ELT 406 Certification Service

All ELTs are performance tested and certified in accordance with Transport Canada Regulations (Chapter 571 Appendix G).

We issue a Transport Canada (Form One) Certification Form with each ELT.

Our service will include the replacement of batteries, if required and/or upon request.

Your ELT will be externally cleaned (within reason) whenever possible in order to enhance its appearance and to make it easier for handling.

We can perform minor repairs on your ELT in house, but for major repairs we will send it out to the manufacturers on your behalf if requested.

ELT 406 Description

Development of a new generation of beacons transmitting at 406 MHz commenced at the beginning of the Cospas-Sarsat project. The 406 MHz units were designed specifically for satellite detection and doppler location, to provide improved location accuracy and ambiguity resolution, increased system capacity (i.e. capability to process a greater number of beacons transmitting simultaneously in field of view of satellites) and to uniquely identify each beacon.

System performance is greatly enhanced both by the improved frequency stability and by operating on a dedicated frequency.

These beacons transmit a 5 Watt RF burst of approximately 0.5 seconds duration every 50 seconds. The carrier frequency is very stable and is phase-modulated with a digital message. Frequency stability ensures accurate location, while the high peak power increases the probability of detection. The low duty cycle provides a multiple-access capability for a large number of beacons simultaneously operating in view of a polar orbiting satellite, and low mean power consumption.

An important feature of 406 MHz emergency beacons is the digitally encoded message, which provides information such as the country of beacon registration and the identification of the aircraft in distress, and optionally, position data from onboard navigation equipment. This provides an efficient solution to false alarms that plague the 121.5 MHz system.

The digitally encoded message is stored in a database addressed by the unique 15 HEX ID. The 15 digit HEX ID always contains the country code which determines the location of the database.

The Cospas-Sarsat system detects and locates distress beacons operating at 406 MHz. The auxiliary transmitter (homing transmitter-121.5 MHz) is included in the 406 MHz beacons to enable SAR forces to home on the distress beacon.

When the satellite receives 406 MHz beacon signals, the digital data is recovered and the doppler frequency shift is calculated with an accuracy of 2 nautical miles. The result of this processing is formatted as digital data which is transferred to the satellite downlink for transmission to Search and Rescue authorities.