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Who has fitted a TRI-band ELT to a TB20?



 
 
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Old June 28th 05, 03:21 PM
Chris G.
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Default Who has fitted a TRI-band ELT to a TB20?

Worldwide, the 121.5/243.0 MHz ELT signals will no longer be detected by
the SAR satellites. The following references will explain it better
than I can, but here is the first line of the text from the URL: "The
International Cospas-Sarsat System will cease satellite processing of
121.5/243 MHz beacons from 1 February 2009."
http://www.cospas-sarsat.org/FirstPa....5PhaseOut.htm
AIM Para 6-2-5 Emergency Locator Transmitter
http://www.faa.gov/atpubs/AIM/Chap6/aim0602.html#6-2-5

I did not find a reference to whether there is any FAA mandate that all
ELTs be replaced/upgraded, but they strongly recommend it in the AIM.

For those who want to know more about how your ELT signal gets detected
and the SAR process begins, check out the following links
http://www.cospas-sarsat.org/MainPages/indexEnglish.htm
http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/
AIM Para 6-2-5 Emergency Locator Transmitter
http://www.faa.gov/atpubs/AIM/Chap6/aim0602.html#6-2-5

Chris
(Note: Not cross-posted to rec.aviation.owning because I don't
subscribe to it.)

Peter wrote:
N-reg planes have a mandatory ELT. AIUI, this may be a dual-
(121.50/243MHz) or tri-band (121.50/243/406MHz) unit.

Socata tell me they have only ever fitted the Artex ELT-200; a small
dual-band unit which uses a small whip antenna for which a reinforced
mounting point (with a doubler plate fitted internally) is provided
near the front of the fin.

Tri-band units cannot use a whip antenna; either two whips are needed,
or a single rigid antenna like the VHF one, and the rigid antenna
needs a larger reinforced area; specifically one has to remove
(de-rivet) the existing doubler plate and fit a larger one, then
repaint the whole lot.

In Europe, dual-band units have arguably little search-and-rescue
value as there are few if any real deserts, and the 243MHz satellite
coverage is going, and I hear the FAA is making 406MHz ELTs mandatory
c. 2009. I don't have a reference for this - does anyone have one?
Anyway, fitting a dual-band ELT TODAY appears silly, unless one just
wants to comply with FAA requirements and nothing more.

Here in the UK, people who have had tri-band units fitted (Kannad 406
http://www.adamsdirect.co.uk/proddet...delno=406%20AP is a
popular one, with an end user list price about US$3000) have usually
paid about US$8000 total for the installation! This includes about
$1000 fee for the DER paperwork which is *normally* required to get
the larger doubler plate signed off. It also includes running extra
wires to the instrument panel switch unit; the ELT-200 wiring in
Socata's harness is at least 1 wire short of what is needed for every
other ELT.

When I went G-reg to N-reg, I tried to avoid paying this ludicrous
amount, so I phoned Artex in the USA and asked if they have anything
3-band which would fit into the existing ELT-200 mounting points and
use the existing ELT-200 wiring. They recommended a kit called
455-5005 which includes an H4K Artex 406 ELT and an Artex 110-338 rod
antenna. This ELT, being larger than the ELT-200, required different
mounting points but I was told it would use the same wiring; the
latter info was incorrect as I found after I bought it. These issues
were discovered at the last minute and, to get the aircraft into the
air under its new N reg, I had to do something so I bought another
ELT-200 which goes straight in and at $700 total costs less than the
above DER fee!

I've now come back to have another look at the Artex 3-band ELT I
bought earlier. I've had a couple of quotes for installing this ELT,
and the total again comes to best part of $8000! A real rip-off even
by UK avionics standards.

However, there is no rush. Safety-wise it's not an issue in Europe
because in the most likely scenario the aircraft is likely to sink in
the sea anyway.

The good news is that I have found out from a local FAA IA that DER
approval is not necessarily required if the new doubler plate is in
the same place as the existing one.

I can do metalwork easily and I am planning to make both the doubler
plate, and a mounting adaptor plate, and issue them to someone who can
install it. The latter plate will allow the larger ELT to be mounted
in the existing ELT-200 mounting holes, eliminating the need to drill
holes in the luggage compartment floor.

Artex are now advertising a new ELT called ME-406 which is dual-band
but does 406MHz (121.50/406MHz) and which looks very compact. They
sure as hell didn't tell me about this even a few months ago. This
might be another option, but as far as I can tell it doesn't avoid the
need for a doubler plate for the rigid antenna.

1) Has anyone here had a tri-band ELT fitted to a TB20 (USA or
anywhere)?

2) Would anyone be interested in sharing the cost of making some
doubler plates and the mounting adaptor plates? Not every avionics
shop will accept customer supplied metalwork, but this has the
potential of saving a lot of money.

3) Does anyone know anything about this whole business? For example,
is there another ELT that comes with an STC for a TB20? (I never found
one).

4) Does anyone know how long the ELT-200 (121.50/243MHz) is going to
remain legal?

5) If I cannot resolve this and decide to sell the new Artex ELT, how
much is it likely to be worth? I paid $2400 for it. The battery life
is now 4 months shorter.

Any tips/suggestions would be much appreciated.


Peter.
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