Cheap ELT

Scott Hersha · #1 02-10-2009, 09:41 AM

Want an ELT-type device that's cheap? - I mean free? How about this:

RE: A Phone service you probably have, but not activated.
Full time "LOCATION ON".

Most new phones have a GPS chip imbedded inside. The reason for this was in days past when you called 911 the police could not locate earlier phones. By default most phones are set to ONLY respond to the GPS "ping" when you are on the 911 line. That is good but what's below I think is better.

You can and probably should set your locator to ON full time.

Here are a few good reasons why:

1. It will not cost any money including decreased battery
Charge.
2. It will allow you to "generally" locate a lost phone
3. It will allow loved ones to locate your phone (and hopefully you) if you run into trouble.
A. Think about a fall from a tree in the woods,
B. Your car wreck in a rural hidden ravine
C. Trapped on an ice flow in lake Erie after a whole day
Catching walleye
D. An encounter with some bad hombres (most famous eg. Is girl taken from a MO. Target. The police traced her abductor path
and found the phone and her but got there too late).
E. A health issue just about anywhere.
F. And tons of other reasons why locating you in a hurry
Could be important.
G. Off airport landing - for whatever reason....

Doesn't it raise a security risk? In my view not a credible one. Generally a bad guy has to know the Mobile number to conduct a search. I give mine out to a relatively small circle. If it is a big brother issue of large companies tracking my phones where-abouts, I am not concerned if they know I shop at WalMart.

Further, most bad guys already have easy access to your address, workplace, and therefore you. Not likely they would somehow come across your mobile number and then use it in some way to locate you. So none of these so called risks really bother me. What does bother me is not knowing where a loved is when there is trouble. If you have youngins then, you may wish to look into Sprint's Family Finder or Verizon's Chaperone.

How do you activate?

1. In most phones use your MENU to select TOOL Icon > phone settings > location
Select "LOCATION ON" it will work now full time.

All service providers have a version of this service that allows YOU to have the software on your own computer to track your loved ones phones.
Verizon = Chaperone (free for adult phones)
Sprint = Family Finder

Two important tips:
1. Always take phone with, and
2. Don't turn it off, just silence it when necessary.

I know - there are a lot of places this may not work, but in most places it will a long as you didn't damage/loose the phone in the crash - plus it's free!!! Sweet words to any pilot.

Scott

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N941WR · #2 02-10-2009, 10:57 AM

Scott,

While this is a good idea in theory, it won't work in the real world.

I do a lot of backpacking and what I have found is that most backpackers, including myself, do not carry cell phones or GPS?s. The reason is simple, while you might get some reception on a mountain top, down in the ravines there is none.

Same reason we never carry a GPS, down in the valleys they can't "see" enough satellites to get a fix.

It all depends on where you go down, how you go down, etc. and for the cell phone to work, it depends on you going down close to a cell tower.

Scott Hersha · #3 02-10-2009, 03:21 PM

I wasn't actually serious about this idea replacing an ELT, but in many places in the country (I live east of the Mississippi) there is nearly complete cell coverage, depending on your provider. Check out their coverage maps. The chances are way higher than 50% that you would have coverage where you went down. If you can just get Garmin to download a cell coverage map onto your map page, you could plan your flight accordingly.

Scott

N941WR · #4 02-10-2009, 08:23 PM

Scott,

I too live east of the Mississippi and have spent a lot of time in the hills we have out here. Trust me; if you are relying on getting a cell signal in the Appalachian mountains, you are going to be waiting for a long time for the SAR team to arrive.

One other little problem, when flying most cell phones loose signal and then burn up their battery trying to contact a tower. (I'm not sure if they are running in analog mode or not.) What that means is your cell battery will mostly likely be dead when you need it most.

FWIW, I turn off my cell when going on long flights over the Appalachian Mountains.

captainron · #5 02-10-2009, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N941WR

FWIW, I turn off my cell when going on long flights over the Application Mountains.

Applications? Is that the range that runs through Pennsyltucky?

jthocker · #6 02-11-2009, 06:49 AM

Poor Scott,
This is what becomes of repeat offenders, when there plane is down at some distant place(like a paint shop), and there is no project at home. The building process has become such a part of our lives that when you take it away, we literally go nuts. Scott thought making beer would be his salvation, but now he has to wait 6 weeks to find out if thats a viable hobby.

Scott, Do the letters A..P...R...S mean anything to you? Please do some research on this and get back to me. I was following that thread last spring before the planes were flying, but now when I look, it's too daunting.

N941WR · #7 02-11-2009, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainron

Applications? Is that the range that runs through Pennsyltucky?

Two funny...

Scott Hersha · #8 02-11-2009, 08:12 AM

Bill,
OK, so I guess I'll have to try not to crash on a mountain. That still leaves a lot of possibilities. I've left my phone on in flight probably hundreds of times (by mistake) and the battery has never run down. In fact it's pretty fired up right now and I just landed in Jacksonville. It might be a dumb idea, but I'm stickin with it.... (unless I'm somewhere I don't want my wife to know about).

Scott

Scott Hersha · #9 02-11-2009, 08:14 AM

Jon,

The beer will be ice-cold and ready to sample on Friday.....

Scott

Scott Hersha · #10 02-11-2009, 08:36 AM

Well.... I just went to the Verizon site and it costs 9.95/month for the Chaperone tracking service. Doesn't quite fit my cheap requirement. Maybe APRS is a better idea long term. I have to see if I can get a heath kit or maybe one from that electronic gizmo company in Utah. The 260.00 kit price for the APRS doesn't fit either, but maybe I can build my own. Don't have anything else to do.....

Scott