121.5 elt

[gnflyn]

I have read that the 121.5 Mhz ELT's will no longer be monitored as of Feb 2009. The question is will my old 121.5 ELT still meet the reg's, and for how long?

[Dan Michaels]

Re: 121.5 elt

I have read that the 121.5 Mhz ELT's will no longer be monitored as of Feb 2009. The question is will my old 121.5 ELT still meet the reg's, and for how long?

121.5 will just not be monitored by sat. The elt will still work if other ships are monitoring it. Also if you do not show up when you are supossed to and have a flight plan, they will be able to find you quicker.

It will still meet the regs

Dan

[VictorBravo]

Re: 121.5 elt

We had a County Sheriff deputy who works search and rescue come to our EAA chapter meeting. He says that the guys on the ground with the directional tracking units... the guys that actually hike up the mountain and pry your ass out of the wreckage... absolutely do not have the budget or the inclination or the plans to buy new equipment on the the newer frequencies. That is here in the greater Los Angeles area.

If you happen to crash near a place that has a larger budget than we do in Los Angeles, perhaps you will luck out and have a SAR patrol walking around that uses the new equipment. LA is a big county with a big Sheriff department.

This deputy went out of his way to say that this is a prime example of "the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing". If you buy a new ELT the satellite might see you... but the guys they send down to actually give you the Morphine and find your limbs may not be able to home in on your position.

[Rick Hadley]

Re: 121.5 elt

Almost all of the new PLBs advertised in the pilot catalogs (not sure about the ELTs) have a built in GPS that actually transmits your lat-long location so all the SAR team should need is a <$100 handheld GPS to be able to find you if you're carrying one of those.

[Dan Michaels]

Re: 121.5 elt

Almost all of the new PLBs advertised in the pilot catalogs (not sure about the ELTs) have a built in GPS that actually transmits your lat-long location so all the SAR team should need is a <$100 handheld GPS to be able to find you if you're carrying one of those.

The new elt's also transmit 121.5.

Dan

[MNJoe]

Re: 121.5 elt

I have been told unless you have the new 406 ELT coupled to a gps it's signal error will be up to two miles. That is better then the present ELT. Since I fly out of the country in my other aircraft I'm forced to buy new. I think the PLB's are also an excellent option especially if you fly in remote areas

Joe

[Len Petterson]

Re: 121.5 elt

The new ELT's are expensive to say the least. Here in Canada we have to have one in the plane for the 2010 annual.
the 406 also send a weaker signal on 121.5 for close homeing in, how strong it is I dont know. It also has a GPS and the YOUR posistion is sent to the satelite and is relayed to the rescue center toghter with a ID code, uniqe to your plane! You have register it when it is purchased, your code is dune before delivery and registred with the SAR unit in your country.
Your name Adress phone numbers in relation ship with the aircraft regestration.
SAR can now call you at home or cell (if you have given them the rigth number) to check and see if you have crached or just forgot to check the ELT after what hard landing you just did.
All good but expensive, with the GPS position it is no need for the local police department to by new equipment, maybe a gps reciver from the local sporting gods store. the rest is taken care off.
$1200 or so for a simple unit but I hope they will let us use something less expensive if we dont fly cross country or into sparsly settled areas.
would be fine with me.

Story: A SAR tech is in Labrador New Foundland. He where at the base when a signal is resived on 406 MHZ . They are so new what no aircrafts have them yet. It is moving slowly so they think it is a personal beacon. They fly out for shorter trip to nortern Labrador and they find a hijker wayving frantickly as he is running away from the polarbear along a river bank. They scared of the bear with heli and plucked him up. Bet he was happy!
Told to us 3 years ago by the SARtec what did the job in a club meeting.
I like the new ELT tecnicaly good stuff, but Expencive!
Len