ELT Battery gripe

pmanton

Final Approach
PoA Supporter
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
5,322
Location
Indian Hills Airpark Salome, AZ
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Display name:
N1431A
I have the latest greatest ELTs in both my planes. This month the Battery on the oldest ELT reached the replacement date.
OMG the days of flashlight battery ELTs are over. The replacement price isn't too far from the cost of a main battery.:(

When I get the new battery, I'll cut the old one open to see it it's filled with Chinese AA cells.
 
When I get the new battery, I'll cut the old one open to see it it's filled with Chinese AA cells.
Careful. It's probably filled with lithium cells and you might not want to make a mistake with one of those.
 
My 406 elt battery was $400 plus I think, I took it apart and the damn thing has the basic lithium cells you can buy anywhere, but also has a microchip that I am told keeps track of hours used and some other variables. Don’t know if this is meaningful improvement or not.
 
I wish they would repeal the ELT requirement.

I'm not so sure about that.
I can take off on 8 from my airpark and in just a few minutes there is nothing underneath me but empty desert.
Plenty of places to make a decent landing, then nothing.

A chap I know had a forced landing and there was a rescue helicopter there in a very short time.
 
I'm not so sure about that.
I can take off on 8 from my airpark and in just a few minutes there is nothing underneath me but empty desert.
Plenty of places to make a decent landing, then nothing.

A chap I know had a forced landing and there was a rescue helicopter there in a very short time.
Any evidence the response was due to the ELT? I've seen no evidence of that ever happening. The one time I heard an ELT and reported it, nobody cared or did squat about it.
 
I've seen no evidence of that ever happening.
FYI: with 406 ELTs I know of 3 incidents where the Coast Guard beat company aircraft to the scene solely due to the ELT alerting the USMCC.
 
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