406.0-406.1 MHz ELTs, which are monitored by satellite, while the 121.5 frequency is not. "Were we to permit continued marketing and use of 121.5 MHz ELTs
Am I just being paranoid out of ignorance or does it sound like they want to be able to track by satellite where as with the 121.5 ETLs, they can't?
They can only track/locate you when the ELT is activated. Activation only occurs during a crash, or maybe a very hard landing.
AOPA didn’t do GA any favors with their pre-election fluff comparison of Obama and McCain. They didn’t ask any worthwhile questions, and basically said that neither candidate was better than the other from a GA perspective. Morons.
In October 2000 the International Cospas-Sarsat Program, announced at its 25th Council Session held in London, UK that it plans to terminate satellite processing of distress signals from 121.5 and 243 MHz emergency beacons on February 1, 2009. All mariners, aviators, and individuals using emergency beacons on those frequencies will need to switch to those operating on the newer, more reliable, digital 406 MHz frequency if they want to be detected by satellites.
The decision to stop satellite processing of 121.5 / 243 MHz signals is due to problems in this frequency band which inundate search and rescue authorities with poor accuracy and numerous false alerts, adversely impacting the effectiveness of lifesaving services. Although the 406 MHz beacons cost more at the moment, they provide search and rescue agencies with more reliable and complete information to do their job more efficiently and effectively. The Cospas-Sarsat Program made the decision to terminate 121.5/243 MHz satellite alerting services, in part, in response to guidance from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). These two agencies of the United Nations are responsible for regulating the safety on international transits of ships and aircraft, respectively, and handling international standards and plans for maritime and aviation search and rescue. More than 180 nations are members of IMO and ICAO.
NOAA, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, and NASA (the four Federal Agencies who manage, operate, and use the SARSAT system) are strongly advising users of 121.5/243 MHz beacons to make the switch to 406. Meanwhile, anyone planning to buy a new distress beacon may wish to take the Cospas-Sarsat decision into account.
The problem is almost no one in civil aviation has tracking or monitoring equipment to locally monitor the higher frequency. With 121.5, any aircarft could monitor and report, and the fact that it was aircraft identified help to locate the signal. Supposedly, the new signal has digital location information available, but I am not sure what the source of this would be if the aircraft is not GPS equipped.
The real source of this issue is that RF bandwidth is being reallocated, like the switch to digital TV, so that more channels will be available for use by an ever increasing number of customers/govt agencies. This is possible with modern communication techniques and better radio "crystals". The down side is, like TV, eventually you can no longer use your old radios as they "bleed" over the adjacent, now narrower, frequency bands.
From what I understand, all transponders are tracked by ground and probably satellite. Sounds more to me like the federal government wants to monitor communications as well, ie. having a record of everything that is said. Though that sounds like a good idea, I'm sure they have nefarious reasons for doing so.