Does anyone bother to register+test their 406Mhz ELT?

[CpnCrunch]

Whenever I bought my plane I discovered that the previous owner had never registered the ELT with the beacon registry. When I opened up the rear avionics bay to find the hexcode I noticed that the previous owner's AME (who had done the annual ELT check) hadn't bothered to secure either of the two straps on the ELT, so the thing was free to fly all over the place in the event of an accident.

Then, after I do a self-test I don't get any email, and I'm told by Trenton that their email system is still in beta and goes down sometime and they'll reset it. This has happened each time I've done a self-test over the past year. That's no big deal, but I'm wondering if I'm the only person who is reporting it to them, or if it just goes down a lot.

Oh, and last time I checked my ELT nothing happened, no beeps, no lights, nothing. Perhaps the ELT battery has died a year early? No, I discover it's a separate tiny battery in the button itself that has died, and it just needed replaced. It turns out the ACK E-04 actually has 3 batteries, all of which are non-rechargeable and will die at some point. In its defence, the ELT will still work if the main battery in the ELT itself is working. You just will have no indication that it's activated, and you won't be able to manually activate it if the battery in the button has died.

I already knew ELTs were crappy technology, but this is just further confirmation. I had gotten into the habit of not bothering to take my Garmin inreach out of my bag for flights over populated terrain, as I thought the 406 ELT was sufficient. But now I don't really trust the ELT at all, and I should never have trusted it.

[digits_]

Yikes. Well thanks for sharing that info.




Come to think of it, I should really register my ELT as well.... *oops*

[PilotDAR]

I'm not a 406 ELT fan, I prefer other methods (like SPOT). That said, I do know that if set up correctly, the 406 does what is says on the box. My client's 182 amphib was registered to me while in Canada. When he took it home to Norway, it was there, still registered to me. I got the phone call from Trenton Saturday morning: Sir, your ELT is going off, and it seems to be in Norway?!? They would not tell me the lat and long, but when I told them the lat and long of the lake where it was based, they conformed that was where the signal was coming from. A few urgent calls to Norway, and I confirmed that the plane and pilot were just fine, a guest kid had flipped the ELT switch when no one was looking during a cockpit visit. The system does work - if the ELT does!

[CpnCrunch]

I'm not a 406 ELT fan, I prefer other methods (like SPOT). That said, I do know that if set up correctly, the 406 does what is says on the box. My client's 182 amphib was registered to me while in Canada. When he took it home to Norway, it was there, still registered to me. I got the phone call from Trenton Saturday morning: Sir, your ELT is going off, and it seems to be in Norway?!? They would not tell me the lat and long, but when I told them the lat and long of the lake where it was based, they conformed that was where the signal was coming from. A few urgent calls to Norway, and I confirmed that the plane and pilot were just fine, a guest kid had flipped the ELT switch when no one was looking during a cockpit visit. The system does work - if the ELT does!

Yes, it's certainly an improvement on the old 121.5 ELTs, but there are still a lot of ways it can fail. Quite often an accident report will say that the ELT failed to activate because the antenna sheared off.

The ACK manual says you should test it every 3 months, which is probably a good idea just to make sure none of the 3 batteries have died!

[JasonE]

When I had my plane, I tested the ELT a few times and successfully received the test email. Registering a 406 is something I've brought up before. Many new owners don't even realize they have to do it. When I was a new pilot, I owned my plane (trained in it too) for 6 months before I realized I had to re-register it.

[TailwheelPilot]

I find it shocking so many people do not realize they meed to reregister 406 ELTs. I was overseas when they became required and a C of A would not be issued wothout proof of registration (C of As had to be renewed with an inspection from a government inspector every year or two).

A friend sold his plane a few years ago. Two or three owners later it had an accident. He got a call at home when it happened, but he had no idea if it was an accident or an inadvertant activation. Not so useful if it is not reregistered and kept up to date.

[praveen4143]

How often does it need to be re-registered?

[AirFrame]

The ACK manual says you should test it every 3 months, which is probably a good idea just to make sure none of the 3 batteries have died!

And you can make sure that the batteries last an even shorter time! ACK gets to sell more batteries, it's a win-win situation!

