A rancher who owns over 22,000 acres in Montana used his ACR Sarlink personal locator beacon to alert rescue crews to his location after a fall broke his leg and three ribs. While riding on his ATV far away from his home and surveying his cattle ranch land for washed out or damaged fence, the ATV hit a drainage rut and flipped over unexpectedly and violently breaking a ranchers left leg and three ribs. In too much pain and unable to shift the gears on his ATV, the rancher used his ACR sarlink personal locator beacon to alert rescue crews. The alert was received and his family along with the local sheriffs office arrived in a 4-wheel drive shortly after they were all contacted by the international alert station of his GPS location.
GME is offering it’s popular Accusat Personal Locator Beacon on sale for a short time. The Accusat is one of the pioneer personal locator beacons. GME introduced was the first to introduce the strobe light built into their PLB as well as a unit that floats. AT only 8 ounces, this is one of the lightest personal locator beacons available.
If you haven’t purchased an aviation ELT in the past few years, you’re definitely behind the times. At the beginning of 2009, the switch was officially made from 121.5 to 406 MHz transmissions. This means that many older ELT units are quite antiquated and may very well be worthless in the event of a crash.
Luckily, new ELT units are relatively inexpensive and most operate on both the 121.5 and 406 MHz frequencies. So even if you venture to a region where 121.5 MHz is still in use, you’ll be covered. An ELT can save your life in the event of a crash, and there is really no excuse for having one with you every time you take off.
Sarlink Personal Locator Beacon Saves Another Life
Two fisherman in the Pacific Northwest became stranded and adrift at sea when the motor failed on their boat. They did not have a radio on the private vessel and they were several miles out to sea so there was no cell phone coverage. They realised that there might be help sent many hours later when their wives realized they had not returned but by then they could have drifted far from their intended fishin location. The best chance they had for a timely rescue was to activate their ACR Sarlink personal locator beacon. The signal with their exact GPS location was receved and the search and rescue coordination center alerted the Coast Guard who arrived to tow them in two hours after the distress signal was sent.
With the economy in the tank and the Fed showing signs of doubt about the recovery, we’re all looking to save money. But when you’re searching for bargains, it’s important to know when to cut corners. Opting for the generic brand cereal probably isn’t too risky, but when it comes to your ELT, you want a trusted product from a quality manufacturer. One of the most highly touted units on the market today is the Artex ME406.
This single-output ELT transmits signals on both the 121.5 and 406 MHz frequencies, ensuring the authorities can locate you quickly and easily in the event of an emergency. In the event of a crash, the ELT automatically activates, so even if you’re injured and can’t reach the unit, you can rest assured it’s doing its job. And with a five-year battery life, you won’t have to worry about the Artex ME406 going out on you.
The new SARLink and AquaLink personal locator beacons from ACR have the option to send a message letting someone know you are “OK”. This is a great advance over the older units that did not have this capability. This “message” service can be used with the new VIEW series of personal locator beacons from ACR. The non-View series have the ability to send a message but it is limited in what can be sent, and how many messages can be sent. The View series can send a massage (you preset on the website) to any cell phone via text and an email address. The people receiving this message can see that you are OK and can also your exact location (latitude and longitude) listed on a map. This is an excellent feature to have when away from an area with no cell phone coverage.
The Goddard Space Flight center has stated that pilots flying over water should have a personal locator beacon in addition to a 406MHz ELT on the aircraft. If the ELT signals the location of the crash site on water, it will not continue to do so submerged and if the occupants are in a raft or floating in the water they could be miles from where tha airplane went down in the water. A personal locator beacon can transmit the same information the emergency locator transmitter can. There are even PLBs that are waterproof and can float in water if droppped.
For nearly 40 years, Artex has been an industry leader in the development and proliferation of ELT devices. The company started by creating magnesium batteries for ELT units, quickly developing into a thriving international corporation. Over the years, Artex has steadily gained certifications allowing them to work on a variety of ELT models.
Since 1990, Artex has been manufacturing its own line of ELTs, which includes models operating on every utilized frequency. Now Artex is leading the way in new ELT technologies, incorporating longitude and latitude measurements and making the lightest, most affordable units on the market today. Many Artex ELTs can operate on multiple frequencies, eliminating the need to update your technology constantly.
ACK Emergency Locator Transmitter Approval Coming Soon!
The new ACK E-04 emergency locator transmitter is at the final stage of getting approval from authorities so it can be sold. The E-04 is the cheapest emergency locator transmitter available. In some cases, it is half the cost of other makes of ELTs. The ACK E-04 is a kit that comes complete with everything needed for installation. ELT, remote switch, buzzer, mounting hardware, coax cable, remote wiring, antenna. This is sure to be a HUGE seller as soon as it is approved.
The GME Accusat, another great personal locator beacon, is on sale until the end of July 2010. This is the first personal locator beacon designed to float without any external “pouch” or aid. The Accusat is light weight and has a built in strobe as well.