Equipment

The equipment used by Project Lifesaver is made by Locator Systems of Canada.

It consists of three main parts:

1. transmitter (and battery)
2. directional / omni-directional antennae
3. Osprey HR-2600 VHF receiver

The 216 MHz frequency has been assigned to Project Lifesaver / LoJack SafetyNet by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for law enforcement tracking of persons.

Client Locator Transmitter
Features:
- Waterproof
- Battery has been bench-tested to last 45 days. Project Lifesaver policy requires battery change every 30 days
- Digital ID for additional client verification
- Ergonomic design
- Impact resistant polycarbonate plastic housing
- FCC and Industry Canada approved. FCC ID: TKE0902

Antenna Options
- Lightweight Yagi locator antennae with pistol-grip ergonomic handle
- Car mount Omni-directional antennae

HR2600 Osprey Receiver
Features:
- Waterproof (in up to 6 ft of water for 30 minutes)
- Digital receiver, lock on to frequency
- Separate gain and volume control
- Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (up to 70 hr battery life)
- 4 MHz bandwidth to address potential HDTV issues
- 9 volt auxiliary battery back up (up to 20 hr battery life)
- Receiver is backwards-compatible with existing Project Lifesaver transmitters
- 2 MB onboard memory
- 1/8" headphone jack
- download search data for after action analysis
- FCC and Industry Canada approved. FCC ID: TKE2600, Industry Canada certification: 6123A-HR2600

Radio vs. GPS
GPS is the most accurate navigation system in the world, but the navigation signals are very weak and can be difficult to locate in blocked environments. The clients that are registered with Project Lifesaver do not exhibit traditional lost person characteristics and often do not realize they are, in fact, lost. Oftentimes, they will wander into areas where GPS signal penetration is very poor such as underground parking, dense bush or inside structures.

The transmitter used by Project Lifesaver has an approximate 1.5 km range under ideal conditions. The transmitter uses pulse carrier wave frequency technology to emit a signal once every second. The receiver and antennae are used to detect the signal and then to physically locate the transmitter worn by the client.