121.5 coverage
Most of the talk above has totally missed the point about 121.5 coverage, the coverage is total over most of the world simply because almost everywhere there will be an airliner in the cruise at FL300+ monitoring 121.5.
When an airliner crew hears a distress call on 121.5 they will relay the call to the ATS unit they are working.
My advice is that if you do find yourself about to ditch, turn your GPS to the mode that displays the radial and distance from the nearest VOR/DME and transmit the radial & distance and that you are about to ditch, a position report in this format it unlikely to be misunderstood by an airline crew and can be put into the FMS of a rescue helicopter in seconds to get help to you as fast as posable.
(If I was to hear such a message when in an airliner I would put is onto the fix page of my FMS to record it. If I was in a light aircraft and near the location I would put it into the user waypoints of the GPS and if I could try to get to the location to help direct the rescue helicopter by locating and keeping the people in sight.)
Your last transmission can be as low as fifty feet and the very accurate position report will be with the authority's within seconds via a relay from an airliner the problem is then close range conspicuity for that you need a PLB, flares & a sea marker to enable the helicopter crew to locate you quickly.
The aim of the game is to take the search out of search & rescue.
Last edited by A and C; 25th Jul 2013 at 10:41.