Artex, (Booth C3945) has debuted the world’s first 406 Mhz alkaline battery-powered emergency locator transmitter (ELT). By incorporating parent company ACR Electronics’ alkaline battery system, the ELT 4000 is exempt from the FAA’s compliance requirements applying to the installation of lithium batteries.

According to the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based manufacturer, the five-year replaceable alkaline battery does not require additional protective housing or containment vessel, and offers cost benefits due to lower battery expense, the avoidance of hazardous material shipping fees, and easier disposal. The one-piece solution features a built-in navigation interface allowing for connection to onboard GPS. It uses the same RF output and only one coax cable to transmit both 406- and 121.5-MHz signals.

Jeffery Geraci, the company’s director of aviation sales, said the new device’s mounting-tray footprint “matches the legacy Artex ELT installation to further reduce engineering costs.”

According to Artex, the ELT 4000 has achieved Cospas-Sarsat and FAA TSO certification, and production units are now shipping. It is available in a helicopter version with a five-axis G switch and can also be activated manually using a remote cockpit switch.