Jump to content

ADSB... uAvionix


joekinnc

Recommended Posts

As I mentioned in another thread, I bought Tail Beacon for my experimental back in September. 

Installed in virtually no time.  You use your smart phone to program it.  The logbook entry (they tell you what to say) took almost as long as the actual installation.  :lol:

First time I flew it, the report came back all OKay.

For my experimental, it was definitely the way to go.  For my Mooney, I'm still weighing the options.  Obviously, I am not happy about Garmin's suit and that will probably prejudice me against a Garmin solution for the Mooney.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My SkyBeacon came in on Friday and is sitting on my table waiting on time to get it installed.  Would have done it this weekend except the rain didn't stop until late Sunday and unfortuanately I don't have a hangar.  May try to take an afternoon this week to go intall it so I can work with my A&P.  Pirep to follow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, joekinnc said:

cool - forgive me fore being naive - why are folks waiting for the tail beacon vs the one on the wingtip - looking to learn what I don't know...

 

I have the 201 wingtips with the lighting enclosed under a cover. Tail beacon is the solution for me. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I notice on the uavionix website that the Skybeacon lens is clear so you can see all the guts of the assembly. It's not a dealbreaker, but I'm not a fan of that. Are production units like this or was the clear lens just for marketing purposes?

Also, what have they done for security on these units? I imagine they are mounted with screws and even if you used security head screws, they are pretty easily bypassed with a tool you can buy at most hardware stores. Is the Sykbeacon registered/encrypted to the aircraft it was originally purchased for so that it can't be used on another aircraft (ergo, no point stealing it)?

Edited by Sime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, joekinnc said:

cool - forgive me fore being naive - why are folks waiting for the tail beacon vs the one on the wingtip - looking to learn what I don't know...

 

I spent $1000 on Whalen LED NAV/Strobes that look great. Don’t want to have something hokey that sticks out on the wingtip and doesn’t have a strobe. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Sime said:

Also, what have they done for security on these units?....

Though the Tailbeacon is passcode protected, an uninformed theif might think it's a great way to get ADS-B compliant.  It wouldn't be until he tried to reinstall the unit the passcode would come into play.

The small allen screw would, perhaps, deter a walk-by thief, but the unit itself is both easily installed....and removed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, SantosDumont said:

I spent $1000 on Whalen LED NAV/Strobes that look great. Don’t want to have something hokey that sticks out on the wingtip and doesn’t have a strobe. 

I don't disagree with not changing LED nav/strobes if you already have them done, but it does have a strobe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, Mooneymite said:

Though the Tailbeacon is passcode protected, an uninformed theif might think it's a great way to get ADS-B compliant.  It wouldn't be until he tried to reinstall the unit the passcode would come into play.

The small allen screw would, perhaps, deter a walk-by thief, but the unit itself is both easily installed....and removed.

if it was not password protected, it would be a great way to track thieves 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, Mooneymite said:

Though the Tailbeacon is passcode protected, an uninformed theif might think it's a great way to get ADS-B compliant.  It wouldn't be until he tried to reinstall the unit the passcode would come into play.

The small allen screw would, perhaps, deter a walk-by thief, but the unit itself is both easily installed....and removed. 

What deters the walk by thief from pulling off $500 LED nav lights?  Ones without any identifying marks on them?  I know plane theft happens and stuff gets stolen out of/off of planes, but this is an odds game.  How often does that really happen? Again, not saying it's not worth considering.

With that said, if I ran across a security set of 6x32 screws I would definitely use those to intall vs. #2 phillips screws.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Mike Ropers said:

Is the tail beacon requiring an independent power run? 

Easy Installation

Installation is as simple as replacing the aft aircraft position light.  

  • No airframe modifications or additional antennas are required.

  • Works with any  Mode C or Mode S transponder.

  • Transponder data is provided via the existing aircraft wiring system using the Power Transcoder.

  • tailBeacon uses the existing mounting location, breaker, and wiring.

  • The installation requires 2 screws and reuses the existing power and ground to your current position light

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, bob865 said:

Here is what the actual unit looks like.

20181204_194710.jpg

I think this, LED strobes, beacon and a Stratus for ADS-B in will be added to my next annual

Edited by GLJA
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, N6018Q said:

Easy Installation

Installation is as simple as replacing the aft aircraft position light.  

  • No airframe modifications or additional antennas are required.

  • Works with any  Mode C or Mode S transponder.

  • Transponder data is provided via the existing aircraft wiring system using the Power Transcoder.

  • tailBeacon uses the existing mounting location, breaker, and wiring.

  • The installation requires 2 screws and reuses the existing power and ground to your current position light

That statement requires the lights to be on at all times for the tail beacon (ads-b) to work? Don't seem right

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Mike Ropers said:

That statement requires the lights to be on at all times for the tail beacon (ads-b) to work? Don't seem right

Do you fly with your lights off?  My nav lights and landing light are on from engine start to shutdown.  Strobes are on before I enter the runway and off after clear.  Day and night I want to be seen.

For folks looking for a cheep and easy solution it seem using the current tail light power source wires is the way to go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, kpaul said:

Do you fly with your lights off?  My nav lights and landing light are on from engine start to shutdown.  Strobes are on before I enter the runway and off after clear.  Day and night I want to be seen.

For folks looking for a cheep and easy solution it seem using the current tail light power source wires is the way to go.

I do fly with the lights on unless I am in the clouds at night. Then the strobes go off. So I guess it should be wired to the Nav lights and not the strobe circuit? Same for the ADS-B out light?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.