ELT upgrade path to 406 MHz

[FastEddieB]

My Sky Arrow has an Ameri-King AK450 ELT. I check it annually as required, but it seems the impact force to make it activate is gradually getting higher. It works, but takes quite a whack to get it to go off. I’m not overly concerned from a practical standpoint - I’m pretty sure I would remember to activate it prior to a crash in most foreseeable circumstances.

Still, it seems like upgrading to a 406 MHz model from another manufacturer would be prudent at some point, as Ameri-King as a business seems to be defunct. At least one manufacturer seems to be offering a model that is close to a plug-n-play swap: https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/kannad_amerifit.php

What upgrade strategy have others used, and what’s the most economical path today? I’m sure this has been hashed over in the past, but I’m sure the landscape on this shifts fairly often.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/kannadBAT200.php?clickkey=85343 Wow...

 

[AKBill]

I installed the ACK E-04 and like it. Remote activation, coupled to my Garmin GPS. Not overly expensive. Install was not hard

 

[Fracpilot]

I installed the ACK E-04 and like it. Remote activation, coupled to my Garmin GPS. Not overly expensive. Install was not hard

Same here. Great unit. Pretty inexpensive install. Easy to test and easy access for the annual. The battery is good for several years.


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[FastEddieB]

Just curious, is ACK Technologies related to the old Ameri-King?

And would that choice be affected by the fact that I don’t have an approved GPS source, unless my Garmin ADSB-Out could be used as a source.

 

[Fracpilot]

Just curious, is ACK Technologies related to the old Ameri-King?

https://www.ackavionics.com/about-ack/


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[kshaw]

Just curious, is ACK Technologies related to the old Ameri-King?

And would that choice be affected by the fact that I don’t have and approved GPS source, unless my Garmin ADSB-Out could be used as a source.

I have the ACK E-04 as well. Connection to the GPS is optional. I ran the specified cable from the ELT to the front of the plane and had my IA make the connections and sign off.