Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joe Hopwood on October 26, 2017 at 6:10am

Looks great for experimental planes.  Sure hope this does not go the way of Navworx

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Permalink Reply by John Austin on October 26, 2017 at 7:10am

What I've seen is that uAvionix is a much bigger, more substantial company.  They are heavily invested in miniaturized electronics such as GPS, ADSB, transponders, etc. in the drone/UAV market and are leveraging that expertise to get into the experimental, and next year, the certified market.  Hopefully, they'll be there for the long haul!

John 

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Permalink Reply by Don Morrisey on October 27, 2017 at 5:36pm

If this thing works as advertised, it really does simplify the selection process

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Permalink Reply by Gil DeVault on June 3, 2018 at 8:17pm

It is my understanding a TSO Sky Beacon is now out with marker lights/strobes for $1,849 dollars. Can any one confirm this, and will any of you be installing on your XL ? I received a message from ifly, Adventure pilot on the announcement. Does anyone know with the nav lights and strobes will I be able to eliminate the High Voltage controller for the strobes, and one lighting circuit?

Gil
N601LP

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Permalink Reply by John Austin on June 3, 2018 at 9:40pm

I don't think either the TSO'd or experimental skyBeacon with strobes is actually available yet.  I got a skyBeacon certification update dated 5/16 that says the TSO is planning to be filed by the end of June - that's filed, not approved.  However, they apparently plan to have the new skyBeacon available for sale by AirVenture - I like their sense of humor in the Update Summary: "We hope to see each and every one of you at AirVenture. We will either bring skyBeacon to sell and install on your aircraft, or a dunk tank for our certification lead."  LOL!

The strobes are LED, so definitely you'll no longer need the high voltage transformer.  I don't know if they plan to keep the entire unit on the nav light circuit (as in the original skyBeacon I have beta-tested) or put the strobes on an independent circuit (that would be my preference).  I'm hoping to get to beta-test the new version with strobes soon and I'll give an update if that happens.

John

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Permalink Reply by John Austin on June 4, 2018 at 6:24am

Gil,

Today, I got the same email ad from Adventure Pilot "TSO skyBeacon Pre-Order."  If you read the details at Adventure Pilot, the pre-order puts you in line to receive one when shipping starts in July.  From the tone of the uAvionix update, I would optimistically assume they would  start shipping in late July.  It'll be interesting to see if uAvionix offers an "AirVenture Special" (as many vendors do with a new or popular product) at a discounted price.  Sometimes, however, the "Special" is just free shipping.

John

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Permalink Reply by Gil DeVault on June 4, 2018 at 8:12am

John,

I'm looking for a couple of deals at Oshkosh, the Sky Beacon and the Trutrak  autopilot. Hopefully there will be some savings. On the XL I purchased last fall one of the strobes does not work. I have a new set of the same type and model I had purchased for my 601 I'm building. Doing some testing I found out my problem is the high voltage transformer. It would be nice  to eliminate that extra weight on both wings. Unfortunately the original builder used some type of nut & bolt that is rusted  and there is very little room to try to remove the bolts. Maybe just leave the transformers installed. 

Gil

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Permalink Reply by Don Morrisey on June 4, 2018 at 8:17am

Gil I don't know if it is possible to reach those nuts with a spray but I have heard that a very good home brew for "nut penetration" is a 50/50 mix of acetone and transmission fluid.  Don't know if it works but I have heard enough about it from various sources to believe it does.  Perhaps spray that on a few times over a couple of days and see what happens.

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Permalink Reply by Gil DeVault on June 4, 2018 at 1:25pm

Don, I've heard that before myself. I even mixed some up but by the time I ever got around to trying it, I could not find where I put it. I can mix some more up. 

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Permalink Reply by Jim Monsu on March 17, 2019 at 5:24pm

Does anyone have pics of the uAvionix SkyBeacon installed on a 601/650?  Based on the shape of the flat spots on the wingtips it appears that the position lights have to be angled downward (the leading edge would be lower than the trailing edge) which would make the SkyBeacon’s antenna/fin angle aftward (from top to bottom) maybe 20 to 30-degrees off of vertical. Is this okay, or does the SkyBeacon have to be installed square/plumb on the wingtip?

I’m sure someone will suggest that nothing stays truly horizontal or vertical while in flight, but the angle looks severe enough that it would be significant while in straight and level flight or during ground operations. 

The attached pic shows what I’m referring to. (And yes, I know it’s the “wrong” wing for the SkyBeacon, but the port side wingtip is a mirror of the starboard side. (I hope!)

Thanks,

Jim

660A9A7C-31BF-46B1-A515-DAA9E5B85D7C.jpeg

N9554Z

2009 CH601XL w/Jabiru 3300

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Permalink Reply by Joe Hopwood on March 17, 2019 at 7:56pm

You can ask the manufacturer, but IMHO I don't think it will make a nits worth of difference.  Did you look at the photos of John's installation.  Can't tell exact degree, but sure looks close to the same as 601 to me.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Monsu on March 17, 2019 at 9:48pm

I hadn’t seen John’s pics before, but I just checked them out. Looks very similar.  

I’ll give uAvionix a call tomorrow and post their comments. 

Thanks. 

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