If I may, I have 2 PLBs for sale, I think that the batts. need to be replaced due to there 5 years time limit.
Are they giving not many false alarms because they don’t give true alarms either? Or have they fixed their power amplifier design now?
I have see true alarms, and have seen a power amplifier issue only once. They also have a good monitoring circuit. It does monitor power output, power reflection, ELT coding, battery voltage and oscillator frequency. They also have some internal diagnostics using software (dealer only). Once seen on an airliner which was indicating low battery. The computer read out indicated 10 thousends of self test. When I asked the customer about it they indicated they always self-tested the ELT every flight.
The most tricky part of this is with SEP over water. Then antenna is on the wrong side of the fuselage as the aircraft will flip over. As soon as the antenna is below a few cm of water the attenuation of water will prevent the signal from reaching the sattelite.
Have installed second ELT’s on the bottom of the fuselage as well, on aircraft operation above water, due to an accident where the ELT did go off, but the signal not being received as the antenna was in the water.
For over water flight I would also recommend a PLB and a Safelink. The Safelink broadcast an AIS message indicated you need help on radar screens of most larger vessels. (AIS is the marine variant of ADS-B)
I would recommend Kannad ELT, they are quite good, and don’t give to much false alarms
Are they giving not many false alarms because they don’t give true alarms either? Or have they fixed their power amplifier design now?
an ELT – say €2000 if there has never been one before
a PLB – a few hundred € at most
Mode S – about €2000
Would say ELT a little less and transporder a little more. I would recommend Kannad ELT, they are quite good, and don’t give to much false alarms. For transponder I would recommend Trig, Garmin or Garrecht in that order. After having done over 250 of them found that these give the best results / build quality. Where the service (should you need is) is really the best in General Aviation. A lot of company could learn from this.
What class is a GTX330, from year 2005?
GTX-33, GTX-330, TT-31, TT-22, are class 2 units
GTX-328, TT-21, VT-02 are class 1 units
I think the only way to deal with this issue once and for all is to get
and a life raft, say €1500.
Obviously anybody saying this is risking being called elitist, etc, but I know of C150/152 owners who spend more than this on every Annual.
And then you can fly anywhere you want and not have to think about any of this again.
Class 1 has a minimum power output of 70 Watt and are allowed upto 15.000 Ft / 175 Kts TAS.
Class 2 has a minimum power output of 125 Watt and are allowed upwards of 175 Kts TAS
What class is a GTX330, from year 2005?
There is also no standard way of implementing this. Sweden require ELT, but only for Swedish registered aircraft; Germany definitely require it for German Reg, but are worryingly vague on foreign reg aircraft.
To my best knowledge for Germany an ELT is mandatory for all aircraft (which would include other registrations as well).
No, it’s about firmware capability. Level 2 basically can downlink the aircraft identity (registration). See here. I haven’t seen one that cannot do this, and ICAO mandates a level 2 minimum for international operations anyway, so where’s the problem?
tomjnx is right. Confusing bit is that level 2 indicates the operational capability of the transponder, while class 1 / 2 indicate the power output that was mentioned below. Level and class are not the same thing.
Class 1 has a minimum power output of 70 Watt and are allowed upto 15.000 Ft / 175 Kts TAS.
Class 2 has a minimum power output of 125 Watt and are allowed upwards of 175 Kts TAS
Above 250 Kts TAS a diversity transponder (two antenna) is mandatory (EASA)
HB registered ICAO annex 8 aircraft do need an ELT (FOCA TM 20.140-01), but I’m not sure this applies to foreign registered aircraft. The legal basis for the ELT requirement they cite for noncommercial operation is VLL, which states in article 1 that it only applies to Swiss aircraft. So IANAL but IMO if you comply with the ELT requirements of your state of registry, you’re good for Switzerland.
If at all, Switzerland helpfully refer out to their (charged for) VFR guide!
Your interent provider may be charging you for the download of the VFR guide, but Switzerland isn’t. Now there isn’t much in it about the ELT, basically only a recommendation to have a portable one for alps crossing.
Level 2, from what I gather refers to the transmit power.
No, it’s about firmware capability. Level 2 basically can downlink the aircraft identity (registration). See here. I haven’t seen one that cannot do this, and ICAO mandates a level 2 minimum for international operations anyway, so where’s the problem?
Level 2, from what I gather refers to the transmit power.
I found in Czech AIP GEN 1.5 you need it for Prague TMA.
Edit – also Switzerland, but the details are hidden for VFR in the Guide… (@Peter, polite request for a :facepalm:)
very recent updates to AIPs, Swiss and Czech as examples that now mandate Level 2 Mode S… Unless you’re a bigger higher level IFR machine I bet you only have Level 1.
Does anybody know what Level 2 Mode S is?
If it is Enhanced Mode S, you need that only above 250kt TAS, etc.
