I’m trying to add a com 2 and will need to free up a radio slot space. I have a Garmin 796 in the middle of my stack and like it there. Ideally removing my transponder and making it remote. But I am only aware of the AV30 option for remote ADS B. Any suggestions?

A lot of dudes are removing the heavy vacuum systems and adding the AV-30C and TailbeaconX. Some have dual AV30’s. Pretty slick. UAvionix are coming out soon with a WiFi connection that allows Bluetooth traffic and wireless software upgrades.

You have lots of space without the old “portable” GPS on your panel, replacing it with a iPhone or iPad with foreflight that you could stow when not needed. I did read you wanted to keep it, but just sayin’

I’d limit your search to 978 units with an anon mode for 1200 if you really need to go ADSB out. But for remote don’t think there are any/many 978s

There is also this, but it’s 1090 so you’ll have the safety and security problems inherent to that system

If you installed a GTN650 as your second radio you could go with a remote mount GTX345



https://www.kitplanes.com/garmin-unveil ... nsponders/

What exactly are you trying to accomplish????

The uAvionix AV 30 does NOT receive or transmit ADS-B data. The Skybeacon and the two Tailbeacons from uAvionix do transmit (but not receive) ADS-B. So, you could install a remote Transponder, a Tailbeacon and some device to RECEIVE ADS-B.

Or a Skybeacon. The two versions of the Tailbeacon offer either 9XX or duplex 9XX and 1090 ES, the latter is the International standard, the 9XX is ONLY approved in the US.

MTV

mtv wrote:The uAvionix AV 30 does NOT receive or transmit ADS-B data.

Its important to understand what is what…

The Tailbeacon “is” a transponder. That said, its remote and “must” be controlled with either an AV30 or AV20. IOW you can not run a TailbeaconX alone… this is why James was saying the X and AV30 combo.

The Skybeacon is “not” a transponder, and requires a previously installed transponder to transmit ADSB. This does no good as he wants to remove the existing txp.

This said, and I have installed and fiddle f’ked with all of it on customers birds, the uAvionics stuff (my opinion only) is just a party trick, that is not ready for prime time. Even in a VFR setting they are not trustworthy and in the end, provide more frustration than anything else.

The only use I have found for a skybeacon is a quick ADSB add for a ferry flight and short term band aid. After that, other options are MUCH better.

The notion about only having “anonymous mode” is poppycock. At this point, Big Brother knows its you regardless… ‘ if your doing something your not supposed to be doing, you’ll get just as caught.

If you can, replace the existing transponder with a GTX 3X5 and be done. If you want remote, do as has been suggested and go G3X or 650 with either the 335 or 345 in the tail. FWIW… all though its “frowned upon” by the Man, there is no reason you cant remotely control a 3X5… You dont “need” an “R.” Garmin makes it so easy now… just one HSDB (ethernet) cable, power and ground. You also get a side benefit of a txp antenna in the tail that isnt shadowed by bushwheels.

And if cash is a factor, than just go TailBeaconX and AV30. If your VFR only and understand that none of the info is reliable, than it checks the “official” boxes to get you in the air.

Bigrenna wrote:

mtv wrote:The uAvionix AV 30 does NOT receive or transmit ADS-B data.

Its important to understand what is what…

The Tailbeacon “is” a transponder. That said, its remote and “must” be controlled with either an AV30 or AV20. IOW you can not run a TailbeaconX alone… this is why James was saying the X and AV30 combo.

The Skybeacon is “not” a transponder, and requires a previously installed transponder to transmit ADSB. This does no good as he wants to remove the existing txp.

This said, and I have installed and fiddle f’ked with all of it on customers birds, the uAvionics stuff (my opinion only) is just a party trick, that is not ready for prime time. Even in a VFR setting they are not trustworthy and in the end, provide more frustration than anything else.

The only use I have found for a skybeacon is a quick ADSB add for a ferry flight and short term band aid. After that, other options are MUCH better.

