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tailBeaconx Wingtip Mounting PAPR?

comatb

Member
Has anyone mounted a tailBeaconX in a wing tip and done a PAPR to see if it's performance is degraded by the proximity to the wing? We are looking at mounting one in a RV6 wing tip as the tail mounting is quite susceptible to damage on the taildragger.
 
tailBeaconx Wingtip Mounting

Hi Bill

I got your e-mail and for the benefit of everyone here planning on doing the same, I'm in the process of doing just that and will report back here once everything is completed.

I should be doing the wiring tomorrow so it should be soon.

Cheers

Bruno
 
Bruno, hopefully you will be able to post a picture or two of how you mounted it in the wingtip.

Thanks,
 
Tailbeacon-X installation

Hi Dave

''Bruno, hopefully you will be able to post a picture or two of how you mounted it in the wingtip.''

Hopefully I'll be able to, if not I'm sure someone here on VAF who's more ''Computer Oriented', than me will do it for us.

I had to take the day OFF today because it is simply too cold over here to work on the a/c.

Bruno
 
tailBeaconX Wingtip Mounting

Hi Bill

I got your e-mail and for the benefit of everyone here planning on doing the same, I'm in the process of doing just that and will report back here once everything is completed.

I should be doing the wiring tomorrow so it should be soon.

Cheers

Bruno

I'm sure Bruno will update everyone when he can.
 
Tailbeacon-X installation

Hello everyone

Just a quick update on my Tailbeacon-X installation in the wingtip of my RV-4..

I completed the install last week end and did a first power up and I'm glad to report that the smoke stayed in the wires..;-)

The initial set up via the APP went well but you have to be fairly close to the Beacon to log on the Beacon WI-FI to do the set up..It is well explain in the info from UaVionix.

The beacon is communicating well with the AV-20E and if I change the code in the transponder, it shows right away in the APP.

The transponder is also responding when interogated by ATC Radar even on the ground.So looking good so far.

I've got a couple things I need to check with uAvionx regarding the pressure altitude been displayed and traffic ..

I will report back once I have a chance to fly the a/c ..

Stnd by for more..

Bruno
p.s; Trying to upload a picture but I'm not sure if it works. ( Well obviously it didn't )

Sj3b7i4crkZYQPje8
 
I'm curious why folks are installing a Tailbeacon on a wing, when uAvionix sells a wing-tip version of the same thing??

There's gotta be a reason.........................
 
Bruno, great to read this status. Looking forward for more info after you can experience it. Does the configuration software allow to keep the light turned off?


Pete, uAvionix does not sell a wing tip transponder that satisfies the requirements for Canada yet. The SkyBeacon is a 978 repeater only. This (wingtip 1090 ES with dual antenna) should come in June accorfding to a response I have from them. Even then, this will not meet my requirements as I need a light with the rear position light as well on the wing tip. Moreover, I prefer the look of the Orion 600 freshly installed than that of the X antenna.
 
tailBeaconX Wingtip Mounting

Bruno, great to read this status. Looking forward for more info after you can experience it. Does the configuration software allow to keep the light turned off?


Pete, uAvionix does not sell a wing tip transponder that satisfies the requirements for Canada yet. The SkyBeacon is a 978 repeater only. This (wingtip 1090 ES with dual antenna) should come in June accorfding to a response I have from them. Even then, this will not meet my requirements as I need a light with the rear position light as well on the wing tip. Moreover, I prefer the look of the Orion 600 freshly installed than that of the X antenna.

Yes, thank you Bruno for the update.

Michel thank you for sharing the information about a wingtip 1090 ES with dual antenna coming in June. I doubt that will work for us a our RV6 has Whelen wingtip lights with rear facing white lights. We don't have a light on the tail so that is why we are so interested in Bruno's project. I also think Bruno's mounting will be much safer in regards to physical damage as well as possible theft.
 
Tailbeacon-X Install

Bonsoir Michel

''Does the configuration software allow to keep the light turned off?''

No it doesn't, I asked Rebekah at Uavionix Support about this and she said '' NO'', there is no way to turn the light OFF.

