Personal Locator Beacons (PLB)
Personal Locator Beacons (PLB) mean radio equipment intended for personal use that attract attention in certain emergencies. PLBs require a licence.
Personal locator beacons or PLBs work similarly to and on the same frequencies as emergency beacons on vessels and aircraft (EPIRB and ELT). PLBs send out a distress signal via Cospas-Sarsat satellites in the 406 MHz band. In addition, PLBs usually send out a direction signal at 121.5 MHz, which is the VHF aircraft emergency frequency.
The only purpose of such direction signal is to help locate the emergency beacon in search operations. A PLB requires a radio licence and a unique identification code. You can apply for the radio licence via the e-service below. After you have received the licence, send Traficom the details of the contact person(s) in emergency situations via the contact form.
If the PLB is used as an aircraft emergency locator transmitter, you can submit the aircraft information to the aircraft emergency locator transmitter register using the form below or by sending a registration notification for the emergency transmitter (PLB) by email to elt@traficom.fi