The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has accepted uAvionix patent application for Aircraft Navigation Light ADS-B Radio, including the Power Transcoder. The patent is expected to be issued Dec. 18, 2018.
The new patent describes the concept behind the uAvionix skyBeacon (pictured above) and tailBeacon products, which feature a new design that reduces installation time to minutes by integrating the ADS-B radio, GPS, altimeter, and antennas into an aircraft position and strobe light.
The skyBeacon received five Technical Standard Order (TSO) approvals from the FAA on Sept. 4, 2018 and a 272 aircraft Approved Model List (AML) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) on Nov. 28, 2018. According to company officials, this makes the skyBeacon the “most widely applicable ADS-B OUT solution on the market for general aviation.”
skyBeacon uses uAvionix’s Power Transcoder to ensure proper synchronization of data elements between Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) replies and ADS-B transmissions, company officials explain.
“The Power Transcoder provides a much cleaner solution than either a dedicated data interface or an RF [radio frequency] solution like many existing products,” said Paul Beard, CEO and inventor of the patent. “Dedicated data interfaces increase installation costs, and wireless solutions that incorporate a 1090MHz receiver can pick up unintended signals from other aircraft. The Power Transcoder works within the closed system of the aircraft itself, reducing both errors and costs.”
The Power Transcoder is used within uAvionix certified and uncertified products, including skyBeacon, tailBeacon, and echoUAT, he added.
I have a C 150 (along with my daughter who I taught to fly many years ago) does this mean that after installation, one can go fly? Is the “flight check” required .. assuming one is not going for the FAA refund ?
I am totally dense on this subject (and really could care less about being educated on the subject). Just had X-pdr checked recently. Based at ALN, located about 30 NM northeast of STL .. a towered airport under the 30 mile veil – ADS-B needed.
Dale Rust, ATP, CFII. MEI, 12,000 hours, retired, ex-corporate pilot
You do need to do a flight test to verify that the SkyBeacon or TailBeacon does what it is supposed to do. If you want to see details about installation and testing, go to
https://pointsforpilots.blogspot.com/2018/12/ads-b-out-with-uavionix-tailbeacon.html
Klaus Truemper