May 26, 2005

ACR Electronics, Inc. Appointed 
"OFFICIAL SUPPLIER OF MARINE SAFETY ELECTRONICS"
FOR THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE ROUND THE WORLD 2005-2006

ACR Electronics, Inc., the world leader in safety and survival technologies for the marine industry, has been selected as the "Official Supplier of Marine Safety Electronics" for Volvo Ocean Race Round the World 2005-2006.

South Florida-based ACR will supply racing teams with EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons), Survival Craft Radar Transponders (SART), GMDSS VHF Survival Radios and other high-tech safety equipment.

"For going on half a century, ACR Electronics has focused on doing one thing very well — making high quality, reliable safety and survival products," said Paul Hardin, executive vice president of sales and marketing for ACR Electronics.  "This long proud record of safety first and foremost is something we have in common with Volvo, and together we are making every effort to support these skippers and crews with the best equipment over the course of this incredible race."

Andy Hindly, Race Director for the Volvo Ocean Race added, "We take safety very seriously.  We chose ACR as our supplier for safety electronics in the knowledge that the equipment they are providing will be the most effective in an emergency situation and has the strength to survive the testing conditions of the race.  Should a team release an EPIRB, we are confident that the coordinates will be reported back to Race HQ in the minimum time possible."

Each boat will be equipped with a GlobalFix™ 406 EPIRB, which provides an entirely new functionality to the satellite-aided search and rescue system by including an integral 12-channel parallel GPS to add latitude/longitude coordinates to the emergency signal transmitted by the unit. In addition to internal GPS, the GlobalFix™ 406 features ACR's revolutionary new FastACQ™ GPS chip that will acquire a GPS position three to five times faster than a conventional GPS from a cold start.

ACR will also equip each team with two RapidFix™ 406 EPIRBs to be secured in the liferafts.

ACR is providing each team with its reliable PathFinder₃™ SART, a new generation survival craft transponder featuring intensified radar tracking and a built-in test mode with visual and audible feedback. Each racing team will also be given three GMDSS Survival Radios.

Eight months of challenges, crossing 31,250 nautical miles of the globe’s most treacherous seas over nine legs, visiting 10 ports around the world, and incorporating seven inshore races – that is the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06. Established in 1973 as the Whitbread Round the World Race, it is undeniably the world’s premier global race and one of the most demanding team sporting events in the world. It is quite simply the "Everest of Sailing."

The Volvo Ocean Race will start with an in port race in Sanxenxo, Galicia, on November 5, 2005. The start of leg one, the first offshore leg, will be from Vigo, Galicia, on November 12, 2005.

The race is the ultimate mix of world-class sporting competition and on-the-edge adventure, a unique blend of onshore glamour with offshore drama and endurance. The teams comprise professional sports men and women, and the race requires their utmost skills, physical endurance and competitive spirit as they race day and night for more than four weeks on some of the legs.

The Volvo Ocean Race 2001-02 achieved a cumulative audience of over 800 million viewers ranking it among the top international sporting events.

ACR Electronics, Inc., a Chelton Group Company, designs and manufactures a complete line of safety and survival products including EPIRBs, P-ELTs/P-EPIRBs/PLBs, Bridge-based Information Systems, SARTs and safety accessories. The quality systems of this facility have been registered by UL to the ISO 9001:2000 Series Standards.  Recognized as the world leader in safety and survival technologies, ACR has provided safety equipment to the aviation and marine industries as well as to the military since 1956.

For future information on the Volvo Ocean Race (www.volvooceanrace.org) , please contact:

Lizzie Green at (Tel) +44 1489 554 832 (Mob) +44 7801 185 320 or Email: lizzie.green@volvooceanrace.org

Or Sacha Oswald at (Tel) +44 1489 554 849 (Mob) +44 7816 275498 or Email: Sacha.oswald@volvooceanrace.org