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I have my ICAO 24 bit Hex code programmed in the aircraft ELT (Cirrus SR22) and of course, it is also coded in my aircraft Transponder. I will purchase a COSPAS/SARSAT PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) for extra safety as I will be flying over the water.

I can opt for keeping the standard serial number for the PLB (which basically means it will be treated as a personal device, not processed as an aircraft ELT) or code the 24 bit code in the PLB (As of ICAO, this means SAR will consider the distress call as an aircraft call, which is what I want). PLB distributors are used to code marine vessels MMSI identificator in the PLB but know nothing about ICAO Hex code.

In which format should I send them to code the ICAO code in the PLB? Hex? Binary? Octal? i.e.: Hex is 6 char hexadecimal alphanumeric code.

fab
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icordoba
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1 Answers1

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It only takes a few seconds to convert from one format to another, so just send them the hex code and label it specifically as a hex code. (This will usually be obvious anyway, as an octal code would only be 0 through 7 while a hexadecimal code will be 0 through F.) If they actually code the device in something besides hex, they will know how to convert from hex to that format.

kj7rrv
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Max R
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  • Thanks. I had prepared the code in three formats, Hex, Octal and binary, but looks like these guys are not that current with conversions as they are used to just code, at most, Marine MMSIs into the PLBs. Anyway, after some thought, I have decided to treat PLB as personal, even if used in flight, and not set the aircraft ICAO code in it. If the plane ditches I prefer SAR to be looking for a floating person and not an aircraft... but that's another subject... – icordoba Feb 02 '23 at 08:20
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    @icordoba I think in the long term there’s more benefits to a personal code. For me, I’d have more use cases for it than just aviation, and more aviation use cases than just my specific airplane. If I bought a PLB, I would potentially carry it with me on airline trips, flights in planes with others, boating trips, and potentially other uses like hiking or skiing. Quite often there are many uses for something that don’t justify the purchase, and yet if I am going to have one anyway, I’d like it to cover those uses. – Max R Feb 02 '23 at 15:24