IslandAV8R
I'm New Here
It’s time to upgrade my old Ameri King ELT, and I’m looking at the ACK E-04 or artex 345. Any pros or cons for either of these would be much appreciated.
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ACK E-04 ELT vs. artex 345 elt
- Thread starter IslandAV8R
- Start date
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I spoke with 2 ELT repair shops. They both rated Kannad #1 and Artex #2 with respect to issues. There were issues with false triggers on the ACK. I went with the Artex for my 8 as it offered a short antenna, which I needed since there is not many locations to mount the antenna in an 8, and the cost was $1K cheaper than the Kannad.
Really good thing you're replacing your Ameri King ELT. Mine was passing it's annual test using manual activation, but the inertial activation switch stopped working and would not activate that way -- a very bad thing! I replaced it with an Artex ELT 345 406, which I really like, and the battery life is 6-years! However, some recent units have shown issues with the hold-down latch weldment breaking, which should be checked before installation. But, my latch is fine, and Artex is aware of the latch issue.
Most RV's were built using the ACK ELT. I don't have the data but going around OSH, it seemed very popular. Unfortunately, many builders (including some very well-known U-tube producers) seem not to take the time to read the instructions as it specifies exactly the orientation of the unit. (It can be mounted upside down which to me is a fault but if you test at condition inspection should be readily apparent) If you go around and look at ACK ELT's seems more than half are mounted upside down which I know defies the odds.
In time some of these units' internal initial activation sensors have been known to stop working but there is a test for this also: (I would recommend performing this test on all ELT's at CI)
I have had my first ACK unit now almost 10 years with zero issues from ACK. The second one now less than a few years but so far working well. I went with the ACK because it was what Vans recommended in the build instructions (and still to this day does) for the 14. Doesn't make it correct I realize and to date the Artex units seems to have been performing well. Not sure when the 345 was introduced but seems not that long ago.
BTW how has your Ameri King performed and how long ago was it installed?
IslandAV8R
I'm New Here
The Ameri King was installed in 2007, and has performed well from an annual testing perspective. Not sure if there any internal components that can not be tested that might not work during actual impact. Thanks for your respective replies.
Had 2 false alarms with my ACK early on. The company said it was not their unit. I sent it back, they checked it, and sent it back. Another false alarm. Both false alarms happened with the aircraft in the hangar, having not been flown or moved for a couple of weeks beforehand. I sent it back, they sent me a new one, and no issues since. But I went with the Artex 345 for my current build. I ordered the "builder's kit" through Aircraft Spruce, which was everything but the battery. I didn't want to be sitting on a life-limited battery while I finished my project. The only issue with all that was that it's a special order, and it took about 3 months to get it. You can only get that through a vendor like Aircraft Spruce, and not through the company.
One nice feature of the Artex is that the remote requires no battery. On others there is a coin cell that needs checking and changing or it may trigger falsely... At least that was the case with the Ameri-King 406 ELT's. Without that battery, it's not an issue.
Also, the Artex main battery is a 6 year battery as opposed to 5 years on many others.
Also, the Artex main battery is a 6 year battery as opposed to 5 years on many others.
On several occasions, my ACK E-04 has gone off for no reason that anyone can discern. Once I had to drive a two-hour round trip, starting at 10 p.m., just to shut the darn thing off. Aircraft was sitting in my hangar. Perhaps angry hangar mice shook the aircraft, triggering the g switch. Who knows.
I asked Aircraft Spruce about a builder's Kit. They said its not available. you have to order with the battery.
I guess the manufacturer stopped making that an option.I've had the artex for a couple of years now and have no complaints. There are a few of gotchas.
To interface with a GPS for precise location tracking it will accept either 4800 baud NMEA data or 9600 baud Aviation protocol data, but it's an either/or scenario and not something you can program in the field. Make sure you know which output you're going to need and order appropriately. I believe that the common garmin boxes now output in either format, but you would want to confirm for your situation, otherwise if you have the wrong format it has to be sent back to get reprogrammed.
You can get either a long or short antenna. Mine came with a long antenna because I didn't know the short one was an option when I ordered. The short one is the same part number as an antenna off certain Bonanzas so I got mine from a airplane junkyard.
The hole pattern in the mounting tray didn't match up to the holes in the generic Vans mounting kit that's intended to go on the sidewall aft of the baggage bulkhead, although its been a few years so that may have changed.
To interface with a GPS for precise location tracking it will accept either 4800 baud NMEA data or 9600 baud Aviation protocol data, but it's an either/or scenario and not something you can program in the field. Make sure you know which output you're going to need and order appropriately. I believe that the common garmin boxes now output in either format, but you would want to confirm for your situation, otherwise if you have the wrong format it has to be sent back to get reprogrammed.
You can get either a long or short antenna. Mine came with a long antenna because I didn't know the short one was an option when I ordered. The short one is the same part number as an antenna off certain Bonanzas so I got mine from a airplane junkyard.
