Abstract: A remote tester for a radio frequency beacon includes a plug-in module insertable into a cooperating slot in a handheld computing device so as to communicate data between the module and the computing device, wherein the module includes an antenna, at least one radio frequency receiver cooperating with the antenna so as to receive radio frequency signals from the beacon, a processor cooperating with the receiver, and a host interface for coupling in the slot with the computing device for data interchange between the processor in the module and a processor in the computing device.

Abstract: A search and rescue beacon includes a main transmitter transmitting a Cospas-Sarsat signal at a main frequency and an auxiliary homing transmitter transmitting a homing signal at a homing frequency close to the main frequency. Advantageously both the Cospas-Sarsat signal and the homing signal are generated by a single synthesizer switching between a main Cospas-Sarsat burst transmission and a continuous homing frequency transmission of the homing signal. The Cospas-Sarsat signal is advantageously transmitted at a higher power than the homing signal. The single synthesizer may use a single amplifier chain. The single synthesizer and amplifier chain may use a single antenna.