The notion about only having “anonymous mode” is poppycock. At this point, Big Brother knows its you regardless… ‘ if your doing something your not supposed to be doing, you’ll get just as caught.

If you can, replace the existing transponder with a GTX 3X5 and be done. If you want remote, do as has been suggested and go G3X or 650 with either the 335 or 345 in the tail. FWIW… all though its “frowned upon” by the Man, there is no reason you cant remotely control a 3X5… You dont “need” an “R.” Garmin makes it so easy now… just one HSDB (ethernet) cable, power and ground. You also get a side benefit of a txp antenna in the tail that isnt shadowed by bushwheels.

And if cash is a factor, than just go TailBeaconX and AV30. If your VFR only and understand that none of the info is reliable, than it checks the “official” boxes to get you in the air.

if the gov was really god and knew all, they wouldn’t be so hell bent on forcing us to install trackers in our little bug mashers and the FAA wouldn’t have gone full witch hunt on that one maker who had another anon when set to 1200 xpdr with built in WAAS


Per tail beacon, it’s targeted towards to people who need to meet the BS ADSB requirement but want to do it as cheap and fast as possible

I flew for a VERY busy helicopter tour place, we used those under and around VERY busy airspace, worked fine

Based on some stuff I’ve gathered I’d go echoUAT or something, or better yet if ADSB is not legally needed just go with a basic mode C



https://www.avweb.com/features/product- ... ilbeaconx/


https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/ ... -18363.php


Per ADSB safety, good thread
https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/ads-b-privacy-23944

FWIW I installed a uAvionix Tailbeacon back in 2019, not too long after they were introduced.
I wouldn't have installed ADS-B at all, except that I live very close to a mode C- ringed airport (SeaTac), as well as some class C airspace,
so I just wanted the cheapest, quickest, easiest way to comply with what I think is a BS requirement.
I've had nothing but good luck with the Tailbeacon.
I usually fly with it set on anonymous mode,
but every few months I re-set it to normal mode for a flight or two & get a PAPR report.
So far it has never failed to perform properly.

In Canada and will need antenna diversity. This seriously limits options.

daedaluscan wrote:In Canada and will need antenna diversity. This seriously limits options.

As I noted in my earlier post, the Tailbeacon X: https://uavionix.com/products/tailbeaconx/ Offers both frequencies, including 1090 ES, which will be required everywhere except the US.

As to the reliability of uAvionix equipment, I was an early adopter (like very early) of the Skybeacon. It failed a few months after installation. I contacted uAvionix and they had a new unit in the mail that day. That one has worked fine ever since, and I perform a PAPR test every few months. I also have two AV-30s, and, while the early DG version had issues, the Primary attitude version in my plane has been perfect....no issues at all. I am amazed at how many people seem convinced they can install these things without any reference to the installation manual, however......

By the way, the way I originally found out that my Skybeacon had failed was that I received a call from.....the FAA. The nice gent informed me that my skybeacon had not been transmitting acceptable data for a week. He said he'd turn it off in THEIR system, but that I shouldn't go into rule airspace till I got it fixed.

Think about that for a minute. That beacon was set to anonymous mode....which does NOT block it from ATC or the FAA systems, only from idiots with a mobile phone and a subscription to some tracking app. Mine has been set to anonymous mode since it was re-installed. I've gone in and out of Charlie airspace several times, and the local tower occasionally calls me by tail number when I'm outside their airspace for traffic calls......

My opinion is that uAvionix got ahead of themselves initially with the ADS-B out stuff, but I think they've figured it out now. Frankly, the Tailbeacon X seems to me to be a brilliant solution, providing both frequencies, and very small and simple form factor.

If I didn't already have a Skybeacon or I needed to go to Canadian rule airspace, I'd go there.

As noted above, you CONTROL that beacon and transponder with either an AV-30 or AV-20. If I didn't have a 30, I'd put in a tailbeacon X and an AV-20.

