3 Expiry date indication . 28
5.9.4 Reverse polarity protection . 28
5.10 Antenna characteristics . 29
6 Methods of testing and required test results . 29
6.1 General . 29
6.1.1 Purpose . 29
6.1.2 Type approval of EPIRBs operating in the Cospas-Sarsat system . 29
6.1.3 Power supply . 30
6.1.4 Warm-up period . 30
6.1.5 Instructions . 30
6.1.6 Additional facilities . 30
6.1.7 Audible and visual indications . 30
6.1.8 Preparation of EPIRB for type-approval testing . 30
6.1.9 Test conditions . 30
6.1.10 Test sequence . 31
6.1.11 Performance check . 31
6.1.12 Performance test . 31
6.2 General tests . 32
6.2.1 EPIRB . 32
6.2.2 Float-free arrangements . 32
6.3 Operational tests . 33
6.3.1 Prevention of inadvertent activation . 33
6.3.2 Immersion, buoyancy and drop into water . 33
6.3.3 Activation . 34
6.3.4 Self-test . 36
6.3.5 Exterior, colour and retro-reflecting material . 37
6.3.6 Lanyard . 37
6.3.7 Exposure to marine environment . 37
6.3.8 Ergonomics . 38
6.3.9 Indication of insufficient battery energy . 38
6.4 Control and indicator functions . 38
6.5 Float-free arrangements . 39
6.5.1 Release . 39
6.5.2 Test to prevent release when sea water washes over the unit . 39
6.5.3 Construction materials . 39
6.5.4 External power or data connection . 39
6.5.5 Ability to check the automatic release . 39
6.5.6 Manual release . 39
6.6 Environment . 39

– 4 – IEC 61097-2:2021 © IEC 2021
6.6.1 Temperature . 40
6.6.2 Icing . 40
6.6.3 Wind speed . 40
6.6.4 Stowage . 40
6.6.5 Shock, vibration and other environmental conditions. 40
6.7 Environment for float-free arrangement . 40
6.8 Interference – Electromagnetic compatibility . 40
6.9 Maintenance . 40
6.10 Safety precautions . 40
6.11 Equipment manuals . 40
6.12 Labelling . 41
6.12.1 Equipment labelling . 41
6.12.2 Float-free arrangement labelling . 41
6.12.3 Battery labelling . 41
6.13 Installation . 41
6.14 Technical characteristics . 41
6.14.1 406 MHz signal characteristics . 41
6.14.2 121,5 MHz homing signal. 41
6.14.3 AIS locating signal . 41
6.14.4 GNSS receiver and position reporting . 41
6.14.5 RLS . 42
6.15 Power source . 42
6.15.1 Battery capacity test . 42
6.15.2 Expiry date indication . 43
6.15.3 Reverse polarity protection . 43
6.15.4 User-replaceable battery . 43
6.16 Antenna characteristics . 43
6.17 Environment . 43
6.17.1 General . 43
6.17.2 Dry heat cycle, of IEC 60945 . 43
6.17.3 Damp heat cycle, of IEC 60945 . 44
6.17.4 Low-temperature cycle, of IEC 60945 . 44
6.17.5 Thermal shock tests. 44
6.17.6 Drop test for portable equipment, of IEC 60945 . 44
6.17.7 Vibration test, of IEC 60945 . 45
6.17.8 Ruggedness test . 45
6.17.9 Immersion test, of IEC 60945. 45
6.17.10 Solar radiation test, of IEC 60945 . 46
6.17.11 Oil resistance test, of IEC 60945 . 46
6.17.12 Corrosion test, of IEC 60945 . 46
6.18 Interference testing . 46
6.19 Spurious emissions . 46
6.20 Compass safe distance . 47
6.21 Conducted interference . 47
Annex A (normative) Sequence of tests . 48
A.1 Compulsory sequence of tests . 48
A.2 Additional tests . 49
Annex B (normative) Internal and external navigation devices GNSS receivers . 50
B.1 General . 50

