The Distress Alerting and Locating System (DALS). Summary of Development and Documentation.

摘要

This report documents the evolution of a Distress Alerting and Locating System (DALS) based on the retransmission of radio navigational aid signals. This equipment,developed from balloon tracking and meterological data gathering equipment manufactured by Beukers Laboratories,progressed through a test and development cycle culminating in a system that could:automatically alert search and rescue forces of a distress situation;identify the distressed vessel;automatically indicate the distress site location to within 1/2mile;automatically plot the distressed vessel's location;track multiple vessels simultaneously;and operate at extended ranges by using aircraft-mounted telemetry equipment. Ancillary developments include a VHF-FM marine-band distress beacon whose radio signal includes identification information, a plasma-display-based SAR Command and Control Console,and techniques for narrow-band retransmission of the Omega navigation system signals over a telemetry link. Budgetary limitations and cost effectiveness studies resulted in termination of the DALS development prior to installation and testing of an operational system. (Author)