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Check those ELT's

vic syracuse

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In the last week I have seen 2 RV's with inoperative ELT's. In one case the ELT had never even been connected (the flat cable was actually rolled up and secured underneath the instrument panel and I discovered it by accident while troubleshooting another problem), and in the the other case the panel mount control head was there but the ELT was not installed in the aircraft (yes, gross misrepresentation).
I know we really only need to check the ELT once per year, but for those of you who are purchasing aircraft, or have purchased one in the last year, you may want to check that it does in fact work.

You can test them during the first 5 minutes after the hour, and only do it very quickly. For those of you with the 406 MHZ ELT's, if not done very quickly you will get a phone call from the SAR center. That system really does work. :)

Vic
 
Buddy of mine annualled a monster cub the other day and asked me to help find the ELT. It had been "tested" on all three of it's condition inspections. There wasn't one.
 
To elaborate on Vic's excellent post...

"You can test them during the first 5 minutes after the hour, and only do it very quickly. For those of you with the 406 MHZ ELT's, if not done very quickly you will get a phone call from the SAR center. That system really does work."

For 406MHz ELT's the system goes through a power-on-self-test and presents test results to the user, normally via flashes of the LED indicator on the ELT's remote control panel in the cockpit. This self-test is mandated to be of short duration, and typically takes 10-15 seconds.

If the 406 ELT is left in the "ON" position for more than 50 seconds, a valid distress signal WILL be transmitted.
 
Speaking of phone calls and such, this reminded me that ELTs are registered somewhere, so they know what number to call.

I have an older ACK E-01 ELT in my recently purchased bird. Do I need to register this somewhere with the new owner info, or is that only for the 406 types?
 
Speaking of phone calls and such, this reminded me that ELTs are registered somewhere, so they know what number to call.

I have an older ACK E-01 ELT in my recently purchased bird. Do I need to register this somewhere with the new owner info, or is that only for the 406 types?

Only the 406 types. The old 121.5-only ELTs do not transmit any data, so there is no way to identify the unit and trace it to an owner.
 
In the last week I have seen 2 RV's with inoperative ELT's. In one case the ELT had never even been connected (the flat cable was actually rolled up and secured underneath the instrument panel and I discovered it by accident while troubleshooting another problem), and in the the other case the panel mount control head was there but the ELT was not installed in the aircraft (yes, gross misrepresentation).
I know we really only need to check the ELT once per year, but for those of you who are purchasing aircraft, or have purchased one in the last year, you may want to check that it does in fact work.

You can test them during the first 5 minutes after the hour, and only do it very quickly. For those of you with the 406 MHZ ELT's, if not done very quickly you will get a phone call from the SAR center. That system really does work. :)

Vic


The annual test also requires - by FARs IIRC - a logbook entry.

Where these entries missing? Or just faked?
 
I spent more time on my ELT this condition inspection than on anything else. Took out the 6 perfectly-good-never-used D-cell batteries and scrounged new ones from a drawer at home. As I was hooking up the antenna, the BNC connector came off in my hand! Arrrgh.

I ordered TWO new connectors and waited for delivery. When they showed up, I started to replace the connector ... only to realize that I'd forgotten HOW to install them. That's what happens several years after building a plane.

I found a reference manual on how to install BNC connectors and went to work stripping the cable. After realizing that I'd screwed it up, I went online and found a tutorial (yes, I'm that dumb.)

Gee, it takes a special stripping tool to correctly prep the cable for the connector. I dug around in my electrical drawer and >presto!< I discovered that I had such a tool in my possession.

Thankful that I had ordered two connectors, I now had what I needed to fix my broken ELT antenna. All because I had to replace perfectly good batteries with a 10-year shelf life. :mad:

I reinstalled the 6 "new" D-cell batteries that I'd found at home and tested the ELT. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Arrrrgh! So I pulled out my tester and tested each battery -- 4 of them were putting out about .8V. Guess the "new" batteries weren't new after all. Drove to store and bought brand-new batteries.

But now I know it works. I tested it. :D
 
I spent more time on my ELT this condition inspection than on anything else. But now I know it works. I tested it. :D

That sounds just about like every mechanical experience I attempt. I set mine off yesterday but never received a call. Maybe because it isn't registered. Thus I am sitting here at my desk with the Model E-04 ELT Operation Manual instead of flying. ;-) Wonder if I'll get a call once its registered.
 
That sounds just about like every mechanical experience I attempt. I set mine off yesterday but never received a call. Maybe because it isn't registered. Thus I am sitting here at my desk with the Model E-04 ELT Operation Manual instead of flying. ;-) Wonder if I'll get a call once its registered.

Is there some reason why you're not registering your 406MHz ELT? I can't think of a single good reason not to register it, especially once you see how frustrating it is for our SAR agencies to receive an alert from an unregistered beacon. It's a huge waste of resources.

Take the very few minutes from your hectic schedule, go to the NOAA website and register the beacon. It really only takes a few minutes, less time than it took you to post here. You're doing yourself and your national SAR agencies a favor.
 
gotta check those 'new' ones eh?

.............All because I had to replace perfectly good batteries with a 10-year shelf life. :mad:

I reinstalled the 6 "new" D-cell batteries that I'd found at home and tested the ELT. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Arrrrgh! So I pulled out my tester and tested each battery -- 4 of them were putting out about .8V. Guess the "new" batteries weren't new after all. Drove to store and bought brand-new batteries. :D

Don, I've done the same thing on my old A-K before it died, 6 new duracells every year ( so the flashlights get new ones every year too!)
but I've seen SO many Duracell AA that are a year old, leak and destroy a $20 Maglite, I sure don't trust them in a $200 or $2000 ELT! I'd want to put new ones in every year even if they were dated 2075! Notice how Energizer guarantees theirs won't leak? or they replace the device? maybe time to switch brands?
 
... Notice how Energizer guarantees theirs won't leak? or they replace the device? maybe time to switch brands?

I believe that only the Duracell's are approved in the ELT's, so switching brands really isn't an option.

IIRC, this was because Duracell was the first battery manufacture to put expiration dates on their batteries.
 
The annual test also requires - by FARs IIRC - a logbook entry.

In all my years of doing this I have never actually seen or been required to have a logbook entry concerning the ELT. It is on the aircraft checklist to be checked during the condition inspection and by signing off the inspection, you are signing off that the ELT has been inspected. Just like all the other components of the ship.

Where does it actually say you have to have a separate log entry just for the ELT.

I'm not arguing about it, it's just I've never seen or been required to have that specific entry.

Inquiring minds. All you DAR's and reg's guru's set me straight on this one.

Thanks..
 
In all my years of doing this I have never actually seen or been required to have a logbook entry concerning the ELT. It is on the aircraft checklist to be checked during the condition inspection and by signing off the inspection, you are signing off that the ELT has been inspected. Just like all the other components of the ship.

Where does it actually say you have to have a separate log entry just for the ELT.

I'm not arguing about it, it's just I've never seen or been required to have that specific entry.

Inquiring minds. All you DAR's and reg's guru's set me straight on this one.

Thanks..

91.207(d) requires certain inspections and test- but not specifically a logbook entry for the annual requirements. I think that since there is a specific requirement for those items, and they are not specifically part of a condition inspection, one could argue that you need a logbook entry required under 43.11(a) to document compliance in the aircraft records. If you specifically include the items from 91.207(d) in your checklist and the checklist becomes a part of the aircraft records I would think that you would be covered also.

Note that there is a specific requirement under 91.207 for logbook entries on battery dates.
 
The FARs require an ELT inspection once a year, but that inspection need not coincide with the "annual". Hence it needs its own record of having been done.
 
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