Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) and You

How recent changes to the regulations affect how and when you maintain your ELT

Starting August 1, 2019, Transport Canada made some changes to CARs Standard 625 Appendix C and CARs Standard 571 Appendix G regarding ELT maintenance. Regulations aren’t everybody’s favourite subject, so we’ll try and keep this as quick and painless as possible.

If you still have an old 121.5 ELT in your aircraft, nothing has changed for you; your ELT will still need to be re-certified every 12 months. Also, due to an AD issued on them back in September 2017, all Ameri-King AK-451 406 ELTs will still need to be re-certified every 12 months, so if you have an Ameri-King ELT, nothing changes for you, either.

If you have any other make and model 406 ELT in your aircraft, you now only need to have the ELT re-certified every 24 months. However, you have to perform an operational test on the ELT every 12 months. The following is taken from CARs Standard 571 Appendix G on how to perform this operational test:

(a) Operational tests shall be conducted as follows:

• Initiate the ELT self-test only as prescribed by the ELT manufacturer;
• Verify the light, or series of lights, on the ELT and, where applicable, the control panel, which may be accompanied by an aural alert, indicate proper functionality of the transmitters;
• Verify proper aircraft 24-bit address, and
• If the self-test function activates the 121.5 MHz transmission, during the operational test:

(A) Tune the aircraft or other VHF receiver in the area to 121.5 MHz;

(B) Monitor the VHF receiver; ensure the ELT audio sweeps are to be heard, and

(C) Reset the ELT to ARM or AUTO as applicable per the manufacturer’s instructions, and continue listening to the 121.5 MHz signal for a few seconds to ensure that the ELT does not continue to transmit after the test terminates.

When your ELT sends out a test transmission, you should get an e-mail notification from the Canadian Beacon Registry within a few minutes of your test. However, please note that it is NOT considered a valid method of verifying the 24-bit address code on the ELT. The only approved method of validating the codes at this time is through using a beacon tester capable of reading the 24-bit address.

The E-mail will inform you that your information is out of date if you haven’t updated it within the last year. Even if none of your information has changed, you still need to go to the Canadian Beacon Registry website and log in to your account to verify your current information is correct. Go to the bottom of every tab and hit “update.” Make any changes you need to your profile and save; this will get rid of the warning that your information is out of date.

If you don’t receive an e-mail after performing a test burst and you didn’t get any error codes from your beacon, check your spam folder or spam filter settings on your e-mail account. If that doesn’t work, log in to your account at the Canadian Beacon Registry to verify your information is entered and up to date. If you’re still not receiving any e-mails from the Canadian Beacon Registry or if you have any other questions or concerns, you can call them at 1-877-406-7671 between the hours of 8:00am to 4:00pm ET.

While the operational test is considered elementary work (as long as you have access to equipment to read the hex code), there are 4 things you want to keep in mind before doing this test yourself.

1. The first – and the most important – consideration is to READ THE MANUAL BEFORE TESTING! Every make and model has its own self-test procedure; what works for one ELT may not work for another. If you don’t have the owner’s manual for your ELT handy, most if not all owner’s and installation manuals are available online.
2. Secondly, you want to make sure you only perform your test during the first 5 minutes of the hour. Even if your ELT normally doesn’t transmit 121.5 during it’s self-test, it’s still a good idea to keep your tests to the first 5 minutes of the hour just in case you do accidentally trigger a 121.5 transmission.
3. Third, make sure you never let your ELT run for any longer than 50 seconds during the test. Not only is this an unnecessary drain on your beacon’s battery, but it transmits live 406 bursts every 50 seconds. If you either know or suspect that your beacon has transmitted a live burst, contact the Canadian Mission Control Centre at 1-800-211-8107 as soon as possible to let them know it was a false alarm.
4. Fourth, if you’re not sure about how to go about the test or if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Transport Canada has provided some additional information and guidance on this through Advisory Circular AC571-025. Also, our experienced technicians will be happy to either walk you through the test procedure or perform it for you.

If you have questions about ELT testing or other aircraft maintenance procedures, contact Brant Aero!

Author Profile: Dan Edwards graduated from Canadore College in 2008, and started working at Brant Aero in August 2010. He specializes in Bose repairs, ELT re-certifications and radio repairs.