Latest pilot story is based on a review of the little known SARBE radio/ beacon used by aircrew to call in rescue forces. These were used it is believed from 1950s to 1970s in RAAF and RAF kits. Many pilots would of used them at one point in time after bailing out… of military aircraft with the radio beacons tucked away into their Frankenstein life preservers which snuggly fitted to their bodies.
This model is in particular, quite rare as it is an actual ex RAAF issued SARBE radio beacon.
By: Airspeed Horsa - 23rd September 2012 at 16:33
One SARAH set, a british-built example of the USAF URC-4 and a URC-11 for good measure.
Unfortunately my SARBE sets are not to hand. I have a BE301 and the SARBE 7 lurking in a box elsewhere. I understood the latter was to have been replaced in service by units that include the new digital 406mhz beacons, the analogue COPAS-SARSAT monitoring having been switched off in 2009?
By: TerryP - 23rd September 2012 at 11:54
and here is the older SARAH radio/beacon.
By: TerryP - 23rd September 2012 at 11:27
Sabre Mk5
Any help:-
By: cotteswold - 23rd September 2012 at 09:28
!950s introduction?
I thought it was the 1960s – I was in Ops ESR at the time, working closely with Burndept on the Service requirement.
They were always good for a lunch!!
= Tim
By: Bunsen Honeydew - 22nd September 2012 at 23:52
I was at Marham today looking at an operational SARBE Mk7 so they’re still around.
According to an AP I have but can’t find,The Beacon only SARBEs, Mks 1 and 2 were used by all RAF aircrew, not just operational. The MK3 with the speech facility was used by the Fleet Air Arm and some RAF aircrew in special circumstances. I believe they were also used by the SAS. I haven’t seen a Mk4 or Mk6 SARBE but the Mk5 and Mk7 have a speech facility built into to a single unit as opposed to the two units in a Mk3. There is also the Pye PLB which I think is still in use by the RAF but I’m not certain on that one.
The predecessor to SARBE was SARAH (Search And Rescue And Homing) made by Ultra Electronics. Great big heavy thing, the transmitter, aerial and battery were separate units.
By: Airspeed Horsa - 22nd September 2012 at 16:38
The beacon-only version (as seen in the linked video) is the SARBE BE-301, yours is the BE-310. I still have one of the former, the internal components carry 1964 date codes. Both are based around early germanium transistors. Beacon-only sets were carried by non-operational crews (transport command etc). I’ve seen battery packs with ’96 expiration codes, although I believe the same batteries were carried over into subsequent sets (e.g. BE-361 (beacon only)).
There was an all valved predecessor of the BE-310, the TR-9783. This identical looking unit used subminiature pencil valves.
Robs.
By: Daniel - 22nd September 2012 at 14:07
Thanks for clarification on the item it is much appreciated, as we all learn from many across the world new bits of information every day.
By: Arabella-Cox - 22nd September 2012 at 13:51
Your page on your website states…
” The black communication plug enabled this radio beacon to be plugged into a flight helmet communication cord for more secure communications.”
Actually, that is the plug for the dry-cell battery pack. There were two types of this beacon, the one you show which has voice Tx/Rx with the handheld PTT box, and the version which is just a beacon. These were made by Burndept in the UK (later taken over by Ever Ready – the battery manufacturers).
My 1960’s RAF kitted mannequin has the beacon-only type in his life preserver, but I can’t find a battery pack for it which is annoying (if anyone has one, let me know )
Hope this helps.
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September 22, 2012 at 1:30 pm