Alkaline-Battery-Powered Unit Offers Hassle-Free Reliability

ACR Electronics has introduced its ARTEX ELT 4000M, a transport-grade 406 MHz approved Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) operating on homing frequencies of 243 and 121.5 MHz. The device is powered by a patented alkaline-based solution exempt from provisos the likes of those the FAA has prescribed for non-rechargeable lithium batteries.

Production units of the new ELT—which has received Cospas-Sarsat, FAA, and EASA certification—are currently shipping.

The ARTEX ELT 4000M ELT’s 5-year replaceable alkaline battery requires no additional protective housing or containment vessels. Additional benefits include diminished aircraft weight, cost savings deriving of lower battery expenses over the contraption’s five-year replacement cycle, the avoidance of hazardous material shipping fees and regulations, and ease of disposal.

ARTEX vice-president of aviation sales Marc Medeiros stated: “The three-frequency ARTEX ELT 4000M offers significant advantages to transport and business aircraft for both fixed and rotor-wing designs. It is less costly for airlines’ logistics as it is designed for easy and low-cost retrofit and is less expensive to ship than traditional ELTs with no hazardous material shipping hassles. The mounting tray footprint matches the legacy ARTEX ELT installation to further reduce engineering costs. The ELT 4000M features an advanced component structure and efficiencies that enable it to use less power while still meeting 406 MHz, 243 MHz, and 121.5 MHz performance standards.”

The ELT 4000M instantiates a one-piece architecture featuring a built-in NAV interface (ARINC 429). The device, by virtue of its durability, compactness and ease-of-maintenance, is ideal for simplified forward fit and retrofit applications. What’s more, the ELT 4000M utilizes a common RF output and a single coaxial cable to transmit on the 406, 243, and 121.5 MHz frequencies. Also, the unit features a two-wire remote switch requiring no aircraft power.

ACR Electronics’s ARTEX ELT 4000M can be activated manually by way of a cockpit remote switch, or automatically via an internal G-switch. The device’s 406 MHz signal is transmitted to the global Cospas-Sarsat satellite network and routed to the Search and Rescue agency nearest the transmitting aircraft. GPS data embedded within the digital transmission reduces the search radius to some one-hundred-square-meters.

The ARTEX ELT 4000M is also approved for use in helicopters and available in a Helicopter Model (HM) equipped with a five-axis G-switch.

ACR Electronics, Inc. designs and manufactures a range of ARTEX fixed ELTs, GADSS distress tracking ELTs, Survival ELTs, battery packs, and ELT accessories serving a multitude of aircraft types ranging from single-engine general aviation machines to large Transport Category airliners to military and government aircraft.

FMI: www.acrartex.com