CONF iture;
Thanks for the photo and ELT antenna location schematic. Realized after seeing it that I already had the same drawing!
pgroell;
The links to the Air France fitted ELT types are appreciated, though the most important link came up with "Page not found". The correct link is:-
Emergency Locator Transmitters
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and there are 6 links to the various ELTs available. The pop-up windows are also scrollable, and some include links to additional windows/pages.
The Automatic Fixed type is fitted with a "g" switch, and though details of its operation are not included, the specification calls for the switch to operate when subject to an acceleration of 5g or greater for at least 11 milliseconds in any vector. The GEOSAR satellites covering the position of the AF447 crash are the Meteosat Second Generation geostationary satellites MSG-1 at 9.5° E, MSG-2 at 0° and GOES-12 at 75°W.
Modified
GEOSAR Coverage Map
Once activated the ELT will transmit a 0.5 second data stream on 406.025MHz every 50 seconds, but in this case, I suspect the departing Vertical Stabilizer removed the ELT antenna before the first data burst was complete.
EDIT:: Bearing in mind that following activation,
no carrier is transmitted during the first 50 seconds, then the first 0.5sec data stream is sent to commence the normal 50 second cycles. So the antenna was by then either missing or submerged.
mm43