460MHZ ELT

[bipolar]

Hello all
Man time does fly,been a while since I posted last.
Got some info for our friends south of 49.
Transport Canada in their infinite wisdom is close to mandating 406 ELTs in all Canadian A/C.This change over would have to be complete by Feb2009 or you are grounded.It is not law yet but to be safe I ordered 1 to beat the rush.1200 bucks for the unit (Plus 6 hours install at 90/hr) ouch.These units also cannot be swapped between A/C as they are registration specific,own 2 or 3 puddle jumpers and you buy 2 or 3 ELTs,Nice eh.So how does this affect my southern friends as the FAA has no desire to go this route?Well if signed into law A/C without 406 would not be allowed into Canadian airspace,makes it kind of hard to go to Alaska for fishing.COPA has lobbied to make this new idea workable,Govt said they were on board to help GA,then the knife went in the back.
So just a heads up that our govt is not just messing with us but indirectly with you folks too.Lots more GA in the US than here so maybe if you folks yell it would be heard as they are not listening to us.
\406 is law in the EU and Austrailia
Fly safe
bipolar

[jrenwick]

If this becomes Canadian law, it will increase demand for the 406 units, which should lower the price after a while. I think I'll take my Alaska vacation this year, and just not plan any new trips there until I can become 406-equipped for a reasonable price.

I would have to believe there is a way to change the registration of a 406 unit. given enough lead time, I ought to be able to move one between two of my airplanes with re-registration and the appropriate logbook entries. Use the 121.5 ELTs for local flying, and the 406 for the very occasional wilderness trip in which ever airplane is appropriate (170 on wheels, or J3 on floats).

In fact, I googled "406 elt registration," and found the NOAA form you send it to register them. It includes a check box for the alternative of "Change of ELT information or ownership." The instructions for the form state:

The information you furnish is mandatory and is intended to assist search and rescue teams in locating
your craft in the event of beacon activation. The information will be provided to United States Coast
Guard and United States Air Force Search and Rescue (SAR) teams as appropriate in the event of beacon
activation. It will also be used to conserve SAR resources by virtually eliminating all false alarm
deployments. Failure to register this 406 MHz beacon with NOAA could result in penalties and/or fines
being issued to the owner. Solicitation of this information is authorized by Parts 80 and 87, Title 47 CFR.
There is no charge for this registration. This is a service provided by the U.S. Government.

All registration forms will be entered into the 406 MHz Beacon Registration Database within 48 hours of
receipt. A confirmation letter, a copy of the actual registration, and a proof-of-registration decal will be
mailed to you within two weeks. When you receive these documents, please check the registration
information carefully and affix the decal to your beacon. If for some reason you do not receive
confirmation back from NOAA, please call toll-free 1-888-212-7283 or 301-457-5678 for assistance.
Additional forms can be found on NOAA’s SARSAT website at: http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov

After a little more looking around, I found that you can even do this online at http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/.

[blueldr]

So what if you move the new ELT device between airplanes. So it's registered to a Stinson 108 and you auger in in a C-170. Are they going to check on airplane types at the crash site? What the heck do you care if you're in violation as long as they find you.

[jrenwick]

So what if you move the new ELT device between airplanes. So it's registered to a Stinson 108 and you auger in in a C-170. Are they going to check on airplane types at the crash site? What the heck do you care if you're in violation as long as they find you.

Well, yeah, that's a good point. The first thing they're going to do is call the contact numbers I gave, and those won't change. The people who answer can tell them the wreckage they'll find will be yellow instead of white, and that should jibe with the flight plan.

But I might be a special case, because I own more than one. How you register these things, and attend the phone numbers you give, is going to take some thought. Every solution has its own unique consequences!

[Jinkers]

I have been reading up on the 406 MHz ELT's. Artex makes 406 MHz ELT's that can be easily reprogrammed with the aircraft's 24-Bit address so that it can be moved from AC to AC. I'm sure other manufactures have models with this feature. Since this is an option that they offer, I'm sure they can provide the details on what paper work would need to be done for each AC. There are some other features that are worth looking into. One that I like is the ability to remove the ELT and put a local antenae on it. If you go down in an bad location and wish to hike to somewhere that offers better shelter, food, water, whatever, that would be a big advantage.

[blueldr]

Looks to me like:

"When there's will, there's a way."