If you had an aircraft with no existing ELT, what ELT would you put in and why?

Putting in the cheapest 121.5 ELT you can find seems like throwing away money and opportunity to me.

But I don't know much about the good and bad of the newer 401mhz ELTs.

I spent a little time looking at ELT options and this is my determination: A 406 ELT coupled to a gps is far superior to a 121.5 ELT. When not coupled to a gps a 406 is still better but not by a huge margin, again just my opinion. I plan to install a AKC E04 and connect it to a GPS. If ACK were still offering their E01 121.5 ELT for $125 I would probably install it and carry a PLB on my person; I plan to carry a PLB anyways.

So far a 406 ELT isn't required in Canada but it is required in Mexico.

For my $$$, its the Kannad 406 Integra. I have installed a couple now and dig em.... Has a GPS inside, 121.5 / 243 / 406 MHz AND super light! At 2.4lbs (incl the batt) it's a great choice.

Between those two, the Kannad is about $500 more (give or take) but is all self contained which is very nice.

The ACK needs an external GPS source. I'm guessing that means running wires to a GPS/COM or some other position source.
It also means that it (GPS source) wont travel with you if you need to leave the wreckage - unless I'm missing something.

That makes the Kannad pretty nice in my book too despite the 2x price.

swixtt wrote:David, where will you mount this in the 170?

I was just planning on putting it aft of the baggage compartment bulkhead on an existing shelf back there (probably from an old radio) and run the remote wire forward to the panel.

But I havent' given it much more though than that.

whee wrote:So far a 406 ELT isn't required in Canada but it is required in Mexico.

406 is not required in Mexico. When the FAA extended the deadline, Mexico followed their lead. Current Mexican deadline is June 30th, 2018.

The AKC can be connected to a handheld gps so yes you'd need to run a wire but that wire can be unplugged from the gps if you want to take it with you.

I've put ACK 406 beacons in two airplanes now, and I'd go there again in a heartbeat. Installing a 121.5 beacon makes absolutely no sense these days....don't go there.

The ACK is the least expensive unit out there, I believe. Yes, it requires a wire to your GPS source, or you could mount a remote "dumb" GPS on the same rack as the Beacon. Running wires is a PITA, indeed, but EVERY 406 ELT is going to have a remote switch, that goes on the panel, and that is connected by wires to the box back aft.

I inadvertently tested my ACK unit once. It was hooked to a Garmin 396. I received a phone call in just a couple minutes from RCC. Out of curiousity, I asked them if they'd got a lat/long location from the beacon. They said wait one, and a few minutes later, he came back with a location that had to have been within feet of my location.

I'd bet the ACK is installed in more airplanes now than all the other 406 beacons together.

MTV

Bagarre wrote:If you had an aircraft with no existing ELT, what ELT would you put in and why?

Putting in the cheapest 121.5 ELT you can find seems like throwing away money and opportunity to me.

But I don't know much about the good and bad of the newer 401mhz ELTs.

Search Kannad on this site. When buying life saving equipment most tend to stay away from companies with known issues. Most up here seemed to have switched to the ACK. Several for the same reason I did.

I put an ACK in my cub and I'm about to put one in my 180. It's 3 wires to be pulled from your GPS to the ACK but it's pretty easy to do.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/elt406.php?clickkey=6716

I have had two ACK units and recommend them to customers. They are a great unit. You are right that 406 is not required here in Canada, but 121.5 is no longer monitored by satellites, only pilots. Last I checked, we couldn't even get a 121.5 from spruce. Probably for the best really.

Edit

First off, let's stick to the NO POLITICS policy. There has been enough drama lately here.


I already had the ACK 121 in my plane so I just purchased the ACK 406 retro kit from Aircraft Spruce. Seems to be a quality product. Simple remove the old and install the new. Same tray and just switch out the old antenna for the new. It is mounted aft of my extended baggage by my ski pump. I will run the wires for the GPS hookup when I install the additional strobe light I'm putting on the belly for additional recognition. I'm after the Xmas tree look.

G

One additional point: Some time back, the FAA re-examined several accidents where the ELT didn't activate, because the mounting structure failed.

The original mounting requirements were still valid, but apparently not well followed/understood by many. My Cessna 170's ELT mount didn't meet the FAA criteria, so we completely redesigned and strengthened the mount. Whoever is doing your annual inspection SHOULD be testing that ELT mount per the FAA guidance......and if you are flying the thing, you should be ensuring that this gets done properly.

If you haven't already, make sure this simple test gets done. It could save your life, and the lives of your passengers. If the ELT isn't properly mounted, get it fixed!!! This is life saving equipment, and it needs to be properly installed.

I've seen a lot of these things hung on light aluminum sheet, and that's not going to work. Do the test, and fix it if it fails.

MTV

Do you have a link to the requirements for mounting? I'm starting from scratch. The old one was held in place with two PK screws thru the floor - probably not up to suff as I just pulled it off the floor when removing the carpet.

Also, I know 406 isn't required but do we know or have a feeling about what that requirement might someday look like?

I believe those mounting criteria are documented in the instructions with the ELT - at least I think I read it in the instructions for the ACK.

http://www.ackavionics.com/pdf/E-04%20ELT%20FAA%20Install%20Data.pdf

rw2 wrote:

whee wrote:So far a 406 ELT isn't required in Canada but it is required in Mexico.

406 is not required in Mexico. When the FAA extended the deadline, Mexico followed their lead. Current Mexican deadline is June 30th, 2018.

Is there a deadline for the US?
I thought that when they cancelled the first deadline, the whole issue just went away.

AK-HUNT, where'd your post go? I thought it was good and helpful. You are right, the 406 is much much better than the old 121.5, I was looking at it from the wrong perspective.

hotrod180 wrote:Is there a deadline for the US?
I thought that when they cancelled the first deadline, the whole issue just went away.

Fair point. I'm not aware of any current deadline in the US. I would have been more accurate had I said that Mexico extended their deadline when the US most recently changed its rules.

Worth noting, if only as a point of trivia: The initial 406 deadline in the US was in 2004. 13 years ago. I think it was extended three times in 17 years since it was published in 2000. As I said above, I can't find any indication that there is currently a deadline.

I went with the ACK 406 to replace the ACK 121.5 several years ago. Not sure if I shopped around, or just went with that system because it was the easiest to install. I'm not sure the ability to take the ELT with me is of much value. I don't really see many situations where I'd be traveling far from a crash where ELT activation was necessary.

From my perspective, a 121.5 ELT is wasted weight and essentially useless unless someone is already looking for you. Even then, it's a fantastically poor substitute for the 406 signal, and in most cases it will not direct help to your location in time if you are in serious need of assistance. Unless someone already knows you're overdue and has alerted the right authorities, a 121.5 signal picked up and reported by a pilot will most likely NOT be investigated. There are too many false alarms and it's too difficult to pinpoint the source.

PLB's are excellent and I think that every pilot should cary one, but they don't work if you're dead. The price of a 406 ELT is dirt cheap compared to family and loved ones not knowing what happened or where your body is for days, or weeks, or years.