Old beacon at dump sparks rescue mission

Rescue services were alerted Monday afternoon after Tauranga Airport in ZL and an aircraft flying over the Bay of Plenty picked up a distress signal in the region.

A helicopter from Rotorua narrowed down the search area, and Radio Spectrum Management traced it to the Te Maunga refuse transfer station. The beacon was located in the recycling centre.

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand said the beacon had been placed on a glass conveyor belt and was probably triggered when it was lifted off the belt and set aside on a railing.

The beacon was operating on the old 121.5 MHz or 243 MHz frequencies.

The incident served as a reminder for people all around the world to dispose of old beacons properly, either by disconnecting the battery or taking the beacon to police, the coastguard or a beacon retailer.

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