query: Is analog or digital more reliable?
passage: Digital electronics
Digital electronics or digital (electronic) circuits are electronics that operate on digital signals. In contrast, analog circuits manipulate analog signals whose performance is more subject to manufacturing tolerance, signal attenuation and noise. Digital techniques are helpful because it is a lot easier to get an electronic device to switch into one of a number of known states than to accurately reproduce a continuous range of values.
passage: Emergency position-indicating radiobeacon station
Personal locator beacons operating on 406 MHz must be registered. PLBs should not be used in cases where normal emergency response (such as 9-1-1) exists.The most important aspect of a beacon in classification is the mode of transmission. There are two valid transmission modes: digital and analog. Where digital usually has a longer range, analog is more reliable. Analog beacons are useful to search parties and SAR aircraft, though they are no longer monitored by satellite.