Performance Standards of SART (Video Lesson)

1. The SART should:
   1.1 be easily activated by unskilled personnel
   1.2 be equipped with means to prevent inadvertent activation
   1.3 have a visual or audible means to indicate correct operation and alert survivors to radar triggering
   1.4 be manually activated and deactivated, with automatic activation as an option
   1.5 indicate standby condition
   1.6 withstand drops from a 20m height into the water without damage
   1.7 be watertight at a depth of 10m for at least 5 minutes
   1.8 maintain water tightness when subjected to a thermal shock of 45°C under specified conditions of immersion
   1.9 Be capable of floating if not an integral part of the survival craft
   1.10 be equipped with a buoyant lanyard suitable for use as a tether if capable of floating
   1.11 not be unduly affected by seawater or oil
   1.12 be resistant to deterioration in prolonged exposure to sunlight
   1.13 have a highly visible yellow/orange color on all surfaces which will assist detection
   1.14 have a smooth external construction to avoid damaging the survival craft
   1.15 be provided with a pole or other arrangement compatible with the antenna pocket in a survival craft
2. The SART should have:
   2.1 sufficient battery capacity to operate in standby condition for 96 hours
   2.2 sufficient battery capacity to provide transponder transmissions for 8 hours when being continuously interrogated with a pulse repetition frequency of 1kHz following the standby period

   

3. The installed SART antenna should be at least 1m above sea level.
4. The vertical polar diagram of the antenna and hydrodynamic characteristics of the device should permit the SART to respond to search radars under heavy swell conditions. The polar diagram of the antenna should be substantially omnidirectional in the horizontal plane. Horizontal polarisation should be used for transmission and reception.
5. The SART should operate correctly when: 5.1 Interrogated at a distance of up to at least 5 nautical miles by a navigational radar complying with resolutions A.477(XII) and A.222(VII), with an antenna height of 15m 5.2 Interrogated at a distance of up to 30 nautical miles by an airborne radar with at least 10kW peak output power at a height of 3000ft
6. The exterior of the equipment should indicate:
   6.1 Brief operating instructions
   6.2 Expiry date for the primary battery used

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