Agencies around the world rely on Chelton’s Direction Finding systems. Shouldn’t yours?

When you call the emergency services on land, the despatcher determines your location in just a few seconds thanks to your phone’s internal GPS and the location information available on the cellular network. However, what happens when there is an emergency at sea, in the middle of the desert or in the height of the mountains, where a GPS position cannot be determined?

For many years, GPS has been labelled as the answer to many Search and Rescue (SAR) crew needs. However, it’s no longer enough to simply rely on GPS for these missions. There are multiple beacons still in service across the world working on a variety of legacy frequencies. If SAR equipment doesn’t cater for all instances or frequencies, then some emergencies could take longer to get to or even missed altogether – giving no peace of mind to the rescuer.

Chelton’s Direction Finding (DF) systems operate on, and are certified for, use on both legacy and modern beacons. Is the only system that can provide true peace of mind for search and rescue crews. Future proofed so that newer beacons are detectable, while not forgetting the legacy ones still in use.

Chelton has heritage in DF, delivering equipment for over 60 years to guide both civil and combat SAR crews. With Chelton DF on your team, searches are more efficient, more accurate and faster; all critical when you are up against the clock in harsh environments.

Here’s why agencies around the world rely on and select their essential equipment from Chelton’s DF family:

Extended range minus the SWaP sacrifice
Chelton’s antenna experts focus designs on optimal RF performance without sacrificing size, weight and power; that’s why our DF family offers the best performance-to-drag ratio with the lowest amount of airframe protrusion combined with the largest frequency range. The design of Chelton’s 935 Direction Finding Antenna has been proven in a customer trial to have had 3 X the range detection when compared to competitor systems.
Conformal options are available in the market, but the reality is that this is only ever a reasonable solution for platforms at the beginning of the design and not for existing helis in operation.

Broader Frequency Coverage
Chelton’s DF family can cover up to nine different frequencies with the ability to monitor six simultaneously, giving you confidence in your aircraft’s ability to locate beacons. This includes Tactical VHF, Marine Distress and COSPAS-SARSAT depending on the application and requirements of your platform.

Flexibility
The Chelton DF family offers flexibility in both operation and installation. The DF family is configurable for both SAR and Combat SAR because of the broader frequency coverage; making it easy to use for however your agency needs to – whether that’s marine bands for coastguard rescue or tactical VHF for mountainous terrain.

So why should your Search and Rescue team switch to Chelton’s DF systems? Thanks to our large install base, Chelton know exactly how best to install a DF system based on your platform and your requirements. Our rich antenna expertise and advanced modelling techniques ensures we can offer different plinth options to ensure protrusion is as low as possible while still functional at all altitudes.

Agencies around the world rely on Chelton’s DF for lifesaving missions. From the lightest utility helicopters to the largest military transport jets, Chelton’s DF family is used by many commercial and military platforms across a diverse set of agencies including coastguard, emergency services and military agencies.

Why not add yourself to that distinguished list? 

Find out more at chelton.com/DF.