🔍 Key Concepts

• Search and Rescue Transponder (SART) purpose and how it works with radar • Differences between 3-cm (X-band) and 10-cm (S-band) radar on ships • How sea state, visibility, and time of day affect radar-based equipment

💭 Think About

• Which of the listed conditions would change the SART’s ability to be detected at all, versus just making detection harder? • Does a SART rely on visual line of sight, or on interaction with a particular type of radar frequency/band? • On most SOLAS ships, which radar band is specifically intended to trigger and display SART responses?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which radar wavelength/band a standard SART is designed to respond to under SOLAS equipment standards • Consider whether fog, darkness, or heavy seas prevent radar signals from detecting a transponder, or only reduce range/clarity • Verify which radar type (3‑cm vs 10‑cm) is normally used for SART homing on a search-and-rescue vessel