rickmellor
Well Known Member
I'm starting to shop for ELTs but am surprised by what I'm finding. Theoretically COPAS-SARSAT will stop monitoring 121.5 and 243 MHz in 2/2009. I'm sure we could wager on whether or not this will actually happen on that date, but considering that it is a published policy, I would have expected to see more products on the market by this point. I mean, this would seem to be a golden opportunity to upgrade existing customers and eek out higher margins until the market is mature.
In looking around the only FAA-approved, self-activated, 406 MHz ELTs I can find are from ARTEX and their prices start around $900. This even for the non-NAV interface equipped unit. If you want NAV broadcasts you're looking at closer to $2,000!!!
Does anyone know what's up with this? I'm hoping to have my plane in the air by the end of '07. That would give me just over a year of satellite coverage with the current TSO-C91a units. Call me crazy but I'd like my investment to last a little longer than that. Also, the jump from $200 for an analog unit to $900 for a digital unit seems kind of crazy. Shouldn't other manufacturers be jumping on this bandwagon and shouldn't prices be adjusting downwards by now?
-Rick
In looking around the only FAA-approved, self-activated, 406 MHz ELTs I can find are from ARTEX and their prices start around $900. This even for the non-NAV interface equipped unit. If you want NAV broadcasts you're looking at closer to $2,000!!!
Does anyone know what's up with this? I'm hoping to have my plane in the air by the end of '07. That would give me just over a year of satellite coverage with the current TSO-C91a units. Call me crazy but I'd like my investment to last a little longer than that. Also, the jump from $200 for an analog unit to $900 for a digital unit seems kind of crazy. Shouldn't other manufacturers be jumping on this bandwagon and shouldn't prices be adjusting downwards by now?
-Rick