I know it has been brought up in previous threads, but does anyone have any firsthand experience with the skyBeacon? I'll probably be looking for an ADS-B out solution in the next year or two to keep our travel options open and am leaning towards the skyBeacon or Lynx units.

Here's the way I see it

skyBeacon
pros: inexpensive for purchase and install cost (~$2k?), can easily augment capability with iPad/Stratux which I already have.
Cons: if my transponder craps out will be replacing old technology as it is a requirement for skyBeacon.

Lynx:
pros: weather, navigation, touchscreen, more coolness factor, can replace transponder.
Cons: guessing around $5k installed, could save $3k to use for avgas vs skyBeacon, longer install time

If anyone has experience with either solution, any opinions?

Garmin has filed suit against uAvionics for patent infringement. Garmin claims the Skybeacon uses similar technology to their GDL 82. Who knows where that will end, but.....

You might also consider the Garmin GDL 82,which also uses your existing transponder, but with the unit connected in line and a separate GPS antenna.

MTV

The skybeacon won't be approved for use internationally, if Canada ever implements a mandate, given the frequency it uses.

Thanks both. For international approval that is of minimal concern but will keep it in the back of my mind, US compliancy is the major concern, though travel into Canada would be a nice-to-have. It looks like the Garmin has similar prerequisites as far as functioning transponder/altitude encoder but likely a slightly higher install cost as it is a little more involved than replacing a wing-tip light.

Frankly at this point, the law suit seems to me to be the primary concern with Sky Beacon. I hope it gets resolved soon.

MTV

I have the Garmin 335 in both my planes and it works fine. A friend of mine has the Lynx in his Mooney. It's really nice too...

I just preordered the sky beacon.

Garmin lawsuit doesn’t phase me, as I’m sure I’ll have the skybeacon in my possession well before any injunctions.

I’m also glad my cheapness might have paid off. I replaced wing lights with LEDs a while back, but not the tail. The Skybeacon has an LED. Win-win.

One of the guys in my EAA chapter has the skyBeacon (he's the guy in the video posted on their site). He's an A&P/IA, and he absolutely loves the skyBeacon. He was actually one of their "beta testers" and when the beta test was over, they sent him one of the very first "production" units to swap out with his unit

He told us the complete installation took him less than 20 minutes, including the "setup/configuration" using a smart phone. He said that if any of his customers came to him for an ADS-B upgrade, and already had a working transponder, he would definitely recommend the SkyBeacon (or tailBeacon, depending on customer preference).

And with all the cheap, 2nd-hand transponders coming out for 1090ES upgrades (I'm seeing used working transponders for under $400 on eBay), odds are that if your existing transponder died tomorrow, you could replace it with a like-for-like swap for an incredibly low price.

I’ve been planning/hoping to do the Skybeacon...until someone reminded me that it is only 978. The uncertainty with the what and when of Canada is frustrating. I wonder why they didn’t make it dual frequency. So for me, I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I plan on making more AK trips, so the Appero ESG may have moved back into first place...and I’ll have to eat the extra $2K.

Why do we need to worry about ADSB for Canada? Is it going to be required in all their airspace? Seems like if ADSB is implemented in Canada like it was in the US then it will only be needed in busy airspace which should be easily avoidable while enroute to AK. I don't have any current plans to equip for ADSB but I do plan to fly to AK; my question is genuine.

I haven't followed the ADSB stuff at all but figured I'd use uAvionix if I ever did equip because that is what GRT has decided to support easy integration with.

For anyone who has already installed it...

I’ve only got Nav lights on the wings; no strobes. I see screen shots of the app with a strobe toggle. Would I connect the yellow strobe wire to the nav power lead and control strobes through the app? I’m ok if the strobes are on 100% of the time as I fly 99% daylight here in Alaska.

Grassstrippilot wrote:I’ve been planning/hoping to do the Skybeacon...until someone reminded me that it is only 978. The uncertainty with the what and when of Canada is frustrating. I wonder why they didn’t make it dual frequency. So for me, I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I plan on making more AK trips, so the Appero ESG may have moved back into first place...and I’ll have to eat the extra $2K.

Yes the single frequency does suck for us up here. The other thing is that it sounds like they are going to make us install an antenna on the roof and belly. That adds extra cost, and is a PIA fo you guys down there. But perhaps the skybeacon fulfills that mission. But they need to make it the right frequency...
Whee, I'm not sure how they are going to mandate the airspaces. Right now they can't figure out when they will mandate it. It's as much a mystery to us as it is to you guys right now. Very frustrating for those of us that are building panels and dont want to spend money twice...

David

whee wrote:Why do we need to worry about ADSB for Canada? Is it going to be required in all their airspace? Seems like if ADSB is implemented in Canada like it was in the US then it will only be needed in busy airspace which should be easily avoidable while enroute to AK. I don't have any current plans to equip for ADSB but I do plan to fly to AK; my question is genuine.

I haven't followed the ADSB stuff at all but figured I'd use uAvionix if I ever did equip because that is what GRT has decided to support easy integration with.

Like A1 said, that’s the problem: we just don’t know what Canada will require and our deadline will come before they decide.

Grassstrippilot wrote:

whee wrote:Why do we need to worry about ADSB for Canada? Is it going to be required in all their airspace? Seems like if ADSB is implemented in Canada like it was in the US then it will only be needed in busy airspace which should be easily avoidable while enroute to AK. I don't have any current plans to equip for ADSB but I do plan to fly to AK; my question is genuine.

