[Scan-DC] Replacing older 121.5 MHz emergency beacons with new 406 MHz beacons

[Andrew Clegg]

I thought this video was fairly interesting. The news report has to do with the reluctance of general aviation pilots to replace their old 121.5 MHz EPIRBS (which are no longer tracked by satellites) with the newer 406 MHz EPIRBS, which can be located by LEO and (for the beacons with built-in GPS) GEO satellites.
 
Personally, I think it’s ironic that someone who owns or operates an airplane would have trouble affording all of $500 for a new beacon. As the story points out, a pilot’s choice of not paying for a new beacon could cost us (the taxpayers) a lot of money in the event the pilot has to be searched for. So the pilot saves $500 and the taxpayers get soaked for potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars. If I were a pilot, I would want to be located as quickly and accurately as possible in the event of an emergency.
 
Can any GA pilots out there provide more insight into this issue?
 
http://www.nbcwashington.com/video/#!/investigations/Pilots-Fight-NTSB-Over-the-Use-of-Emergency-Beacons/165271696
 
Cheers,
Andy