B.2 External navigation devices . 50
B.3 Internal navigation receivers . 51
B.4 Internal navigation device tests . 52
B.4.1 General . 52
B.4.2 Test description . 52
B.4.3 Test facility requirements, test set-up and calibration . 54
B.4.4 Method of measurement . 59
B.4.5 Required results . 59
B.4.6 Test results. 60
Annex C (normative) Standards for an EPIRB without a float-free mechanism . 63
C.1 Requirements . 63
C.2 Tests . 64
Annex D (normative) Technical standards for 121,5 MHz homing device . 65
D.1 General . 65
D.2 Performance requirements . 65
D.3 Technical characteristics . 65
D.4 Methods of testing and required test results . 66
D.4.1 General . 66
D.4.2 Carrier frequency . 66
D.4.3 Peak effective radiated power . 66
D.4.4 Off-ground plane radiated power test . 67
D.4.5 Transmitter duty cycle . 68
D.4.6 Modulation characteristics . 68
Annex E (normative) AIS locating signal specification . 72
E.1 General . 72
E.2 Performance characteristics . 72
E.2.1 Requirement . 72
E.2.2 Interoperability . 72
E.2.3 Operational functions . 72
E.2.4 Unique identifier (user ID) . 73
E.2.5 AIS and other EPIRB transmissions . 73
E.2.6 Output power . 73
E.2.7 Transmission performance . 73
E.2.8 Position source and data . 76
E.3 Technical characteristics . 76
E.3.1 Transmitter requirements and characteristics . 76
E.3.2 Link layer requirements . 76
E.4 Performance tests . 77
E.4.1 General . 77
E.4.2 Performance requirements . 77
E.4.3 Preparation of the EPIRB for testing . 77
E.4.4 Test signals . 78
E.4.5 Modes of operation of the transmitter. 78
E.5 Physical radio tests . 78
E.5.1 General . 78
E.5.2 On-ground plane radiated power . 78
E.5.3 Off-ground plane radiated power. 79
E.6 Link layer tests . 79
E.7 GNSS self-test mode tests . 80

– 6 – IEC 61097-2:2021 © IEC 2021
E.7.1 General . 80
E.7.2 Transmission with GNSS data available . 80
E.7.3 Transmission without GNSS data available . 80
Annex F (informative) Symbols . 81
Annex G (informative) IEC 61162-1 RLM sentence notes . 84
Bibliography . 86

Figure 1 – Hand sizes . 17
Figure 2 – AIS and 121,5 MHz signal interleaving . 26
Figure B.1 – Test set-up . 56
Figure B.2 – Calibration set-up . 57
Figure D.1 – Spurious emission mask for 121,5 MHz signal . 70
Figure D.2 – Typical modulation waveforms . 71

Table 1 – EPIRB control functions . 12
Table 2 – Effective luminous intensity . 35
Table 3 – Radiant intensity . 36
Table B.1 – Maritime scenarios . 54
Table B.2 – G values . 58
Pol
Table B.3 – Maritime scenarios test results . 61
Table B.4 – Maritime scenarios results analysis . 61
Table B.5 – Pass/Fail analysis . 62

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
GLOBAL MARITIME DISTRESS AND SAFETY SYSTEM (GMDSS) –

Part 2: Cospas-Sarsat EPIRB – Emergency position
indicating radio beacon operating on 406 MHz –
Operational and performance requirements,
methods of testing and required test results