It doesn't really matter to be honest as the light is led and does not produce a lot of heat.

Rebekah told me that UaVionix are really interested in my installation in the wingtip results as they have a lot of people inquiring about this...

The weather is not forecast to be the greatest around here this week but hoping to get airborne this Saturday so should have something to report soon.

Cheers

Bruno

P.S: Should have a few pictures posted soon, thanks to Dave for that.

Also: I forgot to mention that I mounted the mounting plate that hold the Tailbeacon in place horizontally vs vertically to allow easier access to the two very small tighening screws ( About a 1/4 inch long ). That way the 2 screws are at a 6 & 12 o'clock position. With a vertical orientation of the mounting plate, it will be very hard if not impossible to have access to one of the screw once the beacon is installed in the wingtips.
 
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Thanks Bruno and Dave. I noticed the transponder is installed on an aluminum plate. This does not affect transmission of the signal? I thought it would have been better to mount this on a Fiberglass panel which is transparent for the signal. What i am concerned about with this location is the effect of the aluminum wing right besides the transponder antenna.
 
Tailbeacon

Bonjour Michel

I simply used what I had handy and if I go by the GPS Nic & NACp which is 9 ( Uavionix says it is very good) I think it has no effect...

The Tailbeacon could be mounted on a rudder which has either an aluminum or fiberglass fairing... I guess I’ll see when I get it airborne ..


Dave: Thank you for posting the pictures, it’s appreciated..

Bruno
 
Man, I wouldn't have used an ally rib!! Never bonds very well to glass and will blank the antennae. I've laid up a sheet of glass on the bench and have cut to shape anticipating TBX delivery in a few weeks.
 
Tailbeacon-X installation

Hi Pete

''Man, I wouldn't have used an ally rib!! Never bonds very well to glass and will blank the antennae.''
-----------------------------
I just used what I had handy at the moment just to get the project moving forward.
I checked again today on the ground ( Planning on getting airborne Saturday if the weather is good ) and it worked flawlessly..

As far as bonding is concern, I'll probably need a jackhammer to remove it if there is a need for it once I test fly it.A fiberglass board of some kind will be a better choice no question (Future upgrade if required )

Bruno
 
Tailbeacon-X Installation Update

Hello Listers

First, sorry for the long wait for an update..

I was finally able to get airborne today with the weather improving and the strip finally drying out.

The Tailbeacon-X is working just fine in all phase of flight and today I was able to do a flight along the Canadian/US border so that I could get a compliance report from the FAA which I did and as far as I know it is good as there were no Red indications in the report.

For about an hour and a half I did step turns in both directions and all kind of manoeuvers as a way to shield the antenna but the Tailbeacon-X kept on trucking along just fine. So my use of an aluminum plate to mount the beacon doesn't seems to affect it in any way even tough a fiberglass plate will most likely be better.

I could see traffic and weather and the transponder worked as advertised.The GPS ''Nic & NACp'' were showing 10 most of the time which is the max you can get.

So for the ones of you thinking of doing the same I did, I think that the results are good and that you can go ahead with your installations.

Best of luck

Bruno
[email protected]
 
Hello Listers

First, sorry for the long wait for an update..

I was finally able to get airborne today with the weather improving and the strip finally drying out.

The Tailbeacon-X is working just fine in all phase of flight and today I was able to do a flight along the Canadian/US border so that I could get a compliance report from the FAA which I did and as far as I know it is good as there were no Red indications in the report.

For about an hour and a half I did step turns in both directions and all kind of manoeuvers as a way to shield the antenna but the Tailbeacon-X kept on trucking along just fine. So my use of an aluminum plate to mount the beacon doesn't seems to affect it in any way even tough a fiberglass plate will most likely be better.

I could see traffic and weather and the transponder worked as advertised.The GPS ''Nic & NACp'' were showing 10 most of the time which is the max you can get.

So for the ones of you thinking of doing the same I did, I think that the results are good and that you can go ahead with your installations.

