EMERGENCY LOCATOR TRANSMITTERS (ELTs)
What Is An ELT
???
EMERGENCY LOCATOR TRANSMITTERS
(ELTs)
Only You Can
Prevent False Alarms.
The Federal Aviation
Administration requires that all aircraft have on board an ELT before they can be
registered or authorized for flight. An ELT is designed to emit an audible radio signal on
various radio frequencies if it experiences a certain amount of G forces. Activating a
switch, a low battery and other phenomena may also cause an ELT to transmit its siren type
tone. Once an ELT has been activated, a COPAS/SARSAT satellite receives the signal and it
is sent to the Air Force Rescue and Coordination Center's LUTs. (Local User Terminals).
Their are currently 35 LUTs in operation world wide with several more built or planned
this year. The closest LUT to South Carolina is in Houston, Texas at NASA's Johnson Space
Flight Center. If the ELT is close enough, it's signal can also be heard inside a control
tower at an airport.
Any time an ELT signal is transmitted, everyone must proceed as if there has been an accident or crash and lives may be in the balance. For this reason, time is of the utmost importance. After a couple of SARSAT "hits" the AFRCC can pinpoint the latitude and longitude within 25 square miles. The AFRCC will then assign an ELT mission number to the closest Civil Air Patrol unit for ELT deactivation. CAP aircraft and ground teams are dispatched to locate and disarm the unit.
CAP aircrews and groundteams use ELT direction finding (DF) receivers, such
as "The Tracker" 
or "Little L-Per " ( L-Tronics, 5546 Cathedral Oaks
Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93111 Tel: 805-967-4859 e-mail bgordon@rain.org ) to locate ELT and EPIRB signals with
pinpoint accuracy. An EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons ) is for
maritime (boats & ships) use. Click here to see picture of the system operation.
If you would like more information about ELTs and EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons), try the following links:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center SAR Mission Office
COPAS/SARSAT Emergency Beacons
AFRCC (Air Force Rescue Coordination Center)
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