ELT survey....what brand, how much $, why???

flyboy1963 · #1 05-15-2013, 10:29 AM

I am about to spend this years' avgas budget on yet another $1000 box .......before I pull the trigger, I really want to make the right choice.

I am leaning towards an ELT with integral GPS, as the ACK and Pointer have made this affordable ( I think). I am not confident that I can make my panel GPS talk to the ELT when I need it to, so am avoiding those that feed from another unit.

what have others equipped with, why, and how much $$$ was it installed, with the antennae etc.? (If you couldn't re-use the old 121 mHz??)

aerhed · #2 05-15-2013, 10:49 AM

You can stay legal with an under $200 121.5 unit. You can add safety with a 406 PLB. Total around $550 with a PLB you can carry for other uses. Not the greatest solution, but I also hate dropping over 2K on an ELT. I also hate being a battery slave. I had a 421 customer with a Narco 110 ELT. It HAD to go to Narco every 2 years for a battery and function test. $200 plus at least 2 week turnaround. Why would you install something that automatically downs your plane for 2-3 weeks every 2 years?

BobTurner · #3 05-15-2013, 10:55 AM

Note he is in Canada. Can you still install 121.5 units?

Bevan · #4 05-15-2013, 11:48 AM

Hi Perry,

This was my thinking. Your situation may be different.

During the construction , I bought a used ACK-01 (121.5 only) which came with a new install kit, for less than $100. I wanted to have all the ELT components/install instructions on hand even though I would not be flying for a long time.

When I eventually need to upgrade, the ACK-04 (121.5 and 406) will fit right into the 01 mounting tray and use the same cable/control panel. The antenna(s) will be different. The ACK-04 is one of the cheapest 406 units out there. Ack sells an upgrade kit that is cheaper still which partly recoups my orginal 01 purchase.

One data point.

Bevan

Auburntsts · #5 05-15-2013, 12:43 PM

I have the ACK E-04 and chose it because it was the cheapest 406 ELT out there. Also, the E-04 does not have an integral GPS in it. It has a GPS interface that you must connect to an external GPS.

tim2542 · #6 05-15-2013, 04:04 PM

I went with the ACK for cost reasons and have no regrets. It is very simple to feed GPS info to it, I just "T" into the serial line between the EFIS and GPS. Worked fine, just be aware the little test light ACK has you make will not flash unless/until the GPS has a position. That has tripped a few folks.
The antenna length may be the most important factor in your decision however, depending on what you are building.
Good luck, hope you never need it!
Tim

Dues paid!

flyboy1963 · #7 05-15-2013, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobTurner

Note he is in Canada. Can you still install 121.5 units?

we are still legal with the ( useless) 121.5 north of 49 for private aircraft.
I have an AmeriKing, so their 406 would drop right in, which sounds appealing.
Sounds like they ALL need a different antennae, right?

the latest I hear is that the spec for 406 will be re-written in 2017, thus making the one you just bought obsolete...again.
hmmm, is this the 10th or 20th time the regulators have done this?

I agree that a suite of gadgets is probably the way to go for the forseeable future...PLB, Spot, Spidertrax, ELT, etc etc.