Uavionix sky beacon

[Jpravi8tor]

Greetings Mooniacs!

who uses the Uavionics skybeacon as a solution for ads-b out? Are you happy with the unit?

any issues mounting on a pre J?

[Kodiakflyer]

Installing a TailBeacon on my M20A. Using a Garmin 327 xpdr.

Had the same arrangement on my PA20 Pacer. Worked flawlessly.

[Dick Denenny]

I put in the tail beacon last year and it has worked great. Talked ATC a few times confirming it's working. I just need to always remember to turn my navigation lights on. 

[Schllc]

I don’t care for the one on my plane. I feel like it was a half measure by the owner before me to be cheap. 
It isn’t particularly reliable, and I have had issues with the mode S not transmitting properly.  It all checks out on the ground, just sometimes doesn’t transmit properly.

I have had traffic on my other planes and really dislike the fact that I can’t display it on the g1000 because the other owner simply satisfied the legal requirements by cheaping out with this alternative. 
In my opinion, they should have put in the 345 and spend a couple amu’s more to do it properly. 

[MikeOH]

Another very happy Tailbeacon owner.  I waited to almost to the last minute to install my mine and it was very simple (1 hour by my A&P). Has worked without issue.

[Rjfanjet]

I needed a new transponder to replace my Narco POS. Installed a Garmin 335 for ADSB out, paired with a stratus 3 to my ifly for ADSB in. Very happy.

[Ned Gravel]

3 hours ago, Dick Denenny said:

I put in the tail beacon last year and it has worked great. Talked ATC a few times confirming it's working. I just need to always remember to turn my navigation lights on. 

+1

[Jpravi8tor]

Does anyone have the wingtip option? I didn’t even consider the tail beacon

[Mooneymite]

I bought a Tailbeacon for my experimental and a Skybeacon for my Mooney.  Both installations were quick and easy.  Both have worked flawlessly from the first flight.  Every report I've requested has come back with perfect results.  I installed the Skybeacon in the Mooney intending to replace it with something "more elegant" after the ADS-B market stabilized, but the Skybeacon is still installed and working as of today.

The speed and cost of installation tipped me toward Uavionix initially.

[BDPetersen]

My wingtip option has been successful. Always worry about hangar rash, but I could probably mash a tail beacon as well.

[Jsno]

I installed the tail beacon on my 69 M20F.  Easy to install.

[Paulyslug]

We had the Tailbeacon and it was easy to install.  My first unit didn't work properly, but uAvionix customer service was great and the second Tailbeacon worked very well until we did a total avionics overhaul.

 

[carusoam]

There are many…

Tail beacons, and wingtip beacons installed around MS…

Most are problem free….

A few had issues early on…

 

This device uses the re-broadcast method to supply the X-ponder data paired with location for ADSB out…

For a more upscale device using the same methodology…. Big G has a remote GDL device that also works really well….

Pp thoughts only,

-a-

[Utah20Gflyer]

The g model I purchased had a skybeacon when I bought it. It has worked fine so far.  I use a sentry for ADSB in.  It's not as good as a 345 but until I need to purchase a transponder I'm going to keep it. 

[MBDiagMan]

IMHO the sky beacon and tail beacons are band aids.  There are times, however, when a band aid is the only practical solution.  That said, both my planes have in panel ADS-B transponders.

[MikeOH]

18 hours ago, MBDiagMan said:

IMHO the sky beacon and tail beacons are band aids.  There are times, however, when a band aid is the only practical solution.  That said, both my planes have in panel ADS-B transponders.

That's a pretty damn harsh statement to make with nothing to back it up.  Maybe you spent way more on your in-panel stuff and running down a perfectly good lower cost solution is just a way to make yourself feel better?

2 and a half years in and my Tailbeacon is still working great.

I've never had a band-aid last 2 and a half years! 

[Marauder]

That's a pretty damn harsh statement to make with nothing to back it up.  Maybe you spent way more on your in-panel stuff and running down a perfectly good lower cost solution is just a way to make yourself feel better?
2 and a half years in and my Tailbeacon is still working great.
I've never had a band-aid last 2 and a half years! 

That's a pretty damn harsh statement to make with nothing to back it up.  Maybe you spent way more on your in-panel stuff and running down a perfectly good lower cost solution is just a way to make yourself feel better?
2 and a half years in and my Tailbeacon is still working great.
I've never had a band-aid last 2 and a half years! 

I know a lot of pilots who opted for the tail and sky beacon and are happy with them. Also know a few who wished they had a bought a box that had FIS-B/TIS-B built into it and not be forced to buy a portable solution.

For those of you who bought them and requires the Nav lights to be turned on, how do you handle it? Leave the Nav lights on all the time? Checklist item?

The first time I encountered this was with the school fleet here. One of them made a call that they were entering the pattern but I didn’t see them on TIS-B but picked them up on my TAS. I asked if they were ADS-B equipped and the instructor said “do you see us now?” I said “yes” and when I asked what he did, he said he turned on the Nav lights.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[RobertGary1]

Don’t forget that your warning lights will be dim in the daylight when running nav lights. 

[MikeOH]

Nav light switch has been on since I installed the Tailbeacon.  

[Joshua Blackh4t]

I'm thinking of the tailbeacon x with the av-30 control head, has anyone tried that yet?

Does anyone else worry about turning nav lights off in fog etc with tailbeacon? I was considering a 2nd switch just for the tail

[Joshua Blackh4t]

1 minute ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

Turning nav lights off in fog would be pretty atypical, wouldn’t it?  It’s usually strobes and anti collision lights that cause the problem and they are on a different t switch/circuit.  
 

I, too, am interested in any PIREPS on the TailBeacon X.  It seems to me to be a very elegant solution.  

I don't know, I'm only day vfr at the moment, but there is a placard about turning off lights in fog so I was interested in what more experienced people had to say.

 

[RobertGary1]

6 minutes ago, Joshua Blackh4t said:

I don't know, I'm only day vfr at the moment, but there is a placard about turning off lights in fog so I was interested in what more experienced people had to say.

 

Nothing cooler in aviation than having the strobes on near the freezing level and seeing the water partials streaming by. Like Star Wars hyperdrive speed

[carusoam]

4 hours ago, Joshua Blackh4t said:

I don't know, I'm only day vfr at the moment, but there is a placard about turning off lights in fog so I was interested in what more experienced people had to say.

 

Strobes in fog can be brain tumbling to some people….

There is a small percentage of the human population that run into this challenge…. They mostly know who they are….

Something to check prior to flight if any passengers have flashing light sensitivity…

Not an issue with nav lights… because they don’t flash…

PP thoughts only, not a brain guru…

Best regards,

-a-

[Rjfanjet]

22 hours ago, Joshua Blackh4t said:

I don't know, I'm only day vfr at the moment, but there is a placard about turning off lights in fog so I was interested in what more experienced people had to say.

 

I've never seen that placard, Mooney, jet, or otherwise.

[MBDiagMan]

On 7/30/2022 at 11:23 PM, MikeOH said:

That's a pretty damn harsh statement to make with nothing to back it up.  Maybe you spent way more on your in-panel stuff and running down a perfectly good lower cost solution is just a way to make yourself feel better?

2 and a half years in and my Tailbeacon is still working great.

I've never had a band-aid last 2 and a half years! 

Happy that you have gotten by with it.