Test and evaluation of the Satellite-Aided Maritime Search and Rescue System (SAMSARS). Volume 1: System description and test results

The Satellite-Aided Maritime Search and Rescue System (SAMSARS) project development is described. A float-free Emergency Position-indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) buoy with 1 to 5 watts of output power is used. Distress information is translated into a spread spectrum signal. The SAMSARS EPIRB signal is designed to be relayed through a maritime commercial satellite (NMARSAT) to a coast at each station. There the signal is processed in the SAMSARS receiver to recover message data. The events leading to the SAMSARS conception, the formation of the concept test period CTP, and the SAMSARS performance during the CTP are examined. A summary description of SAMSARS experimental EPIRB, system capacity computations, ocean wave-induced Doppler effects and CTP Phase 3, 4, and 5 test results is included.