Something tells me the little guys won't be able to use this option. ----- https://nbaa.org/aircraft-operation...a-ensure-ads-b-flight-tracking-opt-continues/ "Under this solution, operators would retain their permanent transponder code tied to an aircraft’s N-number, but would also be able to use a secondary, non-published code, assigned and managed by the FAA, which would not link to the specific aircraft tail number. It is expected that operators could request a new secondary code at least once every 30 days."
For those who fly with reg as callsign (ie. the majority) it's a pointless exercise as the reg in the callsign field gives them away instantly. Becomes a bit more covert if they're using a generic callsign and flight number but with the abundance of publicly available resources such as flightaware's ASDI (ATC) feed and people with access to flight plans, it won't take very long to ID them. It says that they can request a new hex every month but I reckon what will happen is they'll just keep using the first "tactical" one allocated, especially if there is a cost involved for every new code application. It will be interesting to see what range of hex codes they use, too. All the A00001 to ADF7C7 are allocated to specific civil frames and from ADF7C8 to the current AE68xx series they are all military and ground stations/facilities. Could be the B-range as that is currently unallocated.
