ELT or Personal Locator Beacon

[PapuaPilot]

FYI the ARTEX 345 ELT does not have a built in GPS, it needs to get the data from an external GPS. The information on the home page of the product was unclear, but they answer it on the Q&A tab.

I put the ACK-04 406 ELT in my plane and it needs an external GPS signal. The price has really come down since I got mine. The price is $130 less then the Artex 345. They are comparable units and weights the same. I think the ACK's replacement battery is less expensive too.

I plan to fly with a SPOT. Since I have a 406 ELT I don't see any reason to have a PLB too. The SPOT will show my track and possibly the position in the event of an accident. The ELT will pinpoint my position within a few hundred feet if it activates with the last known GPS position.

[t j]

Oh crap. Thanks for the heads up. I was ready to by one. I guess I was so excited to see the Built in GPS I quit reading. Very deceptive advertising in my mind.

The ARTEX ELT 345 transmits on 406 MHz and 121.5 MHz frequencies while providing position accuracy thanks to the built-in GPS navigational interface.

For some reason I can't edit my misleading post above. Someome with more power than I needs to fix it so someone doesn't waste their money on one.

[PapuaPilot]

Correct, their wording is misleading. They say "built in GPS naviational interface" which means you need to have an external GPS inputing your position. It's not that hard to do, but it doesn't have a stand alone GPS. On my G3X system I used one of the RS-232 outputs and configured it to send the GPS lat/long data to my ACK-04 ELT.

Plan on spending about $1200 for one with a built in GPS. Kannad and E. L.T. brands have ones with an internal GPS.