In light of the recent post asking about legislation, I thought a poll might be in order. I tend to think active pilots are often more up on the 'latest, greatest' consequently, I would imagine as a whole this group is more inclined lead the general flying public by quite a bit on the 406 issue. I also think the nature of the flying most here choose to participate in, makes the choice to update compulsory, umfortuneatly not everyone shares this view, and not everyone has researched the issue enough to make electing one way or another an educated decision...

As a example of this I would offer the fact that the number one reason every pilot cites for not having a 406 installed yet is cost. Yet here is a 406 / 121.5 / GPS enabled ELT offered for less than the cost of a few tanks of gas;
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/a ... elt406.php

Please vote, it's anonymous... Then if you feel like commenting on things like brands or issues, please do so the rest of us can learn from it.

I am running two of the units above. They are plug and play if you used to have an ACK. They even use the old manual activation switch... If you are using an Ameriking, it is still plug and play except for the tray...The batteries last for 6 instead of 2 or whatever we got out of the old D cells... They tie into a Garmin X96 very easily, and update continuously... I have experienced no down sides to this change.


Take care, Rob

I carry a PLB with GPS. I rationalize this since I can also use it away from the aircraft and am pretty religious about having it within arms reach. My plan is to activate it if things get sketchy rather than wait until I'm crashed somewhere. If I manage to save the day, then I can contact ATC and inform them that all is well and maybe even disable the PLB at that point. I answered the poll as if it were an ELT.

That said, the thread you refer to has me thinking seriously about getting a "real" ELT also.

I bought my 406 fairly early, before the GPS enabled ones were "approved" as I feel strongly that accurate location & quick response is important to saving my bacon. The search area is dramatically reduced with a 406 fix. I had to find the data wires from my Garmin GPS for my fuel scan thingie so plan to run that info back to the ELT wiring so it WILL have the GPS info on the first burst. The only disappointment is the newfangled beepers still use the old Rube Goldberg activation switch. The manual activation switch in the wing root is a helluva good idea too!

Less than 1 "airplane unit" now, and will very likely make all the difference in you & your pass' surviving your hard landing!

I used to be of the selfish opinion that if I get myself into a bad situation is will likely be my own stupid fault and if I can't find a way out of it then too bad for me. I used that opinion to justify my not buying a 406 ELT. Now I realize that SAR personnel will be out there searching for me regardless of the reason I went down. Also, I'd a dad and I can't imagine the thought of my kids asking my wife, "when is daddy coming home" and her not being able to give then an answer. I want to do everything I can to make SARs job easier so they can find me faster, dead or alive. I don't know what ELT is in the plane I'm buying but I'll be installing a GSP enabled 406 if it doesn't already have one.

I have the first Artex ME406 installed by my IA, and it was among the very first ones sold after Artex received its FCC/FAA approvals, well before the satellites stopped monitoring 121.5/243. Because my older Narco preceded the requirement for a panel switch for ELTs, the installation took a little more effort than the plug & play versions. I actually had my IA string the wiring during the annual before the approval came and before the unit arrived, so that he could install it more quickly.

Incidentally, plug & play isn't quite accurate--the antenna has to be changed out, as a 121.5/243 antenna won't work, even in those installations which otherwise use the same tray and panel switch. Most 406s also broadcast on 121.5 (though few on 243), so the new antenna works on both frequencies.

I also carry an ARC 406 PLB--I actually have 2 of them; one of them floats. I don't think they are in any way a substitute for an ELT, although I think they definitely have their place in the overall picture.

My 406 ELT does not have a built-in GPS. It was not hooked up to a GPS until last May (a year ago) when I had a new 430W installed. As I understand it, it stores the updated coordinates every few seconds, or immediately broadcasts the coordinates if it activates while the GPS is on.

Considering the cost of gas these days, it would take just about 5 1/2 tankfuls to pay for my 406, including installation, and I only carry 52 gallons.

FWIW, I also have a 406 EPIRB in my little boat and have had it for 12 years.

Cary

I also run SPOT, and friends & Family know my plans.

