uAvionix skyBeacon: A false sense of security?

Today my ADS-B Tailbeacon saga came to a successful conclusion. I have a clean PAPR from my flight this morning and the FAA inspector confirmed it is clean, case closed.

In summary, what I did, since it may help others:
  • Original Tailbeacon developed corrosion on its circuit board, after 2.5 years of service.
  • It failed intermittently especially in freezing temperatures.
  • The new warranty replacement Tailbeacon also failed, due to weak GPS (low NIC).
  • All other fields (tail #, squawk code, etc.) were correct. The only failure was NIC.
  • We improved the ground by wiring across the hinge from the rudder to fin. This improved things but didn't fix it.
  • We installed notch/lowpass filters on both comm radios and the ELT. This improved things but didn't fix it.
  • We replaced the panel switches to the nav light. This improved things but didn't fix it.
  • We replaced that Tailbeacon unit again, with another new warranty replacement.
  • During installation we soldered it instead of using the crimp connector. And we covered the connection with insulating shrink wrap.
  • The new Tailbeacon passed the PAPR on the very first flight and the FAA representative signed it off.
 
Glad you fixed it. Circuit corrosion seems like an inherent risk of a design that puts complex electronics out in the elements.
 
Ed Haywood said:
Glad you fixed it. Circuit corrosion seems like an inherent risk of a design that puts complex electronics out in the elements.
Click to expand...
Indeed. Especially when the electronics are not sealed, but open to the elements (in order for the baro sensor to work) and rely on a conformal coating. And especially for airplanes that are tied down outside, exposing it to temperature swings, moisture and UV from the sun.
 
MRC01 said:
Indeed. Especially when the electronics are not sealed, but open to the elements (in order for the baro sensor to work) and rely on a conformal coating. And especially for airplanes that are tied down outside, exposing it to temperature swings, moisture and UV from the sun.
Click to expand...
I always thought of it as a temporary solution to get someone through the 2020 mandate while avionics shops were slammed. In that short term role, it was a great solution in my opinion.
 
Now that it's working again, time will tell. If it starts to fail again, like the prior one did, then I'll switch to a different system with electronics inside the panel, like Garmin GL-82.
 
As the original poster to this thread, glad to hear you got it fixed :)

I still feel these wing and tail mounted uAvionics devices are way more trouble than they're worth.

Someone above called them a "temporary solution" but for north of $2,000 they should work out of the box without having to resort to all kinds of wiring tricks and gimmicks.
 
Gone Flyin said:
As the original poster to this thread, glad to hear you got it fixed :)
I still feel these wing and tail mounted uAvionics devices are way more trouble than they're worth. Someone above called them a "temporary solution" but for north of $2,000 they should work out of the box without having to resort to all kinds of wiring tricks and gimmicks.
Click to expand...
They actually do work out of the box, most of the time. The first one in Oct 2019 took 30 mins to install and passed the PAPR on its initial flight. A lot of other pilots have this smooth experience.

However, sometimes they don't work out of the box, or they do but the performance degrades over time. These cases can be a real pain to troubleshoot and fix. Having experienced both sides of this, the problems as I see them:
1. Inconsistent quality control: one new warranty replacement didn't work and sent us into weeks of diagnosing and testing, yet the next one was flawless, with no other changes to the airplane or installation.
2. Electronics exposed outside the airplane are likely to degrade over time, discussed above.
3. Limited virtually non-existent in-flight troubleshooting tools.
 
MRC01 said:
Indeed. Especially when the electronics are not sealed, but open to the elements (in order for the baro sensor to work) and rely on a conformal coating. And especially for airplanes that are tied down outside, exposing it to temperature swings, moisture and UV from the sun.
Click to expand...
Why does it need it's own baro sensor, can't it go by the transponder mode c?
 
Hindsight is 20/20…I definitely should have ordered a cover for it. Keeps sun off of it, slows temperature and humidity swings. Is that good for 5% longer life? 20%? Who knows
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top