It should also be noted that this switch off only effects
the USA. The rest of the world could, if we felt the
need to use ELTs, continue with the old frequencies.
That's progress?

At 20:24 05 September 2005, Basils27 wrote:
Fly your contest in the UK (the land of the free).
We don't have such silly
rules.

Basil

'M B' wrote in message
...
This is a translation for those who don't interpret
gobbledygook well:

The guys who watch 121.5 aren't going to do it any
more three years from now. If you have an aircraft
ELT, it must be the kind that give the exact point
of impact. These new 406MHz ELTs send the exact GPS
point of impact.

The folks who do search and rescue want this change.
The old ELTs took a long time to find, and needed
special radios to steer to the signal. The old ELTs
also did not tell which exact aircraft they were attached
to. Rescuers think spending a long time and doing
a lot of special radio training costs too much. Instead,
it is better if aircraft owners pay more for modern
ELTs. Also, very, very few aircraft ELT alerts are
of any use for rescue. In almost every case, the
people
are either 1) dead by the time they are found,
2) able to find help some other way (cell phone,
people
running up, handheld radio), or
3) are well enough to walk away on their own.

Many rescuers say that after ten years and thousands
of ELT alerts, they have found only false alarms or
dead people. This costs a lot of money.

Think before you buy a 121.5 ELT and install it.
You
might want to wait until the 406MHz units are more
common. Then the price may be lower because everyone
has to buy them. GPS makers like Garmin might sell
cheap 406MHz ELTs.

Install one of these obsolete 121.5 ELTs just for
3
years of contests. Or buy and install a 406MHz ELT.
If you can't afford it, then you can't fly in a contest.
Even Sport's class over flat terrain in a 1-26 within
10 miles requires an ELT. That's the rule in USA
contests.

DISCONTINUANCE OF 121.5 & 243 MHz
FOR SATELLITE DISTRESS ALERTS
The Cospas-Sarsat Program has announced plans to terminate
satellite
processing of distress signals from 121.5 and 243 MHz
emergency beacons
on February 1, 2009. Users of the system will have
to switch to
emergency beacons operating at 406 MHz, which are more
reliable and
provide search and rescue agencies complete information
that they need
to do their job, in order to be detected by satellites.

Reasons for the Cospas-Sarsat program to discontinue
use are driven by
guidance from the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) and the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). These
two agencies
are responsible for regulating the safety of ships
and aircraft on
international transits and handle international standards
for maritime
and aeronautical search and rescue missions. In addition,
121.5 MHz
false alerts inundate search and rescue resources which
impact the
effectiveness of lifesaving services.

Individuals who plan on buying a new distress beacon
may wish to take
the Cospas-Sarsat decision into account. For further
information please
see www.sarsat.noaa.gov.


Mark J. Boyd