US ELT Installation

Mark, Read 3 above for current info.
UH

Hi Jim,

Thanks for doing such an excellent job of documenting your ELT installation.
That is a valuable resource for glider pilots! Excellent!

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

"jphoenix" wrote in message
ups.com...
Eric,

I installed mine this past weekend, the antenna is located forward and
under the instrument panel glareshield, attached to the rudder pedal
bracket and installed within 20° of vertical as required by the
manual.

AmeriKing, $206 including shipping from Paul Remde.

See details he www.jimphoenix.com

Jim

Eric Greenwell wrote:
wrote:

Too much "chicken little" there, Mark!

I purchased and installed an impact activated ELT in my glider for less
than $100 so I could race this past season.

So, tell us what model it is, where your got it, and how you dealt with
the antenna!

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

jphoenix wrote:
Eric,

I installed mine this past weekend, the antenna is located forward and
under the instrument panel glareshield, attached to the rudder pedal
bracket and installed within 20° of vertical as required by the
manual.

AmeriKing, $206 including shipping from Paul Remde.

See details he www.jimphoenix.com

That looks like a good installation, though I'd be concerned the antenna
would be damaged by in crash. It's still better than no ELT, but the
front of the cockpit is more likely to be significantly damaged than the
rear of the cockpit. Perhaps a rubber ducky mounted on a top corner of
the seat back would survive better, though it might not have the output
power of the longer whip.


--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

jphoenix wrote:
I installed mine this past weekend, the antenna is located forward and
under the instrument panel glareshield, attached to the rudder pedal
bracket and installed within 20° of vertical as required by the
manual.

AmeriKing, $206 including shipping from Paul Remde.

I have sold and installed the Ameri-King ELT's (I still sell these for just
$189.00) and other ELT's using a variety of antenna installations, usually a
rubber duck mounted on a metal ground plane in the baggage area is the
easiest and cleanest installation, providing you don't have a carbon fiber
or metal fuselage. I've also seen installations of the same antenna type
from some glider manufacturers mounted on simple brackets in the cockpit
that provide little of no ground plane....I have "unscientifically tested"
my own installations and they work, at least TX with reasonable strength and
range but I don't know how well the antenna performs without some ground
plane. Some time ago I did however speak with someone at Ameri-King who told
me then they actually certified their AK-450 while it was simply sitting on
a wing without an antenna attached (there is also a telescoping antenna
provided with the ELT so it can be used as a portable unit as well).
Consider though that handheld radios use nothing more than the radio body as
the grounding plane, and they do work, although not with the same range or
power as an external antenna, and it's easy to see that most antenna
installations will allow transmit, if even at less than optimum.
Also keep in mind the ground plane doe not have to be a larger metal
plate......it can be wire "whiskers" like many base station antennas use, or
even foil tape (check out any heating supply or even the Home Depot and
you'll find a variety of foil tapes used mostly for heating ductwork and the
ground plane issue becomes a " non-issue" very simply.
best regards
Tim
Wings & Wheels
www.wingsandwheels.com

Hi,

Just to clarify. I sell the AmeriKing ELT for $195. Just $8 more than Tim.
I try to be competitive with Tim and other online competitors. One some
products I'm a little more, on some a little less.

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

"Tim Mara" wrote in message
...
jphoenix wrote:
I installed mine this past weekend, the antenna is located forward and
under the instrument panel glareshield, attached to the rudder pedal
bracket and installed within 20° of vertical as required by the
manual.

AmeriKing, $206 including shipping from Paul Remde.