I haven't followed the ADSB stuff at all but figured I'd use uAvionix if I ever did equip because that is what GRT has decided to support easy integration with.

Like A1 said, that’s the problem: we just don’t know what Canada will require and our deadline will come before they decide.

And, in any case, it sounds like Canada is going with a space based system, which will require antennas on top of the aircraft.

Seems eminently intelligent to me, compared to the system we're getting stuck with.

MTV

mtv wrote:

Grassstrippilot wrote:

whee wrote:Why do we need to worry about ADSB for Canada? Is it going to be required in all their airspace? Seems like if ADSB is implemented in Canada like it was in the US then it will only be needed in busy airspace which should be easily avoidable while enroute to AK. I don't have any current plans to equip for ADSB but I do plan to fly to AK; my question is genuine.

I haven't followed the ADSB stuff at all but figured I'd use uAvionix if I ever did equip because that is what GRT has decided to support easy integration with.

Like A1 said, that’s the problem: we just don’t know what Canada will require and our deadline will come before they decide.

And, in any case, it sounds like Canada is going with a space based system, which will require antennas on top of the aircraft.

Seems eminently intelligent to me, compared to the system we're getting stuck with.

MTV

I agree MTV, I think space based is the way to go. They have done lots of testing and it works just fine with the belly mounted antennas on small planes, but it sounds like they are going to require belly and roof mounted antennas.

I have no immediate plans to fly into Canada, and as has been said, Transport Canada really hasn't decided either when or where ADS-B Out will be required, other than they have decided that it will require the international standard frequency, which is 1090 MHz. "International" also means Mexico (still somewhat in limbo) and other countries. That's why I decided to go with a 1090 MHz system, so that my airplane will be usable in any other country, not just the US, once the ADS-B Out decisions have been made.

There is another benefit to going 1090 MHz, too, within the US. If you're one of those who really likes to fly high with your turbo-charged airplane, 1090 MHz will be required above 18,000'.

In any event, whether a 1090 or 978 system is installed, the biggest benefit for many of us is that with an appropriate ADS-B In receiver receiving on both frequencies, such as a Stratus product, you can get in-cabin weather and traffic. You only get traffic if you're either equipped with ADS-B Out or are flying within the "hockey puck" of an equipped airplane, and until everyone is also equipped with ADS-B Out, not quite all of the traffic will show, but believe me, it's a really amazing benefit. I have had several instances in which I could tell that I was converging on traffic at my altitude but I couldn't see the other airplane out the window. But I changed course or altitude anyway, while the other aircraft barreled on as if I hadn't been there--obviously unaware that I was.

Another thing I've discovered--I can have flight following from ATC at much lower altitudes than before, including flying into the mountains. On my last flight from Greeley to La Garita Ranch, I stayed fully in contact with Denver Center all the way to within 5 miles of La Garita--they lost me as I descended below 1500' AGL. When I left La Garita that weekend, I had only climbed to about 9000', or about 1200' AGL when I called Denver Center for flight following, and they immediately gave me a squawk and said "radar contact X miles north of Alamosa airport". From there I flew to Colorado Springs via Hayden Pass, and I was with ATC the whole way. Anybody who has flown in that area knows that ordinary radar coverage doesn't exist for much of that route.

That's why I think those who claim they're going to avoid installing ADS-B Out at all costs "because I never fly where I'll need it" are cutting off their noses to spite their faces. It's a real safety advantage to have it.

Cary

I was just up at Beagle Sky Ranch (just north of MFR) and talked to Brian at Steve's Aircraft about the Sky Beacon. He told me that in the app you can tell the Sky Beacon to transmit on either 978 or 1090. Got home and did a search but could not verify. Has anybody got any hot skinny on this?

qmdv wrote:I was just up at Beagle Sky Ranch (just north of MFR) and talked to Brian at Steve's Aircraft about the Sky Beacon. He told me that in the app you can tell the Sky Beacon to transmit on either 978 or 1090. Got home and did a search but could not verify. Has anybody got any hot skinny on this?

Nope, it’s a UAT device: 978 MHz only.

From their online info:

6.7.4 978MHz UAT Specifications

Characteristics

Specifications
Altitude Range [1]

-1,000 to 18,000 feet
Characteristics
Specifications

Frequency
978.00 MHz

Transmit Power

44 dBm (25 W)

The other frequency requires a 1090 ES Device. Bring more money.

MTV

Page 28 of the SkyBeacon TSO installation manual shows the Basic configuration screen of the unit when logged in via the smart phone app. In that configuration you can set the ADS-B in capability as either 978Mhz, 1090Mhz or both.. There are three settings..

I would think that since those settings are within the configuration of the device then it would be capable of transmitting on those frequency's.. Would have to call uAvionix to be sure but it seems pretty black and white...

The support page is here https://uavionix.com/support/skybeacon/
You can check out the installation and install videos for lots of info.

Brian

MTV has it correctly. When you configure any ADS-B Out device, it can only transmit on the frequency it's authorized to transmit on. However, if it's an in/out device, i.e., if it's capable of receiving and providing information to the pilot via either panel mounted equipment or a tablet, its reception can be configured to receive on the other frequency, too. The reason for doing that is that it can transmit to ATC the capability of the aircraft to receive information.

For instance, my ADS-B Out is handled with a KT74 ES transponder. It transmits on 1090 Mhz. It doesn't receive on any frequency. But in the configuration settings, I have it set to advise ATC that I can receive on both 978 and 1090 Mhz, because I can receive both on my Stratus 2.

Cary