In article ,
MikeremlaP wrote:

If a dying battery in the remote ***always*** sets off the ELT, then this is a
design flaw. Everyone's ACK will eventually false alarm if the remote battery
isn't replaced on time. (And you know how we are with smoke detectors...)
Hmmm... maybe this explains all the false alarms CAP complains about?

I've chased dying main batteries in ELTs before, an EPIRB that was
ten years out of date, a fax machine and a UPS truck. There are
a myriad of ways to produce false alarms on 121.5mhz. Searching
for 121.5 signals is so pointless IMO that I don't even go out on
121.5 only searches any more unless there is an ALNOT (ALert NOTice
for missing/overdue plane).

So in terms of extra work for CAP, this is just a small factor
among all the others.

Having no signal from the remote switch trigger the ELT is probably
done on purpose as a 'fail safe'. Since there is a high propability
that in an actual emegancy, the cable between the remote and the
ELT will break,it is reasonable to activate the ELT on loss of
signal from the remote. I know nothing about the actual design of
the ELT in question, so this is just speculation on my part.

John
--
John Clear - http://www.panix.com/~jac