NEW ELT 406 mhz

[tazin river]

Morning

It has probably been posted before but I can't get the search engine working for me on this site. What would you recommend for the new type of ELT 406 mhz? Need to get mine replaced on my Citabria and not interested in getting an expensive one. One that use DD batteries would certainly be preferable...

Cheers

Tazin river

[avyonx]

What kind of ELT do you have now? Some companies have 406 upgrade ELT's which let you use the existing cables and antenna's (Provided they are equiv.)

My preference is the ME406 by Artex however, the E-04 by ACk is not too bad either.

[Blakey]

A couple of years ago I was searching for ELT threads and had the same problem. Some of the more experienced people here told me the reason why so now it`s time to pay it forward. "ELT" is too short for the search engine. Add some more to your search such as "406 mhz "ELT" or "ELT installation". You'll find the threads you want then.

[Big Pistons Forever]

There is no legal requirement to switch to a 406 ELT. Even when the regulations are changed there will be a 3 year phase in period. Prices of 406 ELT's are starting to drop as new players enter the market so I would suggest waiting for at least a year or two. In the meantime invest in a SPOT and carry it with you on every flight, it is IMO a more usefull lifesaving device than a 406 ELT will ever be. I though it was interesting that in every one of the light airplane crashes this month that were reported/discussed on Avcanada, not one had an ELT that activated.......

[tazin river]

Thanks for the info. Somehow, I was under the impression that the new 406 ELT would be mandatory in 2011?

[Big Pistons Forever]

Thanks for the info. Somehow, I was under the impression that the new 406 ELT would be mandatory in 2011?

Last year when the new regulation was presented to the Transport Minister he refused to sign it and sent it back for further study. Unfortunately the "further study" turned into the same old same old and the original legislation has been reintroduced. However until the regulations are actually amended the current regulations which specify only the requirement to carry a 121.5 ELT are governing. Transport has also said that there would be a 3 year phase in period. Therfore it will be at least 4 years before a 406 ELT will be mandatory. At present the FAA does not intend to require US registered aircraft to switch to 406 ELT's which is one reason they remain an expensive specialty product. However the FCC in the US has announced they want to ban 121.5 ELT's under their spectrum management authority. If this were to happen then hundreds of thousands of aircraft would be affected and I imagine the choice and price of 406 ELT's would be much improved. Personally I am taking a wait and see approach before replacing the ELT on my aircraft.

[azimuthaviation]

http://www.aea.net/governmentaffairs/re ... .asp?ID=42

I've never heard about a three year phase in. But if the USA mandates them then the availability will drop and price could substantially increase regardless of what the rules are in Canada. That being said, I would go with a Kannad 406 AF-compact. It's probably the best priced unit out there as well as being very small and light (making structural changes easier to complete) it does not require aircraft power for the armed/on/off switch, negating the cost to install extra wiring and breaker, fuse etc. The unit also has a six year battery life as opposed to the old 121.5 ELT which usually need to be changed every second year.

I would recommed changing over to the new ELT the next time you need to change the battery on the old one. The price is not as high as the opponents will tell you and theres currently an exemption until March 2011 where any AME can perform the install, after that it must be done by an avionics AME. And of course you must remember that satellites no longer monitor 121.5 signals so consider your old ELT as a weight bearing device which does not fully perform its intended function. Plus it's you and the passengers under you care in the airplane.

[DanNat26]

Well, what about reliability of Kannad? It "made in France". In case of any problem, you have to wait to get it back by warranty... New artex the same compact and can be fixed much fasater as it is in America.
Anyway, final decision is up to you...