Best of luck

Bruno
[email protected]

Bruno, we are glad to hear that your efforts have been rewarded. Thank you for the update. Just to clarify, did you mount the tailBeacon X in a horizontal plane and not vertically as it was intended by uAvionics?
 
It is mounted with the antennas on a vertical plane… see pictures on the page 2 of this thread.
 
Tailbeacon-X

Hi Bill

The beacon is mounted as UaVionix intended (with the antenna vertically) The only difference I used is that I mounted the mounting plate in the horizontal ( it can go either way )so that the two little screws ( about a 1/4 ‘’ ) holding the beacon tightly in place were at a 6 & 12 o’clock position ...

This allowed for a better access to them once the beacon was mounted in the wingtip..

Hope this helps

Cheers

Bruno
 
Hi Bill

The beacon is mounted as UaVionix intended (with the antenna vertically) The only difference I used is that I mounted the mounting plate in the horizontal ( it can go either way )so that the two little screws ( about a 1/4 ‘’ ) holding the beacon tightly in place were at a 6 & 12 o’clock position ...

This allowed for a better access to them once the beacon was mounted in the wingtip..

Hope this helps

Cheers

Bruno

Thanks Michel and Bruno.

Bill
 
I installed my TailbeaconX today. I made a fiberglass bulkhead. Hope to complete the work on the panel tomorrow and finalize the documentation and fly :)
(Trying to attach a picture. Let’s see…)
 

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TailbeaconX

Bonsoir Michel

I see that you mounted the Beacon Holding plate with the little screws at the 3 & 9 o'clock position, did you have any problem tightening the little screw on the other side of the beacon ??

Or did you installed it and tighten the beacon before fiberglassing it in place??

Thanks

Bruno
 
I installed my TailbeaconX today. I made a fiberglass bulkhead. Hope to complete the work on the panel tomorrow and finalize the documentation and fly :)
(Trying to attach a picture. Let’s see…)

I seem to recall Uavioncs had changed the software to allow turning off the white light when using in a wingtip. Have you been able to turn off the white light?

Bevan
 
I was having difficulty with the screw that is behind the TbX support. I ended up removing the assembly from the fibreglass bulkhead. I used a little flat screwdriver to hold the Phillips screw in the TbX support in place while I used a socked to remove the nuts on the other side…. Then secured the TbX to its support and reinstalled it.

I used SS no 6 screws with lock nuts.
 
Bevan, no, there was no option to turn off the TbX light. I am wondering if I leave it as is, or if I tape something on the light to block it or if I should paint it….
 
I flew my RV6A last night on the south shore of Montreal. The tailBeaconX worked perfectly. While I have the AV-30-E, I was controlling the transponder with my GRT Horizon HX EFIS. That also worked perfectly. Got the PAPR report and seems all is good.

Some key fun observations… the transponder weight less than the antenna it replaces :).. My left side instrument panel includes radio, txpnd control, full flight instrumentation (within EFIS), autopilot control, clock and weights 6 pounds and 10 ounces :)
 
Michel, do you have a panel photo. I am looking at your exact install on my RV-6A - looks to be a really smart way forward.
merci Paul
 
Bruno and Michel, I assume you control your transponder code through an AV-20 or -30. Was it hard to run the wire between the AV unit and the wingtip for that function? I may put in 2 AV-30s and replace the AI / DG / vacuum pump. Looks like a great solution for my -6A for ADS-B out as well as getting rid of stuff while keeping a nice old school look.

Paul
 
AV-20 WIRNG

Hi Paul

I don't know about Michel's installation but for me it took I would say about 1 hr tops...really easy...

Good luck, you will like your tailbeacon..

Bruno
 
Bruno, thanks. Looks like a straight forward install. Have you run your ADS-B with strobes On? Any interference issues?

Paul
 
Tailbeacon-X

Hi Paul

Yes I did and didn't get any interference whatsoever..no problem at all..