I run the ACK406, GPS enabled, and a GPS-enabled PLB.

I run an ACK406 as well as my SPOT tracker.

If I remember correctly, there was a BCP member a year or two ago that had access to SPOT's for less money than retail and had several for sale. Is that offer still available? Might be a good time for a "group buy". Once in a while Best Buy puts them on sale for $75 rather than the normal $99.

I waited some time to adopt the 406, until ACK came out with their GPS enabled 406, which I had installed a year and a half ago.

I also carry a PLB on my person.

And, I have a SPOT locator.

I ascribe to the philosophy that you can't be too well equipped or too good looking....

Actually, having been in an actual survival situation a couple of times, and having flown the friendly skies of Alaska for 30 years, I'm a believer in this technology. As noted, even if it's body recovery, I've seen too many folks risk THEIR lives searching for someone.

Let's make the rescue as easy as is possible.

MTV

Still on 121.5, but working on upgrading. In the interim - I carry a GPS PLB and have a spot with tracking.

406 ELT, 1st generation spot, and APRS.

Mentioned this in another thread, NZCAA mandated fixed 406 ELT's about 6 years ago so we've fitted many different units to many different aircraft. The statistics for a fixed ELT are not particularly good..

Spidertracks are popular here being a local company and in many operators opinion better than a fixed ELT. I always carry a GPS PLB within reach. I bought a second PLB recently and finally read the manual, as well as a self test of the unit it will also do a satellite acquisition test and I was VERY pleasantly surprised to see both units had a valid satellite fix within 5 seconds

Currently have 121.5 and 1st Gen SPOT.

BUT, as soon as my plane goes in the shop for engine repair or rebuild and annual, 406 is going in!!

May look for a better replacement for the 1st gen SPOT, too.

YES!!!

GPS Enabled 406 Beacon: this will get you saved up here in AK (or anywhere else remote on the planet), and subject the SAR crews to less risk overall. I have one installed because I care about my passengers; wife, kids, friends...if I burn it in alone and am lost, that's my own damn fault. But, I don't want anyone else suffering because I was a cheap bastard and didn't front the cash to put one in. Additionally, I won't let my family fly in a plane that isn't equipped with one...(you guys with ex-spouses should get them a 121.5 ELT for christmas, to let them know you care... )

SPOT-generation 1: I also always have an old SPOT on the panel as well. That is a nice-to-have, monitoring, tracking, check-in, and keeping-momma-happy device. And, it might help save me one day.

Karl

So that ACK 406 ELT that Rob mentioned in his first post ... I see that Aircraft Spruce has an option for US or International programming. What's that all about?

I'm now in the process of planning my first flight up to Alaska (leaving late June) and hadn't reconsidered ELTs. My Maule still has the 121.5 ELT that came with the plane, the EBC 102 unit that just slides into a simple tray mounted on a post behind the pilot's seat. Unfortunately, the EBC 406 that looks like it could mount the same way is substantially more expensive. It also requires an external antenna which seems more likely to be broken off in a crash.

I'm with MTV- GPS 406, Spot set to update location every 10 minutes, and an PLB on my person at all times. Plan is left with my wife.

Brad

Do these new-fangled 406 ELT's have built-in stand-alone GPS receivers, or are they slaved to a separate GPS unit?

hotrod150 wrote:Do these new-fangled 406 ELT's have built-in stand-alone GPS receivers, or are they slaved to a separate GPS unit?

Yes. Quite a bit more expensively.

Or you can wire up your own using one of your own handheld or panel units. It's far from rocket science.

My Maule still has the 121.5 ELT that came with the plane, the EBC 102 unit that just slides into a simple tray mounted on a post behind the pilot's seat. Unfortunately, the EBC 406 that looks like it could mount the same way is substantially more expensive. It also requires an external antenna which seems more likely to be broken off in a crash.

In my Maule, the 406 antenna is mounted inside the fuselage on a ground plane - you can get the drawing from Maule. FWIW, after 2 years the 406 failed its self check until the ground plane had some radials mounted to it to reduce the VSWR which had changed (that was not fun to figure out the problem and then the solution).