406 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitters save more lives.
406 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitters are getting rescue crews to more accident sites and saving more lives than was ever possible through the use of the old 121.5 MHz ELTs. The new digital signal sent from the 406 MHz beacon is 50 times more powerful then the previous 121.5 MHz ELTs. Search and rescue operations worldwide are praising the accuracy and reliability of the new emergency locator transmitters.
Although it is still legal to use a 121.5 MHz ELT in the United States at this time, the rest of the world has switched over to the new 406 MHz beacons due to their extreme reliability and very low false alarm rates. Since satellites stopped monitoring for the 121.5 MHz signal as of February 2009, it is now VERY difficult to be found if an aircraft is forced to land anywhere off an airport without the new 406 MHz ELT installed.