ELT's

Please look at my website page:
http://www.wingsandwheels.com/elt_em...plb_person.htm
there is a new unit from Kannad that has not only internal GPS but also
includes and internal 406 Mhz antenna. You will note that they originally
had suggested this could be mounted without any external antenna but the FAA
frowned on this and they now include a note regarding this "an external
antenna must be mounted when "mandated".essentially though, an ELT is not
"mandated" for gliders and in fact there is an exception to the ELT
requirement for gliders. With that being said, this ELT can legally be
installed in a glider without the external antenna.....I have spoken
directly with our technical contact at Kannad and he stated that the ELT
performs as well with the internal antenna as with the external antenna as
long as the ELT has an unblocked view (meaning not covered by metal, carbon
fiber or materials that would otherwise block the antenna signal. The other
exception to this is that the Integra ELT does not transmit the 121.5 Mhz
signal without the external antenna. It will Tx on 121.5 however with the
"portable" antenna used like most handheld devices so this could also be
easily implemented.

I have in the past installed the previous model 121.4/243 ELT's in my own
gliders with simple rubber duck handheld antennas since they too were 1/4
wave and typical for the airband (118-136 Mhz) and mounted these on smaller
ground planes..Understandably even the short rubber duck antenna is in
actuality a 22-23" antenna but coiled so it in all perfection should have a
ground plane that would be undoable in nearly any glider (being nearly 22"
radius) but even a small ground plane is more effective and though a
compromise of the "ideal" works....I have tested my own and found then
working and sending a signal that I believe could be received by S&R.

The big advantage to the aircraft ELT over Spot's and PLB's is that they are
activated on impact and have internal batteries capable of sending the
signal for several hours even days and I know we've all heard the arguments
that ELT's don't work....but the fact of the matter is that they do and even
in soaring we have had ELT's that have helpd to find downed gliders.. should
ELT's be mandatory in gliders, in contest? or? ? I'll let the rest of you
argue and debate this and leave requiring ELTs, PLB's Spot's, Flarm, TCAS
and the rest up the individual pilots to decide.
regards
Tim Mara


"Dick" wrote in message
...
A couple of years ago there was talk of denying entry in to contests
all gliders that were not equipped with ELT's. I immediatly ordered a
121.5 / 406 Mhz model. It came the other day, a year and a half
later. It includes a clunky antenna that would have to be mounted
outside of a carbon hull. I have two questions. One, what happened
to the urgency??? and two has anyone come up with a workable solution
to the antenna issue?

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