August, 2004

Arctic Exploration Team to Carry an ACR Personal Locator Beacon

One World Expedition Will Attempt First Unsupported Summer Crossing of Arctic Ocean

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL-- AUGUST 12, 2004-- As intrepid polar explorers Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen strategically catalog gear necessary to attempt the first-ever unsupported summer crossing of the Arctic Ocean in 2005, the new TerraFix™ 406 GPS Personal Locator Beacon manufactured by ACR Electronics, Inc. will be near the top of the list.

Though gear weight is a critical issue-- both men are limited to 300 pounds each including their specially designed amphibious kayaks-- it was no question that the small, portable13 oz (368 g) satellite detectable emergency signaling device would be included.

The PLB technology is not new to 43-year-old Dupre, a native Minnesotan, who has in the past 17 years logged over 13,500 miles exploring the high Arctic regions of northeastern Russia, Lapland, Alaska, Canada and Greenland.

In fact, thanks to a chance meeting with ACR Executive Vice President Paul Hardin at an outdoor industry trade show in the mid 1990s, Dupre found just what he was looking for to complement his safety kit for an planned circumnavigation attempt of the vast and mysterious island of Greenland

He was especially interested in the EPIRB products we manufactured for the marine industry, and wanted to know if there was a more compact, personal locator version available that he could take along on his Greenland Expedition," Hardin recalled. "We outfitted him with our GyPSI™ 406, a first generation personal locator beacon with a Canadian registry (PLBs were not approved for use in the continental U.S. until July 2003).

Dupre and Australian teammate John Hoelscher carried that GyPSI™ 406 PLB every inch of the way as they trail-blazed their way along the coast and on land around immense but little-known Greenland-- an amazing 6,500 mile journey taking nearly two years, successfully concluding in 2001.

"Lonnie instantly seized the idea when in 1995 he learned that technology existed that would allow him and his teammate to signal for help from one of the most remote places on the planet should their lives be endangered," said Hardin.  "In essence, they helped pioneer the use of this technology in extreme adventure sports.  Lonnie is a perfect example of a PLB user.  He spends years preparing for an epic adventure to assure his success and survival.  Though he never plans to use a PLB, it is an essential part of his contingency plan.  Should he ever need SAR assistance, the use of a PLB minimizes the cost of rescue and risk to SAR personnel as the technology takes the Search out of Search and Rescue."

When plans began to gel for the adventurer's next quest-- The One World Expedition-- Dupre called Hardin to see what new technology might be available.

Hardin saw to it that Dupre and Larsen will be carrying the most compact, yet most function-rich personal locator beacon in the world-- the TerraFix™ 406 GPS. A satellite-detectable beacon capable of broadcasting critical GPS coordinates, the TerraFix™ 406 GPS will, when activated, provide Search and Rescue crews with exact latitude and longitude (thereby increasing emergency response speed by pinpointing positioning within 100 meters or 110 yards).

Dupre and Larsen will be equipped with the TerraFix™ 406 GPS I/O , which will provide both a cable connection to an external GPS, plus an Onboard GPS engine to acquire and transmit coordinates for the ultimate in speed and reliability. In an emergency, the unit will transmit a unique digitally coded distress signal on 406 MHz frequency to the orbiting COSPAS-SARSAT satellite systems.  The beacon also simultaneously transmits a signal on the 121.5 MHz (SAR homing frequency).

Dupre and Larsen will record their precise logistical plan along with their beacon registration so that in the advent of an emergency, Search and Rescue agencies will be able to quickly determine the authenticity of the signal, putting assets into action more effectively.

In attempting the 1,240-mile (100-day) arctic ocean crossing in specially modified polyethylene kayaks (capable of being paddled or pulled), Dupre and Larsen will tackle the Arctic Ocean during its most treacherous and volatile time of the year starting in May of 2005.

Their planned four-month journey crosses the frozen ice cap from Cape Arctichesky, Siberia to the geographic North Pole, then on to Ellesmere Island, Canada. While such expeditions have been planned and completed during other times of the year, extreme temperature swings, freeze-thaw conditions, heavy fog and dangerous shifting ice floes have prevented a summer crossing.  Dupre and Larsen intend to be the first.

Along the way, the pair will sample ice for depth and contaminants and record their observations to create awareness of global climate changes.  The findings will be sent to and analyzed by researchers at the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute.  Dupre and Larsen, through satellite phones, will post daily updates and images of their trip to www.oneworldexpedition.com, the official website, which is expected to log up to seven million visits per month.

For Dupre, who spends his summers building log cabins in and around his home in Grand Marais, Minnesota, a personal locator beacon is an insurance policy he hopes never to cash in.

"But it's comforting to know that it's at arm's reach if I need it," he said.