CAP Talk

Operations => Tools of the trade => Topic started by: jeders on October 22, 2007, 10:56:39 PM

Title: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: jeders on October 22, 2007, 10:56:39 PM
So I know that this has been discussed lots of times before in the context of getting a weird ELT signal, but here's what I'm wondering. How many, percentage wise, of the ELT missions you've been on was the ELT only transmitting a carrier wave signal without the actual pulse signal?

I've been GT qualified for 6.5 yrs now but have only been on a handful of actual missions and so far about a third of them the ELT signal we picked up was carrier signal only. So I'm wondering if this is common or are ELTs in Texas just messed up.
Title: Re: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: Eclipse on October 22, 2007, 11:26:07 PM
More common than it should be, although around these parts its been the same aircraft about 4 times this year.
Title: Re: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: isuhawkeye on October 22, 2007, 11:28:04 PM
My experience 10-20% are carrier only
Title: Re: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: SarDragon on October 23, 2007, 05:56:30 AM
Yeah, about 15% or so. And half the ones I've chased have been on 243.0. You can imagine where those ended up being found.
Title: Re: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: 0 on October 23, 2007, 01:25:08 PM
I've been only one where all we could get was the carrier and even that we were starting to loose.  Since we're on the Coast we determined it must be an EPIRB, and since no boat was missing when our IC got in touch with AFRCC we all mutually agreed that it was a faulty unit and it's batteries must be dieing as it had been going off since earlier in the day and by this time it was about 10PM.
Title: Re: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: Larry Mangum on October 23, 2007, 03:34:31 PM
Probably around 15% are carrier only. I have seen carriers that were emitted from Big Screen TV's, Cell Towers and my favorite the jumbotrons at a state fair.
Title: Re: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: ♠SARKID♠ on October 23, 2007, 06:51:30 PM
Quote from: wawgcap on October 23, 2007, 03:34:31 PM
Probably around 15% are carrier only. I have seen carriers that were emitted from Big Screen TV's, Cell Towers and my favorite the jumbotrons at a state fair.

...jumbotrons?  That must have been interesting...

"Sir, I believe your jumbotron is in distress."  :D
Title: Re: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: jimmydeanno on October 23, 2007, 07:36:51 PM
Quote from: wawgcap on October 23, 2007, 03:34:31 PM
Probably around 15% are carrier only. I have seen carriers that were emitted from Big Screen TV's, Cell Towers and my favorite the jumbotrons at a state fair.

"Sir, would you please remove the tinfoil from your head and wrap it around your television please?" 

I had a mission where this guys television was putting out a carrier wave only.  It was funny, we knocked on the door, he shut of the TV before he answered.  We were talking to him and not looking at the L-per. 

"No, I don't have an EMP," he said.

We look at the L-Per, no signal. 

"OK" we say and start walking to the van.

He goes inside and turns his TV back on - signal comes back. (we hadn't associated the signal to the TV yet.)  So we walked back down his path and knocked on the door again, this time we continue looking at the L-Per and sure enough, he shuts the TV off, signal goes away...

"Sir, we believe that our signal is coming from your television..."

"What, like a subliminal message?"

see comment above...
Title: Re: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: 0 on October 23, 2007, 07:57:15 PM
Quote from: jimmydeanno on October 23, 2007, 07:36:51 PM
Quote from: wawgcap on October 23, 2007, 03:34:31 PM
Probably around 15% are carrier only. I have seen carriers that were emitted from Big Screen TV's, Cell Towers and my favorite the jumbotrons at a state fair.

"Sir, would you please remove the tinfoil from your head and wrap it around your television please?" 

I had a mission where this guys television was putting out a carrier wave only.  It was funny, we knocked on the door, he shut of the TV before he answered.  We were talking to him and not looking at the L-per. 

"No, I don't have an EMP," he said.

We look at the L-Per, no signal. 

"OK" we say and start walking to the van.

He goes inside and turns his TV back on - signal comes back. (we hadn't associated the signal to the TV yet.)  So we walked back down his path and knocked on the door again, this time we continue looking at the L-Per and sure enough, he shuts the TV off, signal goes away...

"Sir, we believe that our signal is coming from your television..."

"What, like a subliminal message?"

see comment above...

Man are people stupid. 
Title: Re: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: Matt on October 23, 2007, 09:31:26 PM
Quote from: ♠SARKID♠ on October 23, 2007, 06:51:30 PM
Quote from: wawgcap on October 23, 2007, 03:34:31 PM
Probably around 15% are carrier only. I have seen carriers that were emitted from Big Screen TV's, Cell Towers and my favorite the jumbotrons at a state fair.

...jumbotrons?  That must have been interesting...

"Sir, I believe your jumbotron is in distress."  :D

No worse than the Simpsons Game at Chocolate Fest in the early '90s
Title: Re: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: ♠SARKID♠ on October 24, 2007, 02:17:08 AM
Quote from: Matt on October 23, 2007, 09:31:26 PM
Quote from: ♠SARKID♠ on October 23, 2007, 06:51:30 PM
Quote from: wawgcap on October 23, 2007, 03:34:31 PM
Probably around 15% are carrier only. I have seen carriers that were emitted from Big Screen TV's, Cell Towers and my favorite the jumbotrons at a state fair.

...jumbotrons?  That must have been interesting...

"Sir, I believe your jumbotron is in distress."  :D

No worse than the Simpsons Game at Chocolate Fest in the early '90s

LMAO, I love that story!
Title: Re: Carrier wave only ELT signal
Post by: ELTHunter on October 24, 2007, 10:15:35 PM
I've been out twice....both times in the middle of the night....to chase a carrier tone that ended up being emitted from a FAA radar site on a fairly remote mountain top.