New ELT 406 mhz

[Garry Crookham]

Re: New ELT 406 mhz

As of Feb. 1, 2009, satellites will stop monitoring 121.5 MHz, one of the emergency frequencies for ELTs. This has sparked concern in the aviation industry and has caused Transport Canada to propose a rule requiring aircraft flying in Canada to be equipped with a 406-MHz ELT. The FAA has not given any indication that it will mandate a switch to the 406-MHz ELT. So, at the present time those of us in the USA will not be required to install new 406 MHz ELT's. It is still legal to purchase and install a 121.5 MHz ELT in your aircraft (note: we are talking Part 91 GA aircraft operating in the USA) as long as the ELT meets TSO C91a certs. A review of the ELT rules (FAR 91.207) and TSO C91a would be wise if you are in need of an ELT. And don't count on your local avonics shop to be up on the latest requirements. During the last year I've seen a local high dollar shop: (1) install a new ELT and not install the required remote panel (2) replace an ELT battery with one that had an expiration date 3 months in the future (3) inform a customer that a 406 MHz ELT would be required in 2009. Everyone needs to become familiar with the basics so when annual time arrives I don't have to inform you that your ELT installation isn't legal or that your ELT battery has been out of date for 9 months.

Garry Crookham
N5112M
Tulsa
A&P/IA CFI

[flyguy]

Re: New ELT 406 mhz

Thanks Garry for the tips and references.
Darryl

[midniteflyer52]

Re: New ELT 406 mhz

Tribe,
After reading this thread, I brought the subject up at our latest EAA chapter meeting here in NE CT. As I was speaking, a guest arrived with one of our members. When had I finished he put as small device on the table, a little larger than a cell phone and proceeded to tell us about it. It is an amazing piece of technology that in my opinion makes traditional ELT's obsolete for a fraction of the projected cost. He was from Vancouver,BC and said that pilots up there are snapping these things up. Go to findmespot.com to find out more and come to your own conclusions. This fellow will be working with the company to improve it with an external antenna. I'm going to get one for sure.
Regards to all,
Glen Brodeur
TF #42

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: New ELT 406 mhz

This is fantastic! We proposed something much like this in the AGATE Project(NASA's Advanced General Aviation Transportation Experiments). I remember being laughed at because "you can't make that work". The second step was to use it to feed a "Poor Mans Transponder" followed by linking the device to a Pen-tablet which gives you a moving map display too. I am typing this on my prototype of the system right now. It is very useful for a LOT of fun things.
Congratulations to SPOT for finding a way to commercialize a great idea (not claiming they are using the NASA idea, it was inevitable the idea would be discovered multiple times. Some NASA managers just didn't believe it could be made to work. I retired from NASA and the project ended before anyone pushed it further.)
Hank

[GLB]

Re: New ELT 406 mhz

The Spot thing is interesting and may develop into something, but I notice that there is a $150.00 annual fee to use the unit, this translates to in excess of $1500 over 10 years, I think I would be better of with a new ELT.

[Guest]

Re: New ELT 406 mhz

I thought I saw a $7.95 fee for search/resue and the $149 was for tracking also.

[flyguy]

Re: New ELT 406 mhz

Good backup for professional pilots, like bush guys. Possible luxury for most of us?

Question, what do the 406 units have in them that make them cost $1000? Built in GPS, $100 at most, what else?
Darryl

[Guest]

Re: New ELT 406 mhz

oops! I was way wrong.

$99 a year and up based on this page.

http://www.findmespot.com/explorespot/servicepricing.aspx

[Richard Boyer]

Re: New ELT 406 mhz

How about this....

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?p=198200

It is kind of a poor mans spot........ (I think it's really cool!!!)

[Len Petterson]

Re: New ELT 406 mhz

Instead of the ELT as for functionalety Spot is good but if you left the wife in a bad mod and she say: P--- on you I let you sit there for a day.
If no one reads e-mails and noticefies the search and rescue in time.
How is the unit for accidental activation?
It is missing notification to Search and Rescue, wish could be one e-mail address.
This are circomstanses to consider, but it looks good.
I think the new 406 ELT's also carry a yearly servis charge to the goverment.
Personaly I think a personal ELT of some kind would be suficent for most of us.
Should I plan a long cross country, longer when 1 day or so, why cant I rent a unit?
Personaly I would need it once a year if what was the case.
Spot looks good to me!(;f
I do aggree taxpayers should require us to have some kind of ELT but also anyone what goes on a long hike alone ,or in a group, in wildernes Canada or USA May the wilderness be New York city or some Provinsial park.
Many goes missing and lots of money is spent in searching for them.
A simple fall ot trip can result in incapasitation and you go missing
In other words it is not only aviation what needs this goverment servise and we, the aviation comunety, should not carry all the cost.
Taxi drivers would love it! For robbery prevention and call for police.
What about GM's onstar servise it is similar, can we by into it?
Their crash indication is from airbag acctivation. Some reliabable crash activation has to be designed for aviation, the present crash activation systems are not up to par. with 50% not working when needed.
Len