I installed the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) in my airplane last week. This radio, in case of a crash, transmits the airplane’s GPS position and a unique identifier to a satellite. Since the search and rescue folks know where the airplane is and which airplane is transmitting the distress signal (and therefore, what it looks like), the ELT greatly facilitates being found promptly. The ELT also transmits a local “homing beacon” signal for at least 24 hours.
I chose an Artex ELT 1000. It is a self-contained box, weighing just a couple of pounds, and is to be mounted as far aft as practical in the airplane. The battery lasts six years but I do need to reach the ELT to change the battery and check that everything looks OK during annual inspections. The ELT should be securely mounted (no one wants it to become a missile if the airplane stops suddenly) and it gets connected to its antenna as well as to a remote test/activation switch on the panel and to the plane’s GPS. It also has a little buzzer which sounds to let you know that the GPS is active because, believe it or not, most activations happen after accidental hard landings when no harm was done. The buzzer alerts the pilot to shut off the ELT and call flight service and tell them that the transmission was a false-alarm.
In my Bede BD-4C airplane, there are a couple of sturdy aluminum angles on the floor, just aft of the baggage area. I decided to build a platform for the ELT and attach it to these angles. I did not have a single piece of .063 aluminum large enough to make the platform so I built something up from four smaller pieces.
Once finished, I bolted the ELT’s mounting tray to my framework.
Here is the ELT, inside the airplane.
I fabricated a backing plate for the antenna, because the skin of the Bede BD-4C is too thin to support the antenna all by itself.
The backing plate (a/k/a a “doubler”) went between two angles under the roof of the airplane.
Here is the resulting antenna.
Next, I fabricated a wiring harness. ACR was kind enough to include the DB-15 connector, saving me a trip to the local electronics supply store to spend an extra dollar. 🙂
With all of this work done, I sincerely hope to never use this device (other than to test it).
I put mine at the rear right near the dorsal fin ahead of the vertical fin. Easy access thru the inspection hole for the elevator/rudder. I had a activate switch also. Things are a lot more sophisticated these days.