Register your 406 Mhz ELT with NOAA

This might be one of those things I’ll write about that everyone else is already aware of but did you know that you have to register your new 406 Mhz ELT with NOAA?  Apparently these new transmitters send out a lot more than just an anonymous distress code.  They also send out the serial number of the beacon, the manufacturer code of the beacon and the country code it was registered in.  That is why you have to register.  So they can assign that serial number with your emergency contact information in their database.

Here is a link to NOAA  forms to print and send in.

Here is a link to register your 406 Mhz ELT online

The avionics shop that I visited today (where I learned all this information) also had a poster on the wall that they were given from Artex – an ELT manufacturer.  I went to the Artex website this evening and found the poster.  Here is a screenshot:

The yellow area above corresponds to the search area (if your lucky) if you have a traditional two-frequency ELT.  The orange area is approximate search area with the new 406 Mhz ELT.  The black dot represents the search area if you also have a GPS or NAV link to your ELT.  With that added feature, the 406 Mhz ELT is then able to transmit your latitude and longitude! That’s amazing.

Fly Safe (but if you can’t get a 406 Mhz ELT!)