OT: Flight MH370

[kato13]

Originally Posted by Raellus

I really hope that they locate the black boxes and recover the data recorded. Only then we'll we learn what really happened.

Unfortunately the voice recorders only store a 2 hours loop. So it is possible that there will be no useful information on it if there was any hypoxia event early on. The data recorder should have everything though. They will only ping for another 10 or so days though.

I was thinking that US subs might be able to pick up the pinging given how amazing their sonar is supposed to be, so that might have been a factor in the redirection of the search.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by kato13

Unfortunately the voice recorders only store a 2 hours loop. So it is possible that there will be no useful information on it if there was any hypoxia event early on. The data recorder should have everything though. They will only ping for another 10 or so days though.

I was thinking that US subs might be able to pick up the pinging given how amazing their sonar is supposed to be, so that might have been a factor in the redirection of the search.

I thought that the black box pings were radio, not audio?

[kato13]

Originally Posted by Targan

I thought that the black box pings were radio, not audio?

They might have both but the audio ones are the ones in play now.

That’s because acoustic beacons, or locator "pings" from the black box will probably fall silent within two weeks, Gibson told CBC News.

"At some point, the pinger will simply run out of power, and that’s usually in about 30 days," he said. "Once you figure out when the aircraft went into the water, you go 30 days from that point, and that’s its shelf life."

Phoenix International’s “Batwing-like” towed pinger locator (TPL) weighs about 31 kilograms and can detect a black box’s signal ping from about a mile (1.6 kilometres) away, Gibson said.

source http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/malaysi...olds-1.2584968

I know the sub thing is a long shot, but given all the secrecy regarding capability of military systems we have seen regarding this flight, it seemed appropriate.

[Targan]

You're exactly right. I'm sure I already knew they were acoustic pingers and I forgot somewhere along the way. Underwater locator beacon