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC Publication(s)”). Their
preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with
may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising
with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between
any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of patent
rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 61097-2 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 80: Maritime navigation and
radiocommunication equipment and systems. It is an International Standard.
This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition published in 2008. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) revision of the Scope to incorporate new IMO performance standards published in 2019;
b) addition of requirements and tests for second generation beacons designed for operation
with the Cospas-Sarsat medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellation;
c) addition of an AIS locating device, a night vision light and an optional return link service
(RLS);
– 8 – IEC 61097-2:2021 © IEC 2021
d) reduction of the minimum duty cycle of the 121,5 MHz homing signal;
e) addition of requirements for an internal GNSS receiver including a related range of
additional GNSS tests in Annex B;
f) inclusion of a new Clause 3 for terms, definitions and abbreviated terms;
g) addition of a new Annex E for the AIS locating signal specification, a new Annex F for
symbols and a new Annex G for IEC 61162-1 RLM sentence notes;
h) deletion of the original Annex E which is now of historic interest.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
80/999/FDIS 80/1002/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/standardsdev/publications.
A list of all parts in the IEC 61097 series, published under the general title Global maritime
distress and safety system (GMDSS), can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
GLOBAL MARITIME DISTRESS AND SAFETY SYSTEM (GMDSS) –

Part 2: Cospas-Sarsat EPIRB – Emergency position
indicating radio beacon operating on 406 MHz –
Operational and performance requirements,
methods of testing and required test results

1 Scope
This part of IEC 61097 specifies the minimum performance requirements, technical
characteristics and type-testing requirements of the emergency position-indicating radio beacon
used in the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system (EPIRB), as required by the International
Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) as amended, and which is associated with
IEC 60945. When a requirement in this document is different from the requirements in
IEC 60945 or other standards, the requirement in this document takes precedence.
This document incorporates the performance standards of IMO Resolution MSC.471(101), the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Radio Regulations as well as the technical
characteristics for such transmitters contained in Recommendation ITU-R M.633, and takes
account of the general requirements contained in IMO Resolution A.694(17).
This document also includes minimum performance standards for a non-float-free EPIRB
without float-free release mechanism (see Annex C).
NOTE 1 Although a number of the requirements and tests can be similar, this document is not intended to be used
with 406 MHz ship security alert system (SSAS) beacons.
All texts of this document, whose wording is identical to that in the IMO Resolutions A.662(16),
A.694(17), and MSC.471(101) will be printed in italics and the Resolution/Recommendation and
paragraph number indicated between brackets.
NOTE 2 Classes of EPIRBs considered in this document are:
– Class 0: Category 1 Float-free (−55 °C to +70 °C). The float-free release mechanism (A.662(16)) is capable of
operating throughout the temperature range of −30 °C to +65 °C and of surviving a stowage temperature range
of −55 °C to +70 °C.
– Class 1: Category 1 Float-free (−40 °C to +55 °C). The float-free release mechanism (A.662(16)) is capable of
operating throughout the temperature range of −30 °C to +65 °C and of surviving a stowage temperature range
of −40 °C to +65 °C.
These classes are not required by IMO Resolutions but can be applied at the discretion of each Administration.
– Class 2: Category 1 Float-free (−20 °C to +55 °C). The float-free release mechanism (A.662(16)) is capable of
being stowed and of operating throughout the temperature range of −30 °C to +65 °C.
NOTE 3 Category 2 Non float-free, EPIRBs in all classes are considered in Annex C.
NOTE 4 All classes include a 121,5 MHz homing device, described in Annex D.
NOTE 5 All classes include an AIS locating signal, described in Annex E.
NOTE 6 All classes include beacon position data, obtained from a navigation device internal to the EPIRB and can
also provide an external navigation input as described in Annex B.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
– 10 – IEC 61097-2:2021 © IEC 2021
IEC 60945:2002, Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems –
General Requirements – Methods of testing and required test results
IEC 61097-14:2010, Global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) – Part 14: AIS
search and rescue transmitter (AIS-SART) – Operational and performance requirements,
methods of testing and required test results
IEC 61108-1, Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems – Global
navigation satellite systems (GNSS) – Part 1: Global positioning system (GPS) – Receiver
equipment – Performance standards, methods of testing and required test results
IEC 61108-2, Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems – Global
navigation satellite systems (GNSS) – Part 2: Global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) –
Receiver equipment – Performance standards, methods of testing and required test results
IEC 61108-3, Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems – Global
navigation satellite systems (GNSS) – Part 3: Galileo receiver equipment – Performance
requirements, methods of testing and required test results
IEC 61108-5:2020, Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems –
Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) – Part 5: BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS)
– Receiver equipment – Performance requirements, methods of testing and required test results
ISO 15734, Ships and marine technology – Hydrostatic release units
IMO Resolution A.658(16), Use and fitting of retro-reflective materials on life-saving appliances
IMO Resolution A.662(16), Performance standards for float-free release and activation
arrangements for emergency radio equipment
IMO Resolution A.694(17), General requirements for shipborne radio equipment forming part of
the global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) and for electronic navigational aids
IMO Resolution MSC.48(66):1996, Adoption of the International life-saving appliance (LSA)
code, as amended by IMO Resolutions MSC.207(81), MSC.218(82) and MSC.272(85)
IMO Resolution MSC.471(101):2019, Performance standards for float-free emergency position-
indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) operating on 406 MHz
ITU Radio Regulations
ITU-R Recommendation M.585, Assignment and use of identities in the maritime mobile service
ITU-R Recommendation M.1371-5:2014, Technical characteristics for an automatic
identification system using time-division multiple access in the VHF maritime mobile band
Cospas-Sarsat
C/S T.001, Specification for Cospas-Sarsat 406 MHz Distress Beacons
C/S T.007, Cospas-Sarsat 406 MHz Distress Beacon Type Approval Standard
C/S T.012, Cospas-Sarsat 406 MHz Frequency Management Plan
C/S T.018, Specification for Second-Generation Cospas-Sarsat 406 MHz Distress Beacons
C/S T.021, Cospas-Sarsat Second Generation 406 MHz Distress Beacon Type Approval
Standard
United Nations, Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods: Manual of Tests and
th
Criteria, 7 Revised Edition, PART III, Section 38.3 (ST/SG/AC.10/11/Rev.7), as amended

