406 ELT

cowtowner

cowtowner

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Cowtowner
Anybody have any thoughts on upgrading to a 406 elt? Need one to fly to Mexico and don't want to drop a ton of money.
 
I have artex 345, it tests fine, no i have never used it out of necessity and hoping to keep it that way. if you are planning on running the wire to your nav... plan to spend some good amount of $$ for labor
 
elt406gps here. Whatever you get, make sure it gets mounted correctly.
 
I have installed a number of different ones, and like Jesse, I hate the Ack E-04. Unless you are upgrading from another Ack (and even then...) I wouldn't bother. DIN connector is a pain to make up, takes several extra batteries (remote and audio alerter in addition to the main unit battery), etc. The Artex 345 is my go to, unless someone specifically wants a different one.
 
I have the ACK tied into my Garmin 430W.

Easy to install and I know it works because I set it off by accident last Thursday while loading the baggage area after doing maintenance on the plane. I got a call from the coordination center a few minutes later. They knew my actual location and I know for sure the unit hadn’t been going off for more than 10 minutes.

The alerter in the cockpit was going off but since I wasn’t near the plane I didn’t know that before I got the call from the coordination center.

It made me feel better about the chance that I will get help if I ever need it. I will still carry my PLB in case I get out of the plane but maybe I won’t need it.

Gary
 
ACK E-04. Easy install, inexpensive, easy ICA, works great.
 
Installed an ACK E-04 couple of years back. As @Stewartb said easy install, sure beats the old E-01. Activation button at your finger tips..:).
 
Artex is about $130 more than the ACK and replacement battery pack is $50 more. The ICA requirements are the same for both but Artex does "suggest" you give them an extra forty bucks to subscribe to their satellite and beacon test service which seems like kind of a scam. The ACK uses an RJ-11 connector that has an additional output allowing you to verify it's getting the GPS data.
 
Any guesses on install hours on the Artex? Not connecting to a GPS (as I don't have one). Cherokee 180
 
you still have to run the wire for the remote activation switch. if you already have one from your previous old school one, there may be a way to use it. i installed on my panel instead of where the old one was (on the pilot side right under the spit window). i would estimate 2-3 hours or less if they dont need to rip panels and sides apart. if memory serves, the actual install in the tail was fairly simple. the time consuming part was taking interior apart for running wires for the remote switch and connecting to my GPS
 
Silvaire said:
Just an FYI to be aware that even something as lowly as a Garmin 296 will work for GPS data input.
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I've got a Garmin 496 in the dash, maybe I'll hook it up to it...
 
Silvaire said:
...replacement battery pack is $50 more.
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The ACK E-04 battery is on a 5 year replacement cycle while the Artex 345 battery is 6 years. On a per year basis, the two prices are about the same.
 
WannFly said:
you still have to run the wire for the remote activation switch. if you already have one from your previous old school one, there may be a way to use it. i installed on my panel instead of where the old one was (on the pilot side right under the spit window). i would estimate 2-3 hours or less if they dont need to rip panels and sides apart. if memory serves, the actual install in the tail was fairly simple. the time consuming part was taking interior apart for running wires for the remote switch and connecting to my GPS
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I have a switch on the panel for my 121.5 ELT, I've read online that sometimes these were done with phone cables?
 
ACK E-04 has worked perfectly for me for a few years now. Big savings if you are transitioning from he E-01.
 
Same here. I upgraded from the E-01. Only installation issue I had was getting the GPS position into the ELT via RS-232. Turned out to be a bad chip in the GPS.
 
cowtowner said:
I have a switch on the panel for my 121.5 ELT, I've read online that sometimes these were done with phone cables?
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possible, i am not entirely sure. someone with avionics background could probably tell you if you can use the same wiring.
 
cowtowner said:
I have a switch on the panel for my 121.5 ELT, I've read online that sometimes these were done with phone cables?
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It should work. If you have an E-01 and buy the E-04 "upgrade" kit it doesn't include the remote switch, cable or mounting tray as you would use the existing ones you already have.
 
The E-01 used a standard telephone wire and plugs. It used a lithium battery to power the panel switch. The E-04 panel switch that I have requires hard wiring to the main bus. In my Cessna I replaced an E-01 with an Artex ME-406 “ACE” that reused the ACK wire harness and replaced the panel switch with an Artex battery-powered switch that fit the same cutout. For years Artex promised ME-406 owners that they’d make a module to hook it to a GPS. They never did. Artex lost my confidence after that. I still use the ME-406 but also have Spidertracks in that airplane so GPS enabling wasn’t a deal killer. Hooking a portable GPS to an E-04 is super simple.
 
Stewartb said:
...Artex lost my confidence after that...
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I have to agree. As I mentioned in a previous post when Artex came out with the ME-406 they opened that sorta-side-business thing with the subscription test verification service and even subtly suggested in their installation manual that it was the only "sure" way to know if your setup was good. Well now wait a minute, I bought the darn thing why do I have to pay money to find out if it works? In Canada, where 406 ELT's are mandatory, the annual test is far more involved. There are handheld test units available but they are the kind of equipment that doesn't have a price on the webpage, it just has a "get a quote" button that you can click on. I suppose if we wanted a verification we could just turn the thing on for a minute and a half and see if you get a phone call but honestly, there should be a way to get, once a year, a verification that your test signal was received and we shouldn't have to pay for it.
 
Any ballpark on $$$ we are talking about for an install ?
 
Scrabo said:
Any ballpark on $$$ we are talking about for an install ?
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Depends on current ELT installed, aircraft, and who will perform the work: AP or shop/CRS. No single answer.
 
Probably a shop install on a archer which currently has a a Larago unit
 
Scrabo said:
Probably a shop install on a archer which currently has a a Larago unit
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In my experience, it usually takes 4 to 8 man-hours to retrofit a 406 with an existing ELT installed. If your Larago has the panel mounted remote switch, the remote wire meets the specs of the 406 requirement, no external GPS interface, and the current ELT mount area meets the 406 deflection test requirement, you would be closer to the low end. The biggest cost drivers are disassembly, GPS interface, and meeting the deflection requirement. However, these costs can usually be determined up front. Its also one of the reasons I recommend to have a 406 installed during annual time when everything is opened up.
 
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