New 406 ELT's. It's time I upgrade, so what is recommended and why?
I'm ready to go modern in my choice of ELT. I have the ancient 121.5 now with ridiculously expensive batteries and it's time to change my ways and frequencies. Your experiences are welcomed. As with everything else in life, the price for the box is only half the story. I would like to know about installation costs, desirable features, and battery costs if you can give me some guidance.
I never think about the ELT unless it's time to check it. The rest of the plane has been nicely upgraded, it seems almost embarrassing that I still have that old clunker in the tail.
Jim
Comments
Do you have an onboard GPS capable of feeding the new ELT? Also, which ELT is currently installed?
My ACK E04 ELT is connected to the GTN650xi and the battery is about $300. That's good for 5 years unless its used either in a real crash or activated for some other reason. It just slides in and out super easy. The log book entry takes three times as long in billable time.
If you have an ACK E01, the new E04 is a direct slide in which makes the labor much cheaper. It's about $800 or so.
Desirable features? it comes with the panel test button, LED indicator and an audible sounder so you know is on/test is good. Other than that, there isn't much to be desired as long as it goes off when I need it to.
I own and fly a 79 PA32RT-300T. Previous aircraft are a 79 Archer and 76 Arrow.
My vote is to get a new ELT that fits the budget and meets the FAA requirements. But don't go sexy.
On my wish list is a PLB. Although, not a top priority as I fly in RADAR rich areas and search and rescue (SAR) will have a fairly good idea of where to start by following the ADSB trail.
Primary reasoning of focusing on PLB is that ELT's are ok, but they only remain intact if the trauma of returning to Earth is low. Put another way, there is a reason that SAR does not go looking for the outline of a plane as the terrain usually turns it into puzzle pieces. And some of those pieces are commonly necessary for the ELT to work.
Secondary benefits to PLB include:
- more likely to survive an off-field 'landing' and remain operational than an ELT.
- ability to manually trigger the PLB prior to an off-field 'landing' and allow it to do its job in case the ELT system fails and individuals are unconscious.
- portable and usable for other activities such as boating or back woods trekking where mobile coverage fails.
- some PLB units and plans offer limited two-way communications which allow SAR to better prepare (presuming somebody is responsive).
I do have a Garmin 175 GPS and have an extra RS 232 connection already wired to it. I did not know ELT's got wired to GPS units. PLB's are okay too. I had one, but never used it after I tried to renew the unit and couldn't.
Jim
Having it wired to your GPS improves the reliability of your location whilst you are bleeding and praying. If you have the equipment, I consider it mandatory to wire it in. Not a time to cheap out.
I own and fly a 79 PA32RT-300T. Previous aircraft are a 79 Archer and 76 Arrow.
Spoiler for the rest of the commentary in this post: There are still many good ELT options, so do some homework and pick the one that meets legal requirements, mission, and budget.
Circled back on some old mental notes and found what I feel is a good run-down of both 121.5 and 406:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1YjGLwfYSQ
Granted that the article is 3 years old at this point, but am not sensing any notable changes since that time. Analysis shows that common areas of flight will drive whether a 121.5 or 406 have an advantage. But neither are a superhero.
One key element that most people miss in the ELT analysis is that in order for the device to do its job, the individuals (and ELT) need to survive. Otherwise it is a recovery effort. Sure, there is expectation (aka: hope / prayer) that an ELT will shorten the time of response and location, but based on the data, I do not have high confidence in an ELT-only solution as the best solution.
Based on this, my plan of bringing the aircraft's incident recovery into the present is investing survive-ability:
- HGU-56/P helmet
- PLB
- 4 point seat restraints
- Seat restraint air bags
- If regularly flying in a poor RADAR coverage area, prioritize a 406 ELT among the mix
Unit74 has the right idea in that depending on what unit you have installed at the moment, see if that manufacturer has the 406 upgrade that uses existing wiring if possible.
One thing to consider, I know every one like to plug gps data into the elt system,,, I personally think is way over kill since the new units are GPS and satellite based sensing, how much more accurate do you need?? i installed a ACK in place of the older ack in my Cessna. IF i did not have one, as mentioned above, in the thread, I always have thought the EBC units, mounted in the cabin made most sense, as far as accessibility goes. The best combo of PLB and ELT
EBC unit not inexpensive, but then again, 5-10 hrs to hook up redundant data to a very precise elt not cheap either.
Carl
As a aside, i installed a placard next to the remote switch on the panel, activate in emergency,, like if my eng quit, activate now on the way down,,, after three hits to the satellite, they will know where i am. Carl
48 yrs A/P IA DAL aircraft inspector. 172N
I had seen the Aviation Consumer video before, but watched it again. His statistics on ELT recoveries is not very encouraging. I spoke with my son who has a Garmin in reach mini he uses for Elk hunts in remote areas. He said I can borrow that when I fly, if he's not elk hunting. I may do that for a while as I ponder the choices.
Jim
Exactly!
Yes, I get-it that the ask is about moving up to a 406 ELT, although like many things, I approach the question from a more holistic approach and focus on the aspect of what problem are we trying to solve. So, apologies for what seems like diversionary density on my part, and at the same time it appears that the reflective aspect is taking effect.
With this, here is another report to consider as part of the equation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFbF4bfU_sA
Granted that the focus of this article is on helmets, it does expand on the topic in general. Meaning: survive-ability, as an ELT is marginal value if we cannot live long enough for arrival of rescue.
To that point about surviving a crash…….
The 121.5 ELts are no longer monitored. So it’s kinda like a bear fart in the woods. Nobody is there to smell it. At least with the 406 ELT, you have a chance.
I own and fly a 79 PA32RT-300T. Previous aircraft are a 79 Archer and 76 Arrow.
They still use 121.5 for local SAR/homing and many planes monitor on guard but no satellite reception anymore.
If you plan on flying to Mexico or Canada a 406 ELT is required.
The least expensive 406 option + a good PLB is a great solution and as others have pointed out the PLB is useful for other activities too - just make sure your emergency contact info is updated.
Something new. Units like the one below can receive and display a confirmation via satellite that the beacon signal and location have been received.
It is also worth considering something like a SPOT. The SPOT X has a blackberry style keyboard, ~ $239 a year for ~1000 messages and you can also connect it to your phone as well as receive messages via a unique phone number. They also have additional plans that include rescue services and roadside assistance. I have been reading through the rescue stories and a surprising number are really "mayday relay" rescues where the owner did not get in to trouble but they came across someone needing rescue.
A Spot X is not a substitute for PLB but would be useful for keeping people updated if you are in the backcountry.
Also a reminder that this is the time of year people fly straight line courses between airports in the intermountain west over some of the least populated and challenging terrain in America... Stack the deck in your favor with a slightly longer course that has some roads and towns under it....
Eric Panning
1981 Seneca III
Hillsboro, OR (KHIO)
I went with the ACK E04 kit. It was a straight forward install. Mounted on the avionics tray behind the real bulkhead. Had to run the wire to the the switch on the dash. I used an existing empty hole to mount the switch. I elected to not connect to my GPS unit. Labor was much more and I thought the location accuracy was good enough to locate me quickly. Cost was just under $800. Battery is $275 last i looked.