The Jakarta Post, January 09, 2007
Weak receivers meant Adam Air distress call detected by S'pore
Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The distress signal sent out by the missing Adam Air airliner was picked up by
receivers in Singapore because the system's satellite had moved out of the area and
Indonesia's receivers were less accurate to detect the signal, an official said Monday.
The airplane, which vanished on Jan. 1, sent a distress signal using its Emergency
Locator Beacon Aircraft (ELBA).
Indonesia's receivers were all working at the time, but because of their limited range
the satellite's signal was picked up by Singapore, which then relayed it to the
Indonesian authorities.
"According to the International Satellite System of Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided
Tracking database in Canada, our devices have been working well," Budhi Harjoto, a
spokesman for the National Search and Rescue Agency, told The Jakarta Post.
"What happened was that the satellite for the system had orbited out of our territory
and the Singapore locator happened to receive the signal. This is normal operating
procedure as registered members have to help each other," said Budhi.
Transportation Minister Hatta Rajasa had previously said that the local ELBA receiver
system, which is also known as the Emergency Locator Transmitter, was
malfunctioning before the Adam Air accident but later retracted the statement.
It is now too late to use the airplane's distress beacon to locate the plane as the
beacon's battery only lasts for two days.
The satellite-based system locates aircraft using radio signals that are automatically
emitted during an emergency.
"The system is set up so that countries who have it will inform each other during
emergencies. The satellite rescue system is available in over 30 countries," he added.
Budhi said that ELBA receivers in Indonesia -- located at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in
Tangerang, overseeing West Indonesia, and Pattimura Airport in Ambon for East
Indonesia, had their drawbacks.
"We still use devices with the 121.5 MHz frequency, which is a manual system. We
have plans to run devices on the 406 MHz frequency, a more accurate but expensive
digital system, by 2009," he said.
On Feb. 1, 2009, the main satellite for aided tracking will only process signals using
the 406 MHz frequency, so all airports using the system will have to upgrade.
The 121.5 MHz frequency can provide coverage of 73 percent of the earth's surface,
while the digital 406 MHz frequency has a coverage area of 83 percent.
Regionally, Hong Kong, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia
operate the digital system.
The emergency locator was first developed after an airplane carrying two U.S.
Congressmen vanished in Alaska in 1972.
The system is also used to locate missing sea vessels and individuals. Ships are
equipped with Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons, while individuals use
the Personal Locator Beacon.
The satellite tracking system, which is based in Montreal, Canada, has helped in the
rescues of more than 20,531 people in over 5,752 incidents worldwide.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Azwar Annas, a lawmaker from Commission V overseeing
transportation, said that the House of Representatives had agreed to allocate Rp 1
trillion (US$111 million) this year to the air transportation sector to help improve safety
measures. (06)
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
|
