diff --git a/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/BinaryMesageEncoder.java b/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/BinaryMesageEncoder.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0774bec8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/BinaryMesageEncoder.java
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+package seng302.Networking;
+
+import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
+import java.nio.ByteOrder;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+/**
+ * Created by hba56 on 21/04/17.
+ */
+public class BinaryMesageEncoder {
+    private byte[] fullMessage;
+    private byte[] header;
+    private byte[] message;
+    private byte[] crc;
+
+    private byte headerSync1 = (byte)0x47;
+    private byte headerSync2 = (byte)0x83;
+    private byte headerMessageType;
+    private long headerTimeStamp;
+    private int headerSourceID;
+    private short headerMessageLength;
+
+    public BinaryMesageEncoder(byte headerMessageType, long headerTimeStamp, int headerSourceID, short headerMessageLength, byte[] message){
+        //set the header
+        this.headerMessageType = headerMessageType;
+        this.headerTimeStamp = headerTimeStamp;
+        this.headerSourceID = headerSourceID;
+        this.headerMessageLength = headerMessageLength;
+
+        ByteBuffer tempHeaderByteBuffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(15);
+        tempHeaderByteBuffer.put(this.headerSync1);
+        tempHeaderByteBuffer.put(this.headerSync2);
+        tempHeaderByteBuffer.put(this.headerMessageType);
+        tempHeaderByteBuffer.put(longToSixBytes(this.headerTimeStamp));
+        tempHeaderByteBuffer.put(intToBytes(this.headerSourceID));
+        tempHeaderByteBuffer.put(shortToBytes(this.headerMessageLength));
+
+
+        this.header = tempHeaderByteBuffer.array();
+
+        //set the message
+        this.message = message;
+
+        //set full message
+        ByteBuffer tempMessageByteBuffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(19+this.headerMessageLength);
+        tempMessageByteBuffer.put(this.header);
+        tempMessageByteBuffer.put(this.message);
+
+        //todo fix crc, currently just some int
+        tempMessageByteBuffer.put(intToBytes(1));
+        this.fullMessage = tempMessageByteBuffer.array();
+
+
+    }
+
+    private short bytesToShort(byte[] bytesShort){
+        ByteBuffer byteBuffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(2);
+        byteBuffer.order(ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN);
+        byteBuffer.put(bytesShort[0]);
+        byteBuffer.put(bytesShort[1]);
+        short shortVal = byteBuffer.getShort(0);
+        return shortVal;
+    }
+
+    private byte[] longToSixBytes(long x) {
+        ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(Long.BYTES);
+        buffer.putLong(x);
+        return Arrays.copyOfRange(buffer.array(), 2, 8);
+    }
+
+    private byte[] shortToBytes(short x) {
+        ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(Short.BYTES);
+        buffer.putShort(x);
+        return buffer.array();
+    }
+
+    private byte[] intToBytes(int x) {
+        ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(Integer.BYTES);
+        buffer.putInt(x);
+        return buffer.array();
+    }
+
+    public byte[] getFullMessage() {
+        return fullMessage;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/BinaryMessageDecoder.java b/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/BinaryMessageDecoder.java
index c02b1ec7..8d76d1ef 100644
--- a/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/BinaryMessageDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/seng302/Networking/BinaryMessageDecoder.java
@@ -27,25 +27,30 @@ public class BinaryMessageDecoder {
 
     public void decode() throws IndexOutOfBoundsException{
         //get the header
-        this.header = Arrays.copyOfRange(this.fullMessage, 0, 16);
+        this.header = Arrays.copyOfRange(this.fullMessage, 0, 15);
 
         this.headerSync1 = this.header[0];
         this.headerSync2 = this.header[1];
         this.headerMessageType = this.header[2];
         this.headerTimeStamp = Arrays.copyOfRange(this.header, 3, 9);
         this.headerSourceID = Arrays.copyOfRange(this.header, 9, 13);
-        this.headerMessageLength = Arrays.copyOfRange(this.header, 13, 16);
+        this.headerMessageLength = Arrays.copyOfRange(this.header, 13, 15);
 
         //get message
-        this.message = Arrays.copyOfRange(this.fullMessage, 16, this.fullMessage.length - 4);
+        this.message = Arrays.copyOfRange(this.fullMessage, 15, this.fullMessage.length - 4);
 
