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uAvionix tailBeacon X Beta Testers Wanted

Snowflake

Sidney, BC, Canada
Sponsor
If any Canadian RV owners are interested in beta-testing uAvionix' new tailBeacon X, which is a 1090ES transponder with diverse antennas (compliant with both US and Canadian ADS-B), sign up for the program. They're looking for more beta testers to get more flights done in a shorter time (goal is to get 100+ flights before March 1).

https://uavionix.com/beta-program/
 
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I applied as well, has anybody been contacted?

I think the original COPA post had them wanting to be done by the end of February.

Terry
 
I applied through COPA and heard less than nothing - had to contact them again to find out nothing. I just applied directly with uAvionix. I guess I can say that, but the beta program agreement does clearly state that you can't talk about your involvement with the test.
 
The testers were asked specifically if we knew of other pilots who were interested, and to let them know more testers were required. With the number of pilots I know here that are looking for an ADS-B solution, this is where I let them know. If you're interested, apply.
 
No more testers needed, this is the email they're sending out to some :


Hi there,

We appreciate your interest in our test program. However, at this time we are no longer sending out test units. We will inform you of any changes to the status of the Beta program.

Thank you

-Trevor Mack
uAvionix Support
 
Applied when COPA put out the call and didn?t get any response. I wonder why uAvionix was actively recruiting in January ? I was ready and able . Putting an order in today .
Marc
 
Applied when COPA put out the call and didn?t get any response. I wonder why uAvionix was actively recruiting in January ? I was ready and able . Putting an order in today.
They underestimated how much flying people would be able to do in the cold north in a rainy, cloudy season... So they asked for more people, in the hopes that when a window opened up, they'd get more data from that window. For the most part, it seems the "second round" went to people who were acquaintances of people already doing the testing.
 
I see the TailbeaconX is now for sale at ACS. Requires a control head or connection to an EFIS (GRT & MGL listed). Works world wide. A mere $3474 C plus the head or EFIS.
 
And for that fine sum you get to lose your tail strobe. Real shame, I'm sure that's a deal breaker for a lot of RVs, it is for me.
 
And for that fine sum you get to lose your tail strobe. Real shame, I'm sure that's a deal breaker for a lot of RVs, it is for me.

Agreed ! For that kind of money there are other options for USA pilots and up north you have years before you actually need anything. As much as I like uAvionix products I think they priced themselves way too high for this.
 
At Copperstate 2019, I had a long conversation with uAvionix about the Canadian requirements, including the technical solution of mounting a dipole on the rudder bottom. There was a lot discussion about satellite based ADS-B vs the ground-based system used (only) in the USA.

Well, so the saying goes... You can have it Good, Fast, or Cheap, pick two. By all measures, it's good, came out very fast, but is not cheap.

On my new ride, I will use it so that I can have international compliance, plus the SAR location capability. I also expect some more innovative solutions from uAvionix in the near future...

V
 
And for that fine sum you get to lose your tail strobe. Real shame, I'm sure that's a deal breaker for a lot of RVs, it is for me.

There is a post on VAF about someone installing a Tailbeacon (US version) in the wingtip. They said it worked fine. At 105 mm high it looks like this one will fit in the tip as well. The light can be turned off in the programming. Just food for thought. Certainly not inexpensive but it does incorporate a mode S transponder etc, so may be good for someone who doesn't have one....or sell the one you have to help mitigate the cost. FWIW.
 
There is a post on VAF about someone installing a Tailbeacon (US version) in the wingtip. They said it worked fine. At 105 mm high it looks like this one will fit in the tip as well. The light can be turned off in the programming. Just food for thought. Certainly not inexpensive but it does incorporate a mode S transponder etc, so may be good for someone who doesn't have one....or sell the one you have to help mitigate the cost. FWIW.

I remember reading about that tailbeacon installed in the wingtip. First thing I thought was why would anyone want to pay $1800 for a tailbeacon when they could have paid $1300 for an EchoUAT with -IN also at way less cost :confused::confused:
 
You also didn?t have to shell out $3500 for it.
Not really relevant. Someone implied that you "had to" lose your tail beacon if you install a tailBeaconX. I was merely offering that there are other locations for tail beacons.
 
Not really relevant. Someone implied that you "had to" lose your tail beacon if you install a tailBeaconX. I was merely offering that there are other locations for tail beacons.

The relevancy is that when it comes time to pay $3500 for it, there are other options. In your case you were lucky enough not to have to worry about paying for it so it's easier for you to only have to consider other installation locations.
 
The relevancy is that when it comes time to pay $3500 for it, there are other options. In your case you were lucky enough not to have to worry about paying for it so it's easier for you to only have to consider other installation locations.

Our Canadian dilemma is that we could put in a more economical UAT (978) offering now to comply with the US 2020 mandate, but eventually would have to rip it out to comply with Canada's version of ADS-B which calls for 1090ES & diversity antennas, be it as it will be.
Uavionix is the first to offer a reasonable solution addressing the Canadian ADS-B criteria. Maybe others will follow. So currently, there really are no other options for Canadians if they don't want to upgrade to ADS-B twice..