The hole pattern in the mounting tray didn't match up to the holes in the generic Vans mounting kit that's intended to go on the sidewall aft of the baggage bulkhead, although its been a few years so that may have changed.
Ditto! Airplane was tied down on a ramp with me 100 miles north at a graduation. Went off so many times that weekend that I told the air force that a sledge hammer might be a good permanent solution. I moved the unit so that I could arm/disarm easily… no problems other than I forget occasionally. Yes, I have a checklist
The Artex reps at Airventure were the ones who told me about the option. Multiple emails to Artex went unanswered. I finally got through by phone, and that's when they told me it was only available through a vendor, one of which was Aircraft Spruce. If you call Artex, they may be able to tell you who else, if any, can provide the builder's kit. The Builder Kit part number is 8109.I asked Aircraft Spruce about a builder's Kit. They said its not available. you have to order with the battery.
Yup. I now arm mine when I get in the aircraft and I disarm it when I get out. The Air Force has always been super nice, but they have better things to do than suffer the ramifications of my poor equipment choice.
I carry a photo of my code with me in case I forget to disarm it and it tries to phone home once again. The Air Force guy says it’s very helpful if you can confirm the code.
This. I don't think there is an easier decision to make in all of EABI suspect if you did a search and spent a few minutes reading comments about the ACK ELT, you would know which direction to go
I found the Builder kit at Aircraft Spruce. The kit part number was 8105.
jmra72a
Well Known Member
The batteries in this unit can be replaced quite easily. There is a thread out there on it, though some are of the opinion that this is not legal for the owner to do. I suggest reading the actual TSO and make the informed decision yourself. If you elect to replace the batteries yourself, it can be done for about $80.00.I asked Aircraft Spruce about a builder's Kit. They said its not available. you have to order with the battery.
sansoneservices
Well Known Member
There's threads regarding false triggering with the ACK. I have zero issues with mine
None "yet" with mine either, but when the battery is due, I plan to replace it with an Artex.
Well, not everything is perfect with the Artex 345..
I just installed ( or tried to ) an Artex 345 406 and just after cross-checking the wiring 3 times I noticed that the Red light was on but not flashing, disconnected the ELT, check everything again reconnected the ELT and less than a minute after that, noticed the RED Light was on and flashing and the ELT was transmitting.
Tried to turn it OFF but everything I tried ( switch Off on the remote and the Elt itself, nothing worked...So while on the phone with the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center I eventually just opened it up and disconnected the battery.Tried to reconnect the battery just to check if it will keep on transmitting and sure enough it did so disconnected it again.
Called Artex Support ( Jack Ryan, nice guy) and he suspected that either the G switch got stock shut or something else ( can't remember what ) also fail...Also did a test he send me for the remote switch and found out if was wired in reverse...
All in all an interesting day....
Needless to say, the ELT is now back to mother ( turn around 30 to 45 days... ;-(
Bruno
I just installed ( or tried to ) an Artex 345 406 and just after cross-checking the wiring 3 times I noticed that the Red light was on but not flashing, disconnected the ELT, check everything again reconnected the ELT and less than a minute after that, noticed the RED Light was on and flashing and the ELT was transmitting.
Tried to turn it OFF but everything I tried ( switch Off on the remote and the Elt itself, nothing worked...So while on the phone with the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center I eventually just opened it up and disconnected the battery.Tried to reconnect the battery just to check if it will keep on transmitting and sure enough it did so disconnected it again.
Called Artex Support ( Jack Ryan, nice guy) and he suspected that either the G switch got stock shut or something else ( can't remember what ) also fail...Also did a test he send me for the remote switch and found out if was wired in reverse...
All in all an interesting day....
Needless to say, the ELT is now back to mother ( turn around 30 to 45 days... ;-(
Bruno
There is an "enable" loop-wire on the plug that needs to be installed. And if activated, the remote-switch needs to be set to ON, and then immedicably to ARM to reset the unit.
John
By ''enable'' loop-wire...Are you talking about the jumper (G-Switch loop between pins 5 and 12) If yes, that was done.
I did the ''procedure'' to reset the ELT ( Selecting the remote to ON and then ARM like you mentioned but it didn't do anything..Did the same on the ELT itself with the same result so the only thing left was to disconnect the battery..
It was a sick puppy allright and hopefully will be fix when I get it back ( soon I hope )
Bruno
By ''enable'' loop-wire...Are you talking about the jumper (G-Switch loop between pins 5 and 12) If yes, that was done.
I did the ''procedure'' to reset the ELT ( Selecting the remote to ON and then ARM like you mentioned but it didn't do anything..Did the same on the ELT itself with the same result so the only thing left was to disconnect the battery..
It was a sick puppy allright and hopefully will be fix when I get it back ( soon I hope )
Bruno
It’s supposed to come with the standard antenna. My kit came without the antenna. I have been communicating with SA on this. The vendor acknowledged the the error and promised to send the antenna. That was about 3 weeks ago. No joy yet. I’m working on a return authorization from AS. I’ll get the standard kit with the short antenna.
