ELT false activation

[Dave S]

Jerry,

FWIW - The Artex ME 406 with the whip antenna has worked perfectly in our airplane since new - no false activations ever. I think most people shy away from it due to the cost - Used to be $1000, now about 50% more so not cheap. The battery is about $200 And is good for 7 years.

I tried to save money on an encoder and originally purchased the Ameri King one which was crap - screwed up 3 times and replaced; and, eventually the company got in trouble for manufacturing unapproved parts and went backrupt (after I replaced it of course) - I decided some people charge less because they know what their junk is worth so I have stayed away from cheap electronics ever since. Ameri King had the same problem (unapproved parts) with their ELTs so if you find a used one of those - don't put it in your plane.

[Jerrytex]

I think I am going to go with the Artex brand. I would like to go with the ME 406 but the price is a budget blower. I am looking at the 345. I sent a message to the manufacturer to check and see if it can be mounted upside down, or if the ELT can be flipped in the tray like the ACK brand so it can be mounted to the brackets under the turtle deck. The battery in the Artex is more expensive but it lasts 7 years instead of 6 so the price per year is within pennies of the ACK.

[Dave S]

Jerry,

For what it is worth, when I purchased the ME406, Artex did not have the 345 in production/available yet. If they had, I would probably have purchased the 345 also.

[bumsteer]

I'm also going with the Artex 345 and wanted to know if it could be mounted upside down. I called one of the tech support numbers today and left a message. I promptly received a reply and the unit can be mounted upside down as long as the arrow on the unit is facing forward.

Rick