Thanks Snowflake- for sharing your experience & observations on this.
 
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Not really relevant. Someone implied that you "had to" lose your tail beacon if you install a tailBeaconX. I was merely offering that there are other locations for tail beacons.

I guess that was me :).

I did consider moving my tail position/strobe and I suppose it's not that difficult. Your location on the top of the vertical stabilizer might not work on a 9 as the rudder extends forward of the hinge line on the top. Not a lot of vertical stab at the top. I thought about bringing it down a little and mounting it under the rudder.

Bottom line is the bottom line is spendy. Yeah, I'd end up with a Mode S transponder to sell but I think it's money better spent on an IFR upgrade.
 
Our Canadian dilemma is that we could put in a more economical UAT (978) offering now to comply with the US 2020 mandate, but eventually would have to rip it out to comply with Canada's version of ADS-B which calls for 1090ES & diversity antennas, be it as it will be.
Uavionix is the first to offer a reasonable product that addresses the Canadian ADS-B criteria. Maybe others will follow. So currently, there really are no other options for Canadians right now.

Thanks Snowflake- for sharing your experience & observations on this.

You guys up there have at least 3 years to go so if history has taught us anything is that there will be changes and more offerings by then.
 
Bottom line is the bottom line is spendy. Yeah, I'd end up with a Mode S transponder to sell but I think it's money better spent on an IFR upgrade.

Bingo ! If I install it?ll be the EchoUAT. If I ever need more then I?ll sell the Echo, there will always be someone needing one.
 
The relevancy is that when it comes time to pay $3500 for it, there are other options.
This is true. But what I paid, or didn't pay, for it is irrelevant.

In your case you were lucky enough not to have to worry about paying for it so it's easier for you to only have to consider other installation locations.
Cheaper, yes. Easier, no. The difficulty of installation doesn't change with what I paid, or didn't pay, for it.
 
Your location on the top of the vertical stabilizer might not work on a 9 as the rudder extends forward of the hinge line on the top. Not a lot of vertical stab at the top. I thought about bringing it down a little and mounting it under the rudder.
That's a good point, the rudder on the -6 isn't counterbalanced. My strobe sits far enough back on the tip of the vertical stab that the front of the tip on the vertical stab shields the cockpit from the strobing, too, and that would be harder with a counterbalanced rudder. What about mounting it in the tip of the rudder?

Still, despite all of the discussion on cost, I think the one failing on the tailBeaconX is that the antennas sticking out are just PCB material and they're unprotected. On a tailwheel model, that puts them well out of your line of sight when walking around the plane, and right in the line of fire if you're moving it with a tailwheel tow-bar and make a sharp turn. My early unit has a full plastic enclosure over the boards, but they elected to change it to an enclosure just over the main body before final production.

I like the idea of relocating it to the wingtip, I'll have to ask about disabling the light through software. There's no option in the normal setup screens to make that change.
 
Since a UAT unit like the EchoUAT meets all of the requirements for ADS-B in the US (for now), I do agree that the tailBeaconX isn't something someone in the US would be interested in. It's specifically intended for the rest-of-the-world market that elected to use space-based ADS-B, while maintaining the ability to work with US systems.
 
This is true. But what I paid, or didn't pay, for it is irrelevant.

Cheaper, yes. Easier, no. The difficulty of installation doesn't change with what I paid, or didn't pay, for it.

Of course it's not irrelevant and the difficulty of installation has to be part of the decision just like what you paid for it has to be.

Examples:

You get two items to install. Item A costs $1000 to install because it's easier and Item B costs $2000 to install because it's more complicated.

If you can get both items for the same price then the one costing less to install looks way more attractive than the one costing more to install.

In your case you got it free so all you had to consider was where you were going to install it and that cost.
 
Of course it's not irrelevant and the difficulty of installation has to be part of the decision just like what you paid for it has to be.
I'll try one last time because you're still not getting it: What *I* paid for it has nothing to do with *anyone else's* potential installation. Of course any other customer will have to compare the cost of each option and make a decision.

Difficulty of installation is absolutely a factor, but the difficulty will not be the same in every aircraft as there is more than one place for a strobe. Not everyone has it in their rudder, some have it on their vertical stab, some have it in their wingtips. One doesn't *have* to lose their strobe to install a tailBeacon.
 
TBX

I would be interested to find out if anyone has been able to obtain a report from Nav Canada or from uAvionix as to the accuracy and compliance with the Aireon's space-based ADS-B system?

I installed the uAvionix TBX unit in the rudder of my RV-10 about 6 weeks ago. Except for laying a two conductor shielded 20awg wire from the tail to the instrument panel the installation for me was relatively easy. Since I have GRT EFIS' it was a simple matter of inserting the two wires in a connector on the back of one of the screens and re-configuring an open serial port.

Both the transponder and the ADS-B out (US ground based system) has worked perfectly from day one. I am still waiting to find out if the Aireon' space-based ADS-B system is receiving my signal.

