ELT Guru

The new digital 406 Mhz emergency locator transmitters really have no comparison to the old 121.5 MHz ELTs.  Here is a short comparison of ELT information on the differences between the two.

(1) Signal of the new 406 is digital and much stronger. (old 121.5 uses analog signal of low power)

(2) Worldwide coverage (old 121.5 used to have 2/3 of the world covered - now only line of sight since it is no longer monitored by satellites)

(3) Very low false alert rate (very high false alert rate with the old 121.5 MHz ELTs)

(4) Very accurate positioning on reception of signal: with GPS it is accurate to within a few yards (the old 121.5 requires an aircraft or vehicle to search using a homing device)

(5) Alert time almost instantaneous (121.5 may never be heard or it may take a long time until someone flys over the aircraft to hear it)

Thanks for your informative posts. It has been difficult to find such a comprehensive source of information about the new ELT system and the related aircraft equipment. Your posts and website have been useful tools in getting the information and equipment I need to update my aircraft for the new system.

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.

If you are involved in a boating or aviation accident, a first aid kit is absolutely essential and almost always utilizedin such an event.  First aid kits are a necessity for everyone.  A first aid kit should be in every home and personalcar.  A fist aid kit should also be a part of every survival kit.  First aid kits are also great for an airplane, boat, theoffice, recreational vehicle, etc…   A first aid kit should contain enough supplies to handle everyday cuts andscraped as well as minor traumatic wounds so that they can be stabilized until professional medical help is available.  They come in all sizes: small for personal use or large kits for treating multiple people or injuries.  Everyone, at some point, has had contact with or a need to use a first aid kit.  First aid kits, although essential, can be purchased fairly cheaply.  Buy a first aid kit today or buy a survival kit with a first aid kit as part of the contents today.

Survival Kits are one of the best things anyone can have as an added measure of safety in everyday life.  A simple survival or disaster kit can come in handy when an unfortunate event happens such as an earthquake, flood, hurricane, fire, terrorist act, etc…  A kit can be convienently stored in a portable light backpack so it can be taken anywhere.  It can even be stocked with enough supplies to support several people.  Most kits contain the essentials of food, water, shelter, and first aid supplies.  Some come with more supplies and many can be custom made.  A survival kit can be made up personally by going to different outdoor stores or it can be simply ordered online with all the essentials to make everything easier. 

It’s best to have one handy in the car, at home, on a boat, in an airplane, or just about anywhere.  One kit can even be used for the whole family and just carried where or when needed.  Don’t b caught off guard.  Be perpared with a simple, inexpensive, and portable survival kit.

NOAA report of a Cospas-Sarsat rescue using satellite technology.  On April 9 the

COSPAS- SARSAT system detected a distress signal in the Lake Tahoe, California area. The El Dorado

County Sheriff’s Department was sent to look for an ELT when they discovered a plane crash

with one deceased. However they also noted foot prints leading away from the wreckage. The

Sheriff’s department received help from a Naval Air Station helicopter to search for the missing

person. The crew of the helicopter located her and transported her to the Renown Medical Center.

One more SARSAT Rescue.  The 406 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitter is an essential

peice of safety equipment for any aircraft.

NOAA satellites were key factors in the rescues of 283 people throughout the United States and its surrounding waters in 2008. In each incident, NOAA satellites detected and located a distress signal from an emergency beacon and relayed the information to first responders on the ground.

“With every rescue made, a tragedy was avoided,” said Mary E. Kicza, assistant administrator for NOAA Satellite and Information Service. “Each year NOAA satellites show their versatility by helping us forecast the weather, learn more about our environment and contribute to these life saving rescues.”

NOAA’s polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites, along with Russia’s Cospas spacecraft, are part of the international Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking system, called COSPAS-SARSAT. This system uses a network of satellites to quickly detect and locate distress signals from emergency beacons on board aircraft and boats and from handheld personal locator beacons. 

When a satellite finds the location of a distress signal within the United States or its surrounding waters, the information is relayed to the SARSAT Mission Control Center at NOAA’s Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Md. From there, it is sent to a Rescue Coordination Center, operated by either the U.S. Air Force, for land rescues, or the U.S. Coast Guard, for water rescues.

Now in its 27th year, COSPAS-SARSAT has been credited with supporting more than 24,000 rescues worldwide, including 6,045 in the United States and its surrounding waters.  The 406 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitter is one of the tools NOAA relied on to find many of the people rescued.

Different types of ELTs are currently in use. There are approximately 170,000 of the older generation 121.5 MHz ELTs in service. Unfortunately, these have proven to be highly ineffective. They have a 97% false alarm rate, activate properly in only 12% of crashes, and provide no identification data. In order to fix this problem 406 MHz ELTs were developed to work specifically with the Cospas-Sarsat system. These ELTs dramatically reduce the false alert impact on SAR resources, have a higher accident survivability success rate, and decrease the time required to reach accident victims by an average of 6 hours. 

With a 121.5/243 MHz beacon, only 1 alert out of every 500 alerts is a genuine distress situation. This has a significant effect on the resources of search and rescue (SAR) services. With 406 MHz beacons, false alerts have been considerably reduced (1 alert in 12 is genuine) and when properly registered can normally be resolved with a telephone call to the beacon owner using the encoded beacon identification. Consequently, real alerts can receive the attention they deserve.

The best way to ensure your safety (and the safety of those travelling with you), if an emergancy occurs while flying and aircraft, is to have a NEW 406 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitter.  The advantages are tremendous when compared to the old 121.5 MHz ELTs.

On June 9 the COSPAS-SARSAT system detected a 406 MHz distress signal from a Personal

Locaotr Beacon 1/2 mile southwest of Wrightwood, California. The Air Force Rescue

Coordination Center contacted the wife of the PLB owner. She stated her husband was hiking

along the Pacific Crest Trail toward Big Bear Lake. The Air Force contacted the California

CivilAir Patrol, which found the hiker and requested a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s

Department helicopter. The crew of the helicopter hoisted up the 71 year old hiker aboard

the helicopter. The hiker was too exhausted to continue. The helicopter transported him

to the Ontario Airport in San Bernardino CA. One SARSAT Rescue.