Most reliable ELT?
I received a call from AF search & rescue last night at 23:40. It seems the AK-451 406 MHz ELT was transmitting. The plane was 45 miles away at the A&Ps hangar. My first thought was someone was either tampering or stole the AC and crashed. A call to the sheriff found no trouble. The ELT quit transmitting after about 30 minutes.
My question is "what's the most reliable 406 MHz ELT?". Hopefully under $2000. I went with the $500 option on the 406 MHz ELT. A call from AF SAR is not worth the savings. Thank God the call came to me instead of one of my kids. Also, if it will turn on and off by itself, how can I be confident it will work if I need it