EPIRB Class A is characterized by

EPIRB Class A is characterized by

• A. 121.5/243 MHz Float-free, automatically activating, Coverage limited
• B. 121.5/243 MHz Manually activated
• C. VHF Channel 70 Manually activated
• D. 406 MHz beacon

Answer: (A)

The key idea is how EPIRB Class A behaves and what frequencies it uses. Class A beacons are designed to float free from the vessel and activate automatically when they touch water. They transmit on the 121.5/243 MHz distress bands, which are used for homing and local SAR work rather than global satellite alerting. Because the alerting system relies on 406 MHz for global coverage, the 121.5/243 frequencies provide limited, local detection and direction-finding, hence “coverage limited.” So the description that matches this combination—121.5/243 MHz, float-free, automatically activating, with coverage limited—best captures the characteristics of EPIRB Class A. The other statements describe manually activated units, different channels, or 406 MHz beacons, which do not fit Class A.

The key idea is how EPIRB Class A behaves and what frequencies it uses. Class A beacons are designed to float free from the vessel and activate automatically when they touch water. They transmit on the 121.5/243 MHz distress bands, which are used for homing and local SAR work rather than global satellite alerting. Because the alerting system relies on 406 MHz for global coverage, the 121.5/243 frequencies provide limited, local detection and direction-finding, hence “coverage limited.”

So the description that matches this combination—121.5/243 MHz, float-free, automatically activating, with coverage limited—best captures the characteristics of EPIRB Class A. The other statements describe manually activated units, different channels, or 406 MHz beacons, which do not fit Class A.