The Kannad XS-4 personal locator beacon is on sale until the end of July. One of the cheapest (in price) personal locator beacons just got a little cheaper. The XS-4 is one of the smallest and lightest PLBs available. McMurdo teamed up with Kannad to produce this very small and cheap personal locator beacon so it has the technology of a very good company who has been making PLBs and EPIRBs for a very long time and has good reputation of making high quality products.
The ACR AquaLink personal locator beacon is the cheapest PLB that will float. The AquaLink is the exact same unit as the SARLink (also made by ACR), however, it is just slightly larger (3/16 in thicker) and heavier (0.2 oz) due to the fact that it will float if dropped in water. It incorporates all the latest feature that the SARLink uses as well. 6 year battery, 35 hour run time, and strobe light.
The FCC’s proposed ban on the certification, manufacture, importation, sale, or continued use of 121.5 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitters is not yet registered has not been submitted to the Federal Register for publication, therefore, the 60-day clock for implementation of the rule has not begun. The benefits of 406MHz far exceed the old 121.5MHz emergency locator transmitters so many organizations including the AOPA and EAA encourage owners and aircraft operators to switch to the new 406MHz emergency locator transmitters if at all possible even though it is not, as of yet, legally required.
Preparedness is the key to surviving an emergency. A simple survival kit can mean the difference between waiting out a natural disaster or terrorist action until help arrives and can even possibly save someone’s life. Most survival kits can be purchased for a relatively cheap price yet still provide all the essentials needed for survival for a few days without outside help, running/clean water, electricity, or medical assistance. Many survival kits also can be very conveniently packaged in a small and portable way such as a backpack. This makes them great to travel with in the car, airplane, or boat. They can also just be left in a closet at home just in case. The food, water, and medical supplies included in the kits are normally good for several years so they are very a very cheap form of insurance to keep around for a long time.
The new personal locator beacons available from ACR are a much cheaper in price and have many more functions than previous models. The older models, no longer made by ACR, had less battery life and functions than the new models and they also had a much higher price. The new ACR SARLink and SARLink View both have 6 year batteries, strobe lights, small size and light weight, and a cheaper price than earlier models. The SARLink View series also has a great function of displaying the current latitude and longitude of the personal locator beacon itself. In addition, it has the capability to send an “OK” message from anywhere on the planet. This is a great function to be able to “check in” from the most remote area’s of the world and let someone know you are safe. This function is enabled without activating the emergency portion of the PLB.
ELT Helps Rescuers Locate Downed Aviators
In this blog we often talk about the importance of aviation safety and carrying an ELT at all times, but most of us have never been in a situation where we actually need to make use of our AK-451. A recent crash in Rocky Mountain National Park, however, highlights the importance of keeping an ELT onboard at all times.
A man and his daughter were flying in the park when their plane crashed last Thursday and came to rest against a tree. They built a couple of signal fires, but what really saved them was their ELT; the beacon transmitted two signals to local authorities on Thursday afternoon, resulting in concentrated searches. Thanks to the signal fires and the transmission from the beacon, there was a speedy and successful recovery of the plane’s passengers.
A personal locator beacon saves the life of a fisherman adrift at sea. For two days, a fisherman off the Pacific Northwest coast, was drifting when the engine on his boat failed. Repeated attempts to signal other boats or the Coast Guard via the boat’s radio failed. After trying to get the motor to start and trying to reach rescue services via the radio for two days, the fisherman’s personal locator beacon was activated and soon a helicopter and Coast Guard ship were dispatched. Within an hour and a half the helicopter was on scene and 5 hours later a Coast Guard ship was able to tow the boat to the coast for repair. A personal locator beacon will work anywhere on the face of the planet because it uses a worldwide array of satellites to detect the signal almost instantly. With GPS, the satellites know the exact location of the PLB.
Canada is reportedly ready to sign a regulation that will require most aircraft operating in Canadian airspace to have 406 MHz ELTs. The rule will apply to foreign-registered aircraft, and those not equipped will not be allowed to enter Canadian airspace. There will likely be a three-year grace period before Canadian private aircraft have to be in compliance, but it’s not clear when the regulation will be applied to aircraft flying into Canada from other countries. Now is the time to get your 406MHz emergency locator transmitter to be in compliance when the regulation goes into effect.
Kannad emergency locator transmitters are used as standard equipment in many aircraft when installed at the factory the aircraft is built at. The new model of 406MHz Kannad ELTs meets all FAA/TSO standards. Kannad makes models to fit all aircraft types from very light GA aircraft to heavy corporate jets. With a long reputation in the aviation industry as an emergency locator transmitter manufacturer, Kannad will have an 406MHz ELT to fit your airplane.
The Artex ME406 series of emergency locator transmitters is a great choice for those aircraft owners and operators considering converting to the new ELT standard of 406MHz. Artex makes a complete line of ELTs that will replace the old 121.5MHz ELTs in most aircraft. Artex has been manufacturing emergency locator transmitters for many years and culminated their design with the new 406MHz series. The ME406, C406, and G406 series of Artex ELTs will work on any small light piston aircraft, turboprop, or corporate jet aircraft.