At 11:29 PM 24/05/04 +1000, you wrote:
>Robert,
> Distress beacon are known by many different names, and their names
>indicate the environment they are designed for.
>
>Basically
>
>ELTs are aircraft beacons, are designed to be fitted to aircraft with G
>switches (up to 3) and activate when the designed G forces are exceeded.
>They have been known to go off in turbulence and after hard landings
>
>EPIRBs are designed for the maritime environment.
>
>PLB' are Personal Locator Beacons and are designed to be carried on your
>person.
>
>There are about to be some significant changes to the support systems for
>distress beacons. Information about these changes can be found at
>http://beacons.amsa.gov.au/ and I recommend everyone has a read up on the
>topic. Unfortunately there is a lot of incorrect information out there,
>particularly in the retail outlets.
>
>The information on this site makes you all knowledgeable consumers.
>
>
>SDF
A few thoughts:
GPS will be in most beacons in a few years as the US is mandating location
systems in cellphones. This may be done with a GPS chip.
The GPS location thing won't work under tree cover, down a ravine, under
water etc. The beacon won't work under some of these circumstance either.
In really rough country the satellite location may not be good enough
without the GPS signal. You then have to wait for a 406Mhz beacon receiver
equipped aircraft whereas now any aircraft can monitor 121.5?
How many 121.5 alerts a day occur in Australia?
Anyone know if it would be possible to mount a CDMA/GSM phone base station
in an aircraft? This would help if there were survivors as most
aviators/boaties/ bushwalkers and everyone else has mobile phone.
It was nearly 10 years ago that it was proposed that all aircraft be fitted
with fixed ELT's. This would have cost in the order of around $10,000,000
or more for the Australian GA fleet. This was defeated after much work by
Boyd Munro and others who showed that the it was extremely doubtful that
fixed ELT's would have saved any lives but that personal ones would have.
My recommendation is to carry a personal ELT attached to your parachute.
Anyone know how big a 406MHz beacon is compared to the 121.5 beacons?
Mike
Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality soaring instruments
phone Int'l + 61 746 355784
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