When will someone make a SPOT-like device that gives live tracking, with a G-switch to trigger an emergency, and an onboard Lithium rechargeable battery that's kept topped up by ship's power? Self-testing internally as well. No more battery costs, no more testing costs.

[photofly]

The E04 battery lasts the full five years even with tests at three-monthly intervals. The tests, by the way, use a tiny amount of power - you’re broadcasting for two seconds only. The battery is specified to be able to transmit per specification for some period of hours, even at the tail end of its five year life. The audio sounder battery life is 10 years. The remote battery life is five or ten years, depending on whether you buy a lithium or alkaline one.

If you replace the batteries on the mandated schedule you don’t have to worry about them being flat when you need them. An ELT is a sophisticated piece of safety equipment that has instructions for continued airworthiness. If you ignore it for ten years then expect it to save your life, you get what you deserve.

If five years is too frequent to change a battery, how do you cope with fifty or twenty five hour oil and filter changes? How about your vacuum filter? Air filter? Or do you ignore those too?

[CpnCrunch]

If you replace the batteries on the mandated schedule you don’t have to worry about them being flat when you need them.

Well my ELT is 4.5 years old and the 6V lithium battery is down to 2.4V, which caused the ELT switch to not work. I think the problem is the avionics shop installed a no-name battery from Dantona which doesn't have any expiry date on it, and even the manufacturer doesn't list any expiry date in their documentation. In theory you would probably expect it to be 10 years, as it's a direct replacement for the Duracell 28L that has a 10 year life and it uses the same technology. But I guess if you're one of the largest avionics shops in the country and choose to install a piece of shit battery that might have been sitting on your shelf for years then this is what happens.

[photofly]

A PX28L is all of $12 on Amazon or $14 from Best Buy…

[CpnCrunch]

A PX28L is all of $12 on Amazon or $14 from Best Buy…

The Duracell is C$10.41 on Amazon, and the crap no-name battery that the avionics shop installed is US$12.34. Anyway, my point is just that the ELT design is crap and prone to failure.

[photofly]

I don’t see how you have evidence it’s prone to failure. If you install substandard parts you get what you pay for. You might not approve of the design, but it was your choice to buy it.

[LakeShore_Cyclist]

I think the problem is the avionics shop installed a no-name battery from Dantona which doesn't have any expiry date on it, and even the manufacturer doesn't list any expiry date in their documentation.

Did you actually read The ACK-E-04 install manual? It clearly says the system has 3 batteries and the replacement time frame.

[CpnCrunch]

I don’t see how you have evidence it’s prone to failure. If you install substandard parts you get what you pay for. You might not approve of the design, but it was your choice to buy it.

I meant ELTs in general are prone to failure, and this one has a poor design with 3 batteries. And no, I didn't choose to buy it. I just bought the plane with it already installed.

Out of curiosity, when was the last time you checked the 406Mhz burst on your own ELT?

[photofly]

I don’t see how you have evidence it’s prone to failure. If you install substandard parts you get what you pay for. You might not approve of the design, but it was your choice to buy it.

I meant ELTs in general are prone to failure, and this one has a poor design with 3 batteries. And no, I didn't choose to buy it. I just bought the plane with it already installed.

Out of curiosity, when was the last time you checked the 406Mhz burst on your own ELT?

August. next due November 3.

[CpnCrunch]

August. next due November 3.

And you got an email?

[photofly]

I did.

Le texte francais suit.
Please1 note that this message was automatically generated in response to a 'self-test' by a 406MHz beacon.


Beacon Hexcode :….
Associated With :…..

However, the test protocol doesn’t pass/fail on the receipt of or lack of an email. The test is to hear one or two beeps, then no more. And a couple of sweeps on 121.5 MHz. It passed those tests.

[CpnCrunch]

I did.

Le texte francais suit.
Please1 note that this message was automatically generated in response to a 'self-test' by a 406MHz beacon.


Beacon Hexcode :….
Associated With :…..

However, the test protocol doesn’t pass/fail on the receipt of or lack of an email. The test is to hear one or two beeps, then no more. And a couple of sweeps on 121.5 MHz. It passed those tests.

Just curious, as the email test system hasn't been working for the past 2 weeks, and wasn't working in November last year.

[photofly]

I don’t always get an email; definitely not when I test in a hangar.