TBX1-M.jpg


TBX2-M.jpg
 
Yup

My setup is working perfectly.

Christian and Trent from Uavionics secured the testing data from Nav Canada and the FAA.

All seems to be working well with the TBX.


Don
 
Has anyone mounted one of these on the upper tip of the rudder?

I am worried about the abuse it might take so close to my tailwheel (kind of expensive to be so close to the dirt on soft field landings)

Interesting device since it is ADSB1090 and useable above 18000 feet vs UAT which is not.

Not too often do I go that high but I have...
 
Has anyone mounted one of these on the upper tip of the rudder?
I think since most of their market will be looking for a "drop in" replacement for the existing tail light, this isn't likely to happen soon. It would require some serious fibreglass and/or metalwork to make a fairing that it could mount in on the rear edge of your rudder.

I am worried about the abuse it might take so close to my tailwheel (kind of expensive to be so close to the dirt on soft field landings)
FWIW, on my RV-6 the lower antenna arm is well above the bottom of the fibreglass lower rudder piece. In order to damage the tailBeaconX on landing anywhere, you'd have to do some serious damage to your tailwheel and/or rudder.

The larger concern for me is moving the plane around with a towbar... I have to be aware of the tailBeaconX every time I turn the wheel lest the towbar contact the lower arm. The original tailBeaconX design was better in this regard, it had a solid plastic protective case over the arms. Sadly they couldn't make that work for production so the arms are now just exposed.
 
Has anyone mounted one of these on the upper tip of the rudder?

I initially thought this would be a good alternate mounting point too, but started thinking about broadcast interference from the rudder structure. The promotional picture of a 172 has the 'X' mounted at the top of the rudder, but that rudder trailing edge tapers aft. With a RV rudder trailing edge tapering forward, I wonder how degraded the transmission would be. Maybe UAvionics would be able to answer this.
As for creating a modified fairing for the top of the rudder, should be an easy (but messy) task for anyone who experienced the joys of fairing in their windshield.
 
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I initially thought this would be a good alternate mounting point too, but started thinking about broadcast interference from the rudder structure. The promotional picture of a 172 has the 'X' mounted at the top of the rudder, but that rudder trailing edge tapers aft. With a RV rudder trailing edge tapering forward, I wonder how degraded the transmission would be.
I'm not sure why it would be any different than mounting it at the bottom of the RV rudder? In any case, testing showed no issues with it mounted down there. If anything, higher up would get it away from the horizontal stab and fuselage which might have provided more of a signal block... And yet, that wasn't an issue in testing either.
 
The top position would be great for satellite transmission (Canada) for sure but I would wonder about signal downward ((US) being blocked. I would assume UAvionics has looked into this, when the time comes for me to purchase an 'X', this will be my first question to them. I would prefer the top rudder positioning for my aircraft.

Cheers
 
Do any of the Beta testers still have the original control head they sent with it for testing?

My understanding was it was not an AV-20 or AV-30. I really do not need or want either of those...

Any pictures?
 
uAvionix tailbeacon X Bata Testers Wanted

Do any of the Beta testers still have the original control head they sent with it for testing?

My understanding was it was not an AV-20 or AV-30. I really do not need or want either of those...?


I’m with you, I don’t need or want all the functions of the AV-20 or AV-30.

I believe the initial heads were called AV-10. If there are any out there, I’ll line up #2 to purchase.

Terry
 
Mine came with an AV-10, but some people did get AV-20's or AV-30's with them during the beta period (lucky devils! :)). I'm keeping the AV-10 until I get something EFIS-like that can control it instead.

Honestly though, I wouldn't recommend the AV-10. It's got a tiny screen, and the single-knob interface to set your TX code is a PITA.
 
uAvionics tailBeacon X Beta Testers Wanted

Mine came with an AV-10, but some people did get AV-20's or AV-30's with them during the beta period (lucky devils! :)). I'm keeping the AV-10 until I get something EFIS-like that can control it instead.

Honestly though, I wouldn't recommend the AV-10. It's got a tiny screen, and the single-knob interface to set your TX code is a PITA.

Thanks Rob,

Is there anyone out there that is using a AV-20 that can explain how the unit actually inputs the squawk code? I don’t see that mentioned in any of the videos that I can find.

Thanks Terry
 
Is there anyone out there that is using a AV-20 that can explain how the unit actually inputs the squawk code? I don’t see that mentioned in any of the videos that I can find.

Thanks Terry

Download the TailbeaconX-EXP-User-and-Installation-Guide from the Uavionix website and you will find what you are looking for on pages 24 and 25. Pages 26 and 27 explain how it is done from the AV-30-E.
 
uAvionics tailBeacon X Beta Testers Wanted

Download the TailbeaconX-EXP-User-and-Installation-Guide from the Uavionix website and you will find what you are looking for on pages 24 and 25. Pages 26 and 27 explain how it is done from the AV-30-E.


Thanks Dave, that’s what I’ve been looking for.

Terry
 
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