MTV

I have 2 AV30s and a TailbeaconX in my 185 VFR panel for a couple of years now. The DG was terrible, the attitude display was not up to snuff for IFR confidence. Notice I used “was,” not “is.” Via firmware updates and a magnetometer, the DG “is” rock solid and the attitude “is” basically perfect. I have absolute confidence in the AV30s for the transition to an IFR installation when I install the GNC 355 and the AV-HSI. The TailbeaconX has been flawless. Uavionix is innovating at a good pace, as they said they would, this is nice to see. It’s not Garmin, and I’m thankful for that because Garmin has monopolized the market which is never good for competition. I have plenty of Garmin in my life and I really like all of it, it’s just nice to see somebody else entering the fight. Regarding the AV30s and TailbeaconX, a previous post said that “none of the info is reliable,”. Wow, really? This is an observation that I disagree with.

I’ve been very happy with my AV-30 and TailBeaconX in my Acrosport. The only complaint is the button pushing to operate the transponder functions. Apparently there’s a software update that makes that a bit better but I haven’t used it yet.

And all the NavCanada PAPR reports I’ve pulled show it’s working well.

The software update to minimize squawk inputs is a very worthwhile update, it makes it more than twice as easy to input

Curious, so what would/could Canada do if a non Canadian with no TC certs flew up there with a non 1090 transponder?

mtv wrote:

daedaluscan wrote:In Canada and will need antenna diversity. This seriously limits options.

As I noted in my earlier post, the Tailbeacon X: https://uavionix.com/products/tailbeaconx/ Offers both frequencies, including 1090 ES, which will be required everywhere except the US.

As to the reliability of uAvionix equipment, I was an early adopter (like very early) of the Skybeacon. It failed a few months after installation. I contacted uAvionix and they had a new unit in the mail that day. That one has worked fine ever since, and I perform a PAPR test every few months. I also have two AV-30s, and, while the early DG version had issues, the Primary attitude version in my plane has been perfect....no issues at all. I am amazed at how many people seem convinced they can install these things without any reference to the installation manual, however......

By the way, the way I originally found out that my Skybeacon had failed was that I received a call from.....the FAA. The nice gent informed me that my skybeacon had not been transmitting acceptable data for a week. He said he'd turn it off in THEIR system, but that I shouldn't go into rule airspace till I got it fixed.

Think about that for a minute. That beacon was set to anonymous mode....which does NOT block it from ATC or the FAA systems, only from idiots with a mobile phone and a subscription to some tracking app. Mine has been set to anonymous mode since it was re-installed. I've gone in and out of Charlie airspace several times, and the local tower occasionally calls me by tail number when I'm outside their airspace for traffic calls......

My opinion is that uAvionix got ahead of themselves initially with the ADS-B out stuff, but I think they've figured it out now. Frankly, the Tailbeacon X seems to me to be a brilliant solution, providing both frequencies, and very small and simple form factor.

If I didn't already have a Skybeacon or I needed to go to Canadian rule airspace, I'd go there.

As noted above, you CONTROL that beacon and transponder with either an AV-30 or AV-20. If I didn't have a 30, I'd put in a tailbeacon X and an AV-20.

MTV

The FAA can not see anything anyone with a simple SDR cant, or anyone using a app that shows others crowdsourced SDR data can see, these things are simply transmitting a hex in the clear, if the hex translates to your tail or not is easy to figure out for anyone




https://www.amazon.com/NooElec-NESDR-Mi ... 006&sr=8-5

$34 and you can see every packet of data from anyone’s ADSB that’s within range

daedaluscan wrote:In Canada and will need antenna diversity. This seriously limits options.

It’s a performance based spec so technically diversity isn’t mandated. I have four aircraft that all consistently pass NavCanada PAPR reports; a Bonanza with 1090 ES diversity, a Dakota with 1090 ES non-diversity, a Husky with 1090 ES non-diversity, and an Acrosport with a TailBeaconX.

I was at my Avionics shop in Calgary last week and they told me about customers running Metroliners with 1090 ES non-diversity and most of them work fine. A couple don’t and they suspect it’s antenna placement.

