NOAA is proud to announce that the National Beacon Registration Database for U.S. coded beacons is available online! Certified NOAA ENC Value Added Distributors (CEVAD). These charts are updated weekly and include all of the latest Notice to Mariners corrections. Silver Spring, MD 20910. U.S. residents are now able to purchase, register, and use your PLB anywhere in the United States. NOAA maintains more than 1,000 NOAA ENC ® datasets over U.S. coastal waters and the Great Lakes In the United States, PLBs have only been permitted for use in Alaska since 1994 under an experimental program. Originally designed for large commercial vessels using a sophisticated navigational computer called an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), ENCs are now also being used on simpler electronic chart systems and “chart plotters” on many types of ships and by recreational boaters. Or you may email your question to the Beacon Registration Staff. Where are Personal Locator Beacons being sold?

PLB users should familiarize themselves with proper testing and operating procedures to mitigate against false activation. JPSS satellites circle the Earth from pole-to-pole and cross the equator 14 times daily allowing for full global coverage twice a day. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers produces a similar product, called Inland ENC (IENC) for many U.S. rivers. Several countries have permitted the use of 406 MHz PLBs since their development in the 1990's.
GOES-16; Digital Elevation Models; NWLON and PORTS; Climate Data Record (CDR) Register your beacon at our online registration website:  http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov, For Additional Information Call NOAA/SARSAT at:  1-888-212-SAVE (7283), Real Time Cospas-Sarsat Satellite Tracking. Have other countries permitted the use of the 406 MHz PLBs? Certified NOAA ENC Value Added Distributors (CEVAD), provide reformatted System Electronic Navigational Chart (SENC) data that may be ingested directly into an ECDIS. Adobe Reader is required to both view and print these forms.

Commissioned Personnel Center Directory. Or, fax the signed form to NOAA at 301-817-4565. When a distress signal is activated, NOAA satellites transmit the signal to ground stations around the world, alerting search and rescuers. The NOAA Weekly Chart Updates page shows the areas that have changed on each ENC since its last new edition was published.

It was in part due to the success of the PLB program in Alaska in which over 250 individuals have been rescued that the FCC granted the authorization of PLBs for use nationwide. As well, the user should be aware that he/she is wasting valuable rescue resources that may also be pulling the team away from a legitimate distress. If you do not have a beacon coded for these areas you cannot register your beacon with NOAA. The online registration capability is a significant advantage to beacon owners. NOAA therefore encourages all PLB users to be acutely aware of the responsibility that comes with owning this device.

ENCs are produced around the world by many different countries’ national hydrographic or charting agencies.