Life Saver Beacons have never been more reliable!
Automatic Identification System (AIS) equipment used in a marine environment has to comply with a range of technical specifications and standards to ensure that the equipment is safe and will withstand everything this environment throws at it.
AIS is an automated tracking system used on ships and by Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) for identifying and locating vessels by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships and VTS stations. AIS information supplements marine radar, which continues to be the primary method of collision avoidance for water transport.
TÜV SÜD’s engineers put under test a new generation of AIS personal safety beacons produced by McMurdo, a leading provider of marine safety and emergency location beacon products, in order to prove their reliability in different working conditions. Our specialist marine radio and beacon testing laboratory in Fareham, Hampshire is fully equipped to conduct every type of EMC, Environmental, Safety and RF testing typically included in a beacon test programme, all under one roof.
About the product:
McMurdo’s new Smartfind S10 AIS beacon, an innovative personnel/crew recovery device, provides essential information about people who find themselves in difficulty at sea. Using AIS technology, together with the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Smartfind S10 transmits target survivor and position information, which is frequently updated to allow the speedy recovery of personnel in trouble.
About the tests:
This new generation of personal beacons incorporates both AIS and GPS technology and underwent a strict regime of controlled tests, led by TÜV SÜD’s team of environmental specialists. The comprehensive test programme was developed to prove the product’s reliability in many different working conditions and included simulations of dry heat, low temperature, immersion, a drop onto a hard surface and activation when the product is in contact with water.
The results of the tests showed compliance to IEC 61097:14: 2010, an international global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) standard for AIS Search and Rescue Transponders (SARTs). The beacons can operate following an immersion (sealing depth) down to 60 metres and across an operational temperature range of -20oC to + 55oC. Test results also showed a possible storage temperature from -30oC to +70oC.
Operational and performance requirements were fully met and Smartfind S1O beacons proved that they could be trusted.
