ELT beconing on VHF and UHF Guard
- Thread starter west-pac
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You're likely very close if you're hearing it on the ground.
The ones that suck are the ones going off in an aircraft in the air.
Doesn't happen often, but yeah...that'll ruin your day.
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
If he's hearing it on 121.5MHz AND 243MHz, he's likely right on top of it.
Yep! Especially the UHF side.
wtp
Member
to the OP.
have you looked outside yet ?
have you looked outside yet ?
Unless it’s airborne.
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Almost certainly it is a distant (up to perhaps 200 miles) aircraft in the air as most are. I have heard ones with my equipment that the nearby FAA could not. They had me monitor and tell them when I lost signal. Hear one here myself yesterday in Virginia and wonder if it is the same aircraft. It seemed to go on an off occasionally.
wtp
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well, as the batteries die, the signal will fade until there is no hope...
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
I've seen quite a lot of old military ELT's/Beacons/Downed pilot radios on e-Bay.
We know people will buy this stuff and assume that since they bought it on e-Bay, it's totally legal to use. We also know the types that assume that in an emergency "anything goes", those that assume their hobby radio license covers everything and anything RF related, and the "preppers" that buy this crap for "SHTF".
I've often wondered how often those downed pilot radios fall into the hands of people that are lacking in intelligence and start playing with them. I wonder how many times the FAA or military has to talk to these individuals.
And then there's the accidental triggers. Hard landing, bumped the switch, failure, etc.
We know people will buy this stuff and assume that since they bought it on e-Bay, it's totally legal to use. We also know the types that assume that in an emergency "anything goes", those that assume their hobby radio license covers everything and anything RF related, and the "preppers" that buy this crap for "SHTF".
I've often wondered how often those downed pilot radios fall into the hands of people that are lacking in intelligence and start playing with them. I wonder how many times the FAA or military has to talk to these individuals.
And then there's the accidental triggers. Hard landing, bumped the switch, failure, etc.
The Air Force Rescue Command Center: 1-800-851-3051
Keep in mind that they are used to dealing with professionals, not random citizens calling on the ground. Be prepared to provide lat/lon and/or fix /radial/distance from a VOR. They don't want addresses or anything like that.
It is highly likely the ELT was already reported by the FAA. Usually happens pretty quickly.
ATCTech
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Try being the guy that has to physically find it when it's been isolated to a particular urban/industrial location. We've had them inside tractor trailer shipments moving down highways, avionics equipment repair facilities that are locked up after business hours on a Friday night, huge hangers where the signal bounces around confusing handheld direction finders, you name it. Not uncommon at all to find the unit was accidentally packaged and shipped "armed" then jolted in transit enough for it to activate. Always a challenge!
west-pac
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RDF is fun, if I have the time to do it. It's even more fun with the correct tools. I RDF'd a 770Mhz radio system in Branch Co, Michigan, from ~Marion, IN, over the course of a few weekends using a magnet mount vertical and an SDR setup in a vehicle. The radio system wasn't licensed, therefore a frequency search wasn't helpful.
I actually have a handheld PVC tape measure beam for RDF.
A friend of mine from a SAR team in SE Alaska used to work closely with the Coast Guard RCC on tracking down "rogue" EPIRBS. He had some good stories. Once they had an EPIRB that seemed to be cruising down the inside passage. Long story short, they finally tracked it down to a garbage barge being towed by a tug. Turns out some guys had been dismantling a derelict boat, and tossed the debris in a big dumpster. An EPIRB was inadvertently tossed as well, and somehow got turned on. Trash from this town goes on a barge for disposal down in Washington State.
We have also had issues with the older (DeLorme) InReach units getting accidentally turned on. Seems there was a design flaw in the SOS button on the early models made by DeLorme, such that it was possible to accidentally turn it on if it got jostled against something in your pack. I've personally been involved in the response to one such accidental inadvertent SOS. Fortunately, it was fairly quicky resolved. Garmin fixed this issue when they bought the InReach system.
We have also had issues with the older (DeLorme) InReach units getting accidentally turned on. Seems there was a design flaw in the SOS button on the early models made by DeLorme, such that it was possible to accidentally turn it on if it got jostled against something in your pack. I've personally been involved in the response to one such accidental inadvertent SOS. Fortunately, it was fairly quicky resolved. Garmin fixed this issue when they bought the InReach system.
tvengr
Well Known Member
An ELT can be triggered by a plane making a hard landing.
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ Say it, say 'ENCRYPTION'
Hearing it on 243 would be the second harmonic. Even airborne I wouldn't expect to be able to hear it very far away.
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