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SANTA FE, Texas – On
Sunday, Jan. 31,
Civil Air Patrol’s
Hobby Senior
Squadron was tasked
with finding an
Emergency
Position-Indicating
Radio Beacon (EPIRB)
or Emergency Locator
Transmitter (ELT)
going off in the
Santa Fe, Texas
area. The US Coast
Guard (USCG) had
looked for it on
Saturday without
success, and thought
it might be in a
house in that
general area. The
Air Force Rescue
Coordinating Center
tasked CAP to find
it and silence it.
Capt. Michael Turoff,
Commander of the
Hobby Senior
Squadron, got the
call while he was on
another maintenance
mission for Texas
Wing's Group IV. He
called a couple of
Urban Direction
Finding (UDF)
trainees to join him
at his house, to
initiate the ground
team search for the
offending ELT. Capt.
Francis Shonka and
Capt. Doyle Wayne
Hensley met with him
and drove to the
approximate GPS
coordinates to the
suspected location.
1.
2.
3.
4.
[1] The
hidden EPIRB inside
the dumpster. [2]
After climbing in,
Capt. Turoff frees
the EPIRB from its
nestling place.
[3]
Triumphantly, the
searcher emerges
with the offending
EPIRB. [4]
Capt. Turoff
reports, "Mission
accomplished."
After deploying from
their vehicle and
traversing the
general
neighborhood, the
signal (which was
echoing along fences
and power lines) was
gradually localized
to a waste facility
by using the modern
Little L-Per
direction-indicating
system. Upon
climbing a dirt
pile, the team was
headed for a
dumpster and, as
they approached it,
the signal strength
increased
noticeably. A
cursory glance over
the edge of the
dumpster revealed a
small flashing
strobe inside.
With the team's
help, "Dumpster
diver" Turoff
climbed a ladder and
went into the
dumpster, recovering
the over two 2 ft.
long marine EPIRB,
silencing it.
Several inquisitive
neighbors, curious
about the
proceedings,
approached and
wondered why the
USCG had been
circling overhead on
Saturday. Now,
having found the
emergency
transmitter, the UDF
team had their
answer and were
pleased with their
accomplishment.
Another success
story!
Capt. Michael Turoff,
CAP, Hobby Senior
Squadron Commander |
