Digital Angel has announced that it has received a significant order through its Signature Industries subsidiary from exclusive Swedish distributor Cordland Marine AB. Digital Angel will initially supply 600 of the new McMurdo FASTFIND MAX G Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) to KSAB, part of the Swedish private pilots association, KSAK (Kungliga Svenska Aeroklubben).
As of July 1, 2008, it will become compulsory for pilots of aircraft up to 2000kg to carry a PLB in Sweden. Cordland expects to place further orders before the end of the year.
KSAB chose the McMurdo FASTFIND MAX G PLB after a thorough evaluation of all the PLBs on the market. KSAB is owned by KSAK, the Royal Swedish Aeroclub, which is the national organization for all clubs and associations for non-commercial flights in Sweden. Cordland Marine, one of Sweden's leading suppliers of communication and safety equipment, has worked closely with KSAB on the deal.
The FASTFIND MAX G features a maximum 48-hour operational battery life from activation, operating at temperatures as low as -20degreesC. The MAX G can be registered by any individual user such as private pilot, as a safeguard against life threatening incidents that could occur anywhere in the world, over land or ditching into the sea.
Once activated the MAX G transmits a unique identification signal along with the user's current position via the Cospas-Sarsat international search and rescue satellite system on 406MHz/121.5MHz. The signal is passed to regional search and rescue authorities who can rapidly get to the scene.
Easily user-replaceable battery packs have a five-year storage life. FASTFIND MAX G's integral 12-channel GPS navigation receiver gives a typical positional accuracy of +/- 62 metres and new position updates every 20 minutes, significantly reducing the normal search area down from a 28sq nm area, with a clear view skyward. It also has a visual indication of GPS position acquisition.