Bruno
 
I am running 2 AV30’s and as of yet have neither ads-b in or out. I will probably do the tailBeaconX in my wingtip as you have done. I have been wrestling with what I would do with the gaping hole that will be left by my existing transponder. Further, I hate wires and “things” sitting on the dash or stuck to the canopy etc. So, if one was to remote mount a stratus “in” unit out of site could you use the existing blade antenna on the belly of my plane for the incoming signal? When I ask stratus support all they say is you need their antenna part # such n such. I already know you could and suction cup mount it to the inside of my comity but that is not my question. Does anyone know the answer?
 
So, if one was to remote mount a stratus “in” unit out of site could you use the existing blade antenna on the belly of my plane for the incoming signal? When I ask stratus support all they say is you need their antenna part # such n such. I already know you could and suction cup mount it to the inside of my comity but that is not my question. Does anyone know the answer?

I can answer for the Stratux, which is the community-supported open-source variant of the Stratus. The Stratux can have both antenna inputs (1090 and 978) tee'd into one antenna cable, and wired directly to the blade antenna on the belly of the airplane. The performance in that configuration is actually better than with two discrete antennas (one for each of 1090 and 978) connected directly to the Stratux box.

I suspect you would see similar performance from the Stratus, and there's no harm in trying it. All you need is the right mix of connectors/cables to connect the Stratus antenna port(s?) to the cable to your belly antenna.
 
Paul, Sorry, I have been away from the forum for a while. Running the wire in my plane was easy as the original builder had installed a plastic tube to run wires from root to wing tip. The Fiberglass wing tip is also easy to remove (it was painted separately from the wing.
 
Do you guys run a connector so that if you ever had to remove your wings you can disconnect the tailbeaconx at the wing root?
 
Tip

I have started my install of the tailbeaconx in my wing tip of my 6. As a tip I would suggest you get a paint cutter before taking out your screws. My first screw chipped bad so I stopped until I got my hands on a paint cutter. The paint on most screws did not chip after that. I am new with the paint cutter so the ones that did chip could be due to my inexperience.

As for running the wires, it looks like it will be fairly straight forward since I can see wingtip to root once the tip has been removed. Since I don’t want to remove my fuel tank, I am running my wires in some split loom through the lightening hole rear of the one with the bell crank. I will drill a hole just above the hole in the skin where the pushrod comes through. The only part that will be a little tricky is getting the wire over the spar since I have two wire bundles already coming through the structure just above the spar. Had I used the other wing it wouldn’t have been an issue.

Hopefully this will help for those contemplating this task, good luck.
 
Do you guys run a connector so that if you ever had to remove your wings you can disconnect the tailbeaconx at the wing root?

Molex connector for the wingtip. From experience, IF you need to remove the wings, that is the time to add connectors to any wires that pass through (except maybe for a -12).
 
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I'm curious why folks are installing a Tailbeacon on a wing, when uAvionix sells a wing-tip version of the same thing??

There's gotta be a reason.........................

They are installing a tailBeaconX on a wingtip. The tailBeaconX is a Mode S Transponder & 1090ES ADS-B solution. The wingtip mounted version, the skyBeacon, is 978Mhz ADS-B companion for your existing transponder. There is a skyBeaconX in development, but no dates on when that will be available yet.

As far as the tailBeaconX working on the wingtip, much of the development on the tailBeaconX was test flown that way and it worked great.
 
Do you guys run a connector so that if you ever had to remove your wings you can disconnect the tailbeaconx at the wing root?
I put a molex connector on mine, although it's mounted in the tail. I can remove it and have a harness for hooking it up on the bench along with the AV-10 head unit so an avionics shop can test it outside the aircraft.
 
Beacons inside rv9 stock wingtip

Has anyone mounted tailbeaconX inside stock 9 wingtip? Encountered any problems? Paul bought flying RV9a
 
Tailbeacon X

Hi Paul

''Has anyone mounted tailbeaconX inside stock 9 wingtip? Encountered any problems? Paul bought flying RV9a''
----------------------------
I mounted mine in an old style RV-4 wingtip with no problem at all and a couple of friends did the same in RV-6s also with no problem at all..

So I think that you will have no problems doing the same in a RV-9 wingtip.

Best of luck

Bruno
 
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