3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1.1
Hex ID
hexadecimal characters that uniquely identify each 406 MHz beacon
Note 1 to entry: First generation beacons use 15 hexadecimal characters. Second generation beacons use 23
hexadecimal characters.
3.2 Abbreviated terms
AIS automatic identification system
AIS 1 channel 2087 (161,975 MHz)
AIS 2 channel 2088 (162,025 MHz)
COG course over ground
EIRP effective isotropic radiated power
EPIRB emergency position-indicating radio beacon
FGB first generation beacon
GNSS global navigation satellite system
PERP peak effective radiated power
RLM return link message
RLS return link service
RF radio frequency
SGB second generation beacon
SOG speed over ground
SOTDMA self-organizing time division multiple access
TTFF time to first fix
TTFFT time to first fix transmission (that is the time until the first GNSS fix is encoded
into and transmitted in a 406 MHz signal)
UTC coordinated universal time

4 Performance requirements
4.1 Compliance
(MSC.471(101)/A.1) The emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) shall, in
addition to meeting the requirements of the Radio Regulations, the relevant ITU-R
Recommendations and the general requirements set out in resolution A.694(17) comply with
the performance standards given in MSC.471(101).

– 12 – IEC 61097-2:2021 © IEC 2021
In addition to MSC.471(101) the EPIRB shall also comply with the applicable requirements in
either Cospas-Sarsat documents C/S T.001, and C/S T.012 or Cospas-Sarsat document C/S
T.018.
NOTE Compliance with documents C/S T.001 or C/S T.018 is demonstrated by testing to documents C/S T.007 or
C/S T.021 respectively (see 6.1.2).
The radio frequency of operation of the equipment shall at all times be within the limits defined
by the Radio Regulations.
4.2 General
(See 6.1.6, 6.2.1, 6.2.2, 6.3.2, 6.3.4 and 6.3.7)
The following are general requirements for the EPIRB.
a) The EPIRB shall be (SOLAS IV/7.1.6.3) ready to be manually released and capable to be
carried by one person into a survival craft.
b) (MSC.471(101)/A.2.1) The EPIRB shall be capable of transmitting a distress alert,
including encoded position information from a receiver using a recognised global navigation
satellite system (GNSS) with global coverage, to
...