I have sold and installed the Ameri-King ELT's (I still sell these for
just $189.00) and other ELT's using a variety of antenna installations,
usually a rubber duck mounted on a metal ground plane in the baggage area
is the easiest and cleanest installation, providing you don't have a
carbon fiber or metal fuselage. I've also seen installations of the same
antenna type from some glider manufacturers mounted on simple brackets in
the cockpit that provide little of no ground plane....I have
"unscientifically tested" my own installations and they work, at least TX
with reasonable strength and range but I don't know how well the antenna
performs without some ground plane. Some time ago I did however speak with
someone at Ameri-King who told me then they actually certified their
AK-450 while it was simply sitting on a wing without an antenna attached
(there is also a telescoping antenna provided with the ELT so it can be
used as a portable unit as well). Consider though that handheld radios use
nothing more than the radio body as the grounding plane, and they do work,
although not with the same range or power as an external antenna, and it's
easy to see that most antenna installations will allow transmit, if even
at less than optimum.
Also keep in mind the ground plane doe not have to be a larger metal
plate......it can be wire "whiskers" like many base station antennas use,
or even foil tape (check out any heating supply or even the Home Depot and
you'll find a variety of foil tapes used mostly for heating ductwork and
the ground plane issue becomes a " non-issue" very simply.
best regards
Tim
Wings & Wheels
www.wingsandwheels.com

Tim Mara wrote:
jphoenix wrote:

I installed mine this past weekend, the antenna is located forward and
under the instrument panel glareshield, attached to the rudder pedal
bracket and installed within 20° of vertical as required by the
manual.

AmeriKing, $206 including shipping from Paul Remde.


I have sold and installed the Ameri-King ELT's (I still sell these for just
$189.00) and other ELT's using a variety of antenna installations, usually a
rubber duck mounted on a metal ground plane in the baggage area is the
easiest and cleanest installation, providing you don't have a carbon fiber
or metal fuselage. I've also seen installations of the same antenna type
from some glider manufacturers mounted on simple brackets in the cockpit
that provide little of no ground plane....I have "unscientifically tested"
my own installations and they work, at least TX with reasonable strength and
range but I don't know how well the antenna performs without some ground
plane.

I just tested the antenna from my handheld radio, using a SWR (AKA VSWR)
meter. The SWR was too high (greater than 3) when on a 2 foot long piece
of coax, and acceptable (about 2) when attached directly to the SWR
instrument. So, Tim's suggestions for ground planes make good sense and
could easily double the transmitted power. It is always a good idea to
measure the SWR of any new antenna installation (not antennas mounted on
the directly on the ELT or handheld radio, of course), and every year or
so. VSWR meters can be purchased cheaply or easily borrowed from another
pilot. Check CB radio shops or search Froogle for "SWR meter" for dozens
under $50.

Hmmm, might be a good item for Paul, Richard, or Tim to sell.

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

It's the shipping cost that drives my purchase decisions these days,
Craggy is lowest, but I don't think Richard has the AmeriKing, maybe he
does, can't recall.

Chief Aircraft has the lowest price, but they're not a soaring
supplier, so I put them at the bottom of the list with Wicks, Aircraft
Spruce, etc. - only as a last resort.

Sometimes Tim has stuff Paul or Richard doesn't, or maybe Tom has
something I need that the others don't, but usually, it's the shipping
cost.

Mcmaster-Carr has become a big supplier of Schempp-Hirth parts like pee
tube connectors, aileron control tube bearing balls, flap handles,
metric screws, etc.

So, has anyone calculated the number of ELT's the contest community
will need next year? Figure half the contests will require them, half
the contestants will already have one, etc. etc.? Market research?
Supply chain? Is everyone going to wait until the preferential entry
deadline to decide?

Jim


Paul Remde wrote:
Hi,

Just to clarify. I sell the AmeriKing ELT for $195. Just $8 more than Tim.
I try to be competitive with Tim and other online competitors. One some
products I'm a little more, on some a little less.

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

"Eric Greenwell" wrote in message
...

Check CB radio shops or search Froogle for "SWR meter" for dozens
under $50.


The standard CB SWR meter's range is 2 to 30 MHz. For accurate measurements
you need one designed for VHF frequencies.

Respectfully,

Wayne
HP-14 N990 "6F"
Ham Radio W7ADK
http://www.soaridaho.com/

Craggy does have the AmeriKing AK-450 and at the same price as Chief
$183.75.

Richard
www.craggyaero.com

I guess I should have checked at Craggy first!

Next time Richard - there's always something I "need" for my glider.

Jim