Dispensing with marker beacon receiver

[PT20J]

In reviewing audio panels, I noticed that the PS Engineering PMA450B is available without a marker beacon receiver for $100 less. I haven’t flown an ILS except for practice for a long time as most places seem to have LPV approaches these days. But looking at random approach plates, I didn’t find one that still had an OM (KMRY still has a LOM, but it is grayed out — not part of the procedure). The FAA has eliminated MMs, and IMs are only required for CAT II.

Given that the OM is only required to identify the FAF when flying a localizer approach, and that the FAA no longer requires marker beacon receiving capability if you have an alternate means of identifying the FAF (usually GPS), I see no reason not to dispense with it and remove the antenna hidden under the composite belly panel.

Am I making a mistake?

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[RobertGary1]

I'm sure you can remove it. I can't remember the last time I turned mine on. Not sure about Mexico/Canada though. It may be worth $100 if they still use them.

[Andy95W]

I removed my marker beacon antenna a few years ago and gained 15 knots.  (jk)

I should probably label the MB lights inop or something. Maybe I’ll just cover them up with a piece of black tape like my VCR clock. 

[David Lloyd]

2 hours ago, Andy95W said:

I removed my marker beacon antenna a few years ago and gained 15 knots.  (jk)

I should probably label the MB lights inop or something. Maybe I’ll just cover them up with a piece of black tape like my VCR clock. 

Rats.  Mine was inside the one piece belly pan.

Until 15 years ago I flew a pretty good amount.  It was rare event then the MBs that were working.  What...what's that noise?  Ditch it, you'll never miss it.

[warren.huisman]

I don’t have one in my panel…


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[ohdub]

1 hour ago, RobertGary1 said:

I'm sure you can remove it. I can't remember the last time I turned mine on. Not sure about Mexico/Canada though. It may be worth $100 if they still use them.

I'm not aware of any here in Canada.

[bradp]

You know what simultaneously surprises me and makes me jump? A MM or IM beacon I’m flying over. When I used to fly over JFK I would always get startled by the MM or IM marker. 
 

I live pretty much across the street from an OM - so I’m kind of fond of them. ;-)

[FloridaMan]

I don’t think I’ve ever used the marker beacon or flown a localizer-only approach. 

[N201MKTurbo]

Mine blinked once. It kind of scared me.

[PT20J]

13 minutes ago, FloridaMan said:

I don’t think I’ve ever used the marker beacon or flown a localizer-only approach. 

You haven’t lived until you’ve hand flown the KMFR LOC/DME BC-B IMC after retreating from icing over the Siskiyou Mountains. 

[N201MKTurbo]

Just now, PT20J said:

You haven’t lived until you’ve hand flown the KMFR LOC/DME BC-B IMC after retreating from icing over the Siskiyou Mountains. 

Oh crap, that airport is in a hole. I’ve never landed there, but I flew an airline flight there once. It is a slam dunk into the bottom of a Dixie Cup.

[RobertGary1]

21 minutes ago, FloridaMan said:

I don’t think I’ve ever used the marker beacon or flown a localizer-only approach. 

You must be young. In the 90's they were certainly standard and forgetting to select it on the audio panel could cost you your checkride.

-Robert

 

[PT20J]

3 minutes ago, RobertGary1 said:

You must be young. In the 90's they were certainly standard and forgetting to select it on the audio panel could cost you your checkride.

-Robert

 

And don’t forget to set the sensitivity to LO or the examiner will have a fit.

[EricJ]

Are there no more airway beacons or fan markers?    I thought I saw one on a map a few years ago, but not sure where...

 

[BDPetersen]

No mb receiver??!! Is there no respect for tradition? Next they will do away with the true fade and fade 90 LF range orientations.  I think I’ll go pull the whistle-stop tuning knob on my Super homer for old time sake.

[ArtVandelay]

Anyone know how much the MB antenna weighs?

[PT20J]

0.6 lbs. according to Comant.

[jaylw314]

15 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Oh crap, that airport is in a hole. I’ve never landed there, but I flew an airline flight there once. It is a slam dunk into the bottom of a Dixie Cup.

Yeah, I'm heading there this weekend, and my wife asked if we could leave after dark.  I told her, "ummm, no..."

[McMooney]

I asked the DPE about the MB during my IR checkride, she just shrugged and kept it moving

[thinwing]

years ago when we flew over an om...my wife was startled by the blinking light and noise over the intercom...."whats that she says"..oh oh says I ..we are out of gas!

[larryb]

I removed my marker beacon antenna because I wanted that location for an ADSB receiver antenna.

[ArtVandelay]

What about outside North America?

[A64Pilot]

5 hours ago, larryb said:

I removed my marker beacon antenna because I wanted that location for an ADSB receiver antenna.

For some reason my GDL-39 needed an external antenna at higher altitudes in my Maule, but hasn’t yet in the Mooney, but I’ve not yet flown that high or as far yet.

‘I have what looks like two transponder antennas and as I’m sure I don’t have a diversity transponder one I’m assuming was for the DME that was removed.

‘Anyone know how I can tell which one is the transponder and which one the DME? As my external ADSB antenna is a transponder antenna replacing the DME would be the way to go in my case.

[PT20J]

1 hour ago, A64Pilot said:

For some reason my GDL-39 needed an external antenna at higher altitudes in my Maule, but hasn’t yet in the Mooney, but I’ve not yet flown that high or as far yet.

‘I have what looks like two transponder antennas and as I’m sure I don’t have a diversity transponder one I’m assuming was for the DME that was removed.

‘Anyone know how I can tell which one is the transponder and which one the DME? As my external ADSB antenna is a transponder antenna replacing the DME would be the way to go in my case.

For diversity, one antenna would be on top and one on the bottom. I have two antennas on my 1994 from the factory: left is DME, right is transponder. I don't know if that was a Mooney standard or not. The transponder and DME are in the same frequency band, so they use the same antennas. The older cavity DME transmitters could withstand the VSWR with the antenna disconnected, but I'm told that the newer solid state ones are easily damaged without a load. The installer put a warning label on the cable near the antenna when I had the GTX 345 installed that says to pull the breaker before disconnecting the antenna.

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