Air France "black box" possibly found
- Thread starter derg
- Start date
JA Yawd Bwoy
Well-Known Member
If they found it, this is a huge breakthrough in the case!:rawk: Just in time also being that there are only about five days left on the pinger...
Murdoughnut
Well sized member
It's probably a black box from an unrelated flight - just sea garbage
JA Yawd Bwoy
Well-Known Member
Aww crap! Well, they have 7 days before the chance of finding it goes from from feasible to damn near impossible...
Question: Is the 30 days a minimum or maximum time for the pinger to work? Does it keep pinging if it has battery left, or does it shut itself off after 30 days?
Firebird2XC
Well-Known Member
Good question. I'm assuming that's a battery life thing, from what I know of ELT's, etc. Why on Earth would such an important thing just shut off on purpose?
I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't, but that's sure the way that a lot of people seem to talk about it. Implication often seems to be that the signal will be good for 30 days then poof - chances of finding it are out the window. :insane:
JA Yawd Bwoy
Well-Known Member
From what I have heard from different outlets is that 30 days is around the time the pinger battery life last, could be slightly less or more, but somewhere around that time the battery dies. Again, this is what I have heard.
juan valdez
Well-Known Member
That's what I constantly have to explain to my wife about stuff like milk. There's no magic elf that comes out overnight and magically turns it bad.
Hopefully they are able to find this though. With the underwater geography and depths though can they reach it if it is like 15000 ft below or something like that? How far down can those unmanned subs go?
Kestrel452
New Member
If they ever manage to find that thing, I'll eat my shoe. I don't think it is going be found, ever.
JA Yawd Bwoy
Well-Known Member
If they could find Jack's painting of Rose, they can deff find the box!
:rotfl:
loubetti
Pays to fly
:clap: Indeed!
Without the pinger the boxes will be more difficult to find, but not impossible to find. It would certainly take longer, and certainly cost millions of $ unless they just "lucked out".
It took years and several efforts before Titanic was found, even though they had what they thought were the coordinates. The coordinates were off, of course.
Could the same be done here? Sure. Would it be cost-effective to do it? That's not my decision to make.
Without the pinger the boxes will be more difficult to find, but not impossible to find. It would certainly take longer, and certainly cost millions of $ unless they just "lucked out".
It took years and several efforts before Titanic was found, even though they had what they thought were the coordinates. The coordinates were off, of course.
Could the same be done here? Sure. Would it be cost-effective to do it? That's not my decision to make.
OldTownPilot
Well-Known Member
I have NO idea what the replacement cycle is for pinger batteries, but this was a relatively new airplane (less than 2 years if I remember right) so if its on a say 10 year cycle with the "Full D check" it would have a relatively strong battery that might last longer than "about 30 days".
Minuteman
“Dongola”
Hang on. We've got a couple of pingers on the workbench ... I'll get back to you in about 4 to 13 weeks.
(I keed, I keed)
The good folks of the Dukane Corp. state their batteries have a shelf life of six years. No idea how that translates into operating period.
A few interesting specs from their website:
(I keed, I keed)
The good folks of the Dukane Corp. state their batteries have a shelf life of six years. No idea how that translates into operating period.
A few interesting specs from their website:
Operating Frequency: 37.5 kHz ± 1 kHz (rats, I probably couldn't hear it anyway)
Operating Depth: Surface to 20,000 feet
Pulse Length: Not less than 9 milliseconds
Pulse Repetition Rate: Not less than 0.9 pulse per second
Useful Life: Six years
Operating Life: 30 days (minimum)
Acoustic Output, Initial: 1060 dynes/cm2 rms pressure at 1 meter (160.5 dB)
Acoustic Output, After 30 days: 700 dynes/cm2 rms pressure at 1 meter (157.0 dB) (<-- is that 2/3 power after 30 days?)
Radiation Pattern: Rated output over 80 percent of sphere
Operating Depth: Surface to 20,000 feet
Pulse Length: Not less than 9 milliseconds
Pulse Repetition Rate: Not less than 0.9 pulse per second
Useful Life: Six years
Operating Life: 30 days (minimum)
Acoustic Output, Initial: 1060 dynes/cm2 rms pressure at 1 meter (160.5 dB)
Acoustic Output, After 30 days: 700 dynes/cm2 rms pressure at 1 meter (157.0 dB) (<-- is that 2/3 power after 30 days?)
Radiation Pattern: Rated output over 80 percent of sphere
OldTownPilot
Well-Known Member
Looks like it.
Now the important question, Is that the model beacon/pinger that is in the black boxes of the A330?
Ralgha
Well-Known Member
It doesn't translate at all. Shelf life is how long the battery can sit on the shelf unused and still maintain its charge.
OldTownPilot
Well-Known Member
But if the charge is not at new capacity the operating period will be reduced. I have no idea on the shelf drain of the lithium battery that they use.
Looking at the spec page again I think that 6 years relates to the sonar beacon portion not the battery, which is a field replaceable unit.
In short who freaking knows. All I know is it will be sheer dumb luck to find the recorders after the battery dies.
Looking at the spec page again I think that 6 years relates to the sonar beacon portion not the battery, which is a field replaceable unit.
In short who freaking knows. All I know is it will be sheer dumb luck to find the recorders after the battery dies.