NineThreeKilo wrote:Curious, so what would/could Canada do if a non Canadian with no TC certs flew up there with a non 1090 transponder?

Nothing if you stay out of Class B (which means below 12,500 up here) and class A. If you play in either of those the implications would be the same as not having a functioning transponder, I’d assume. Although I have no direct knowledge of enforcement action being taken.

There is no timeline defined yet for implementation of an ADS-B mandate for class C, D, and E airspace other than it won’t be before 2026.

https://www.navcanada.ca/en/news/news-r ... nada-.aspx

Edit: The date for C, D, and E airspace has been further pushed out to ‘no sooner than 2028’.

https://www.navcanada.ca/en/air-traffic ... ments.aspx

Belloypilot wrote:

daedaluscan wrote:In Canada and will need antenna diversity. This seriously limits options.

It’s a performance based spec so technically diversity isn’t mandated. I have four aircraft that all consistently pass NavCanada PAPR reports; a Bonanza with 1090 ES diversity, a Dakota with 1090 ES non-diversity, a Husky with 1090 ES non-diversity, and an Acrosport with a TailBeaconX.

I was at my Avionics shop in Calgary last week and they told me about customers running Metroliners with 1090 ES non-diversity and most of them work fine. A couple don’t and they suspect it’s antenna placement.

The big difference as I understand it, is in the US, 978 is legal, whereas it's not in Canada or elsewhere in the world. That's where the Tailbeacon is unique, it transmits both those frequencies.

MTV

mtv wrote:The big difference as I understand it, is in the US, 978 is legal, whereas it's not in Canada or elsewhere in the world. That's where the Tailbeacon is unique, it transmits both those frequencies.

MTV

That, and the need to transmit to satellites as well as ground based stations.

Bigrenna wrote:
The notion about only having “anonymous mode” is poppycock. At this point, Big Brother knows its you regardless… ‘ if your doing something your not supposed to be doing, you’ll get just as caught.

I took the time to understand the protocol, pull down the raw data from the RF broadcast, and posted my results here: https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/ads-b-privacy-23944

Regarding Big Brother, there is a distinction between collating ads-b data with other information such as radio calls, or which hangar your airplane originated from and systems that automatically send you nasty grams or bill based on ads-b data.

For example, if you land somewhere other than a runway in a national park and someone reports it, then it's likely someone will put the pieces together to figure out who it was just like the old days of transponders, but if you fly 1900ft AGL over that same park and are barfing out your tail number, it's likely you will get a letter in the mail, but not if you are in anonymous mode.

If I accidentally flew through the edge 800 ft of class C airspace, I want the FAA to care enough to go figure it out or drop it rather than get a letter in the mail based on an automatic database lookup.

Thanks all for the valuable insights. Easy to read reviews but much better hearing it first hand. I’ve been dragging my feet on this as it hasn’t affected me yet where I fly.

akschu wrote:

Bigrenna wrote:
The notion about only having “anonymous mode” is poppycock. At this point, Big Brother knows its you regardless… ‘ if your doing something your not supposed to be doing, you’ll get just as caught.

I took the time to understand the protocol, pull down the raw data from the RF broadcast, and posted my results here: https://backcountrypilot.org/forum/ads-b-privacy-23944

Regarding Big Brother, there is a distinction between collating ads-b data with other information such as radio calls, or which hangar your airplane originated from and systems that automatically send you nasty grams or bill based on ads-b data.

For example, if you land somewhere other than a runway in a national park and someone reports it, then it's likely someone will put the pieces together to figure out who it was just like the old days of transponders, but if you fly 1900ft AGL over that same park and are barfing out your tail number, it's likely you will get a letter in the mail, but not if you are in anonymous mode.

If I accidentally flew through the edge 800 ft of class C airspace, I want the FAA to care enough to go figure it out or drop it rather than get a letter in the mail based on an automatic database lookup.

Well said