Definition
The hardware that connects a data source (such as a flight computer, navigation system, or ground workstation) to a communications link, handling the signal conversion and line management needed to send and receive digital data over that link.
Plain English
The piece of equipment that takes digital information from one device and gets it onto a communication line so it can travel to another device, then does the same in reverse for incoming data.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation acronym lists and in discussions of aircraft or ground systems that exchange electronic information.
Why Pilots Care
A pilot may not operate the equipment directly, but recognizing the term helps when reading about aircraft communication systems, equipment status, or maintenance notes involving electronic information transfer.
Intuition Check
Do not read DCE as the information itself. It means the equipment that helps move the information between electronic systems.
Example Sentence 1
The aircraft's data communications equipment relays position reports from the flight management system to the ground network.
Example Sentence 2
Maintenance checked the DCE after a loss of data communications with ATC.