         //get crc
         this.crc = Arrays.copyOfRange(this.fullMessage, this.fullMessage.length - 4, fullMessage.length);
 
+        //run through the checks
         if (this.message.length != bytesToInt(this.headerMessageLength)){
             System.err.println("message length in header does not equal the message length");
             System.err.println("message length in header: " + bytesToInt(this.headerMessageLength));
             System.err.println("message length: " + this.message.length);
+        }else if(this.headerSync1 != 0x47){
+            System.err.println("Sync byte 1 is wrong");
+        }else if(this.headerSync2 != 0x83){
+            System.err.println("Sync byte 2 is wrong");
         }else if(false){
             //todo check crc
         }
@@ -53,22 +58,21 @@ public class BinaryMessageDecoder {
 
     private short bytesToShort(byte[] bytesShort){
         ByteBuffer byteBuffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(2);
-        byteBuffer.order(ByteOrder.LITTLE_ENDIAN);
+        byteBuffer.order(ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN);
         byteBuffer.put(bytesShort[0]);
         byteBuffer.put(bytesShort[1]);
         short shortVal = byteBuffer.getShort(0);
         return shortVal;
     }
 
-    private short bytesToInt(byte[] bytesInt){
+    private int bytesToInt(byte[] bytesInt){
         ByteBuffer byteBuffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(4);
-        byteBuffer.order(ByteOrder.LITTLE_ENDIAN);
-        byteBuffer.put(bytesInt[0]);
-        byteBuffer.put(bytesInt[1]);
-        byteBuffer.put(bytesInt[2]);
-        byteBuffer.put(bytesInt[3]);
-        short shortVal = byteBuffer.getShort(0);
-        return shortVal;
+        byteBuffer.order(ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN);
+        for(int i= 0; i<bytesInt.length;i++){
+            byteBuffer.put(bytesInt[i]);
+        }
+        int intVal = byteBuffer.getShort(0);
+        return intVal;
     }
 
     private long bytesToLong(byte[] bytesLong){
diff --git a/src/test/java/BinaryMessageDecoderTest.java b/src/test/java/BinaryMessageDecoderTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ad7e33cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/BinaryMessageDecoderTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import org.junit.Assert;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import seng302.Networking.BinaryMesageEncoder;
+import seng302.Networking.BinaryMessageDecoder;
+import seng302.Networking.XMLMessageDecoder;
+import seng302.Networking.XMLMessageEncoder;
+
+import java.io.BufferedReader;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.InputStreamReader;
+
+/**
+ * Created by hba56 on 21/04/17.
+ */
+public class BinaryMessageDecoderTest {
+    @Test
+    public void decodeTest(){
+        try{
+            StringBuilder xmlString;
+            BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(
+                    this.getClass().getResourceAsStream(("raceXML/Regatta.xml"))));
+            String line;
+            xmlString = new StringBuilder();
+            while((line=br.readLine())!= null){
+                xmlString.append(line.trim());
+            }
+            long time = System.currentTimeMillis();
+            XMLMessageEncoder testEncoder = new  XMLMessageEncoder((byte)1, (short)1, time, (byte)7, (short)1, (short)xmlString.length(), xmlString.toString());
+
+            byte[] encodedMessage = testEncoder.encode();
+
+            BinaryMesageEncoder testMessage = new BinaryMesageEncoder((byte)26, time, 1, (short)encodedMessage.length, encodedMessage);
+
+            BinaryMessageDecoder testDecoder = new BinaryMessageDecoder(testMessage.getFullMessage());
+            testDecoder.decode();
+
+        }catch (IOException e){
+            System.out.println(e);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/test/java/XMLMessageDecoderTest.java b/src/test/java/XMLMessageDecoderTest.java
index f86b8de4..b2204633 100644
--- a/src/test/java/XMLMessageDecoderTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/XMLMessageDecoderTest.java
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ public class XMLMessageDecoderTest {
             Assert.assertEquals((short)xmlString.length(), decoderXML.getXmlMsgLength());
             Assert.assertEquals(xmlString.toString(), decoderXML.getXmlMessage());
 
-
         }catch (IOException e){
             System.out.println(e);
         }