Along these lines....

I have my plane in for Annual condition inspection with a Rotax specialist just N of San Antonio. They found that my Ameri-King ELT battery was dead. And likely has been since I bought it less than a year ago. Based on the issues w Ameri-King I was ready to pull it and replace w an ACK E-04.

But the AP proceeded to tell me about how everyone is doing 406 ELT inspections wrong and that they have to be tested with specific equipment from the manufacturer. That means taking it to an avionics shop w that very specialized gear. And he says it is every ELT, every year.

Having gone through 6 years w a Cirrus and never hearing that, I smell BS. My guess is he is reading more in to regulations than actually exist and that the self Test created by the manufacturers will make the FAA happy. I found a thread on another forum that backs that up. But apparently there are some that are convinced the more invasive and expensive Test is required.

Based on this discussion my goal was to find the most direct way of getting the plane out of Annual. And that was to find new batteries for the existing AK unit. They were not TSO batteries (I know, just wait), but they will do to get the plane out of the shop.

And then my plan is to buy and install an ACK unit as quickly as possible.

So I have two questions....

Has anyone heard of the need for that extensive annual testing?

And could anyone share info (pictures) and guidance on your ACK install?