It sounds like the “emergency beacon device” Neils Vinter used might have been a SPOT Satellite Messenger, which Doug Ritter has given us a great synopsis of. According to their own website, here:
Quote:
ALERT 9-1-1: Use this function In the event of a life threatening or other critical emergency to notify emergency services of your exact location and that you need assistance. The GEOS International Emergency Response Center alerts the appropriate agencies worldwide – for example contacting 9-1-1 responders in North America and 1-1-2 responders in Europe.


Doug Ritter also noted in his “First Look” Review that:
Quote:
Your distress alert with a GPS derived location is sent to the "GEOS Global Command and Control Center" in Houston, Texas, operated by SPOT's partner, GEOS Alliance Travel Safety Group.
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