PA28-235 and uAvionix Tail Beacon

Fly USA1

Hi all, has anyone in the PA 28-235 group installed uAvionix’s Tail-Beacon on his or her plane for the ADSB mandate?

Have you had any issues getting your installation validated by the FAA? Specifically, have you had any issues with the device’s performance when the tail strobe is on? I am asking because the uAvionix’s support team is advising that the pulsing of strobe light device (the high voltage surge on pulse) may interfere with the Tail Beacon device’s transponder pulse reception. This has to do with the proximity of the two devices, and how the power and ground lines, of both the tail strobe light and the tail navigation light, are often zip-tied or bundled along the tail cone & fuselage towards the panel switches and breakers.

I am planning for my installation & I asked them about this scenario and the reply was “...there will be interference and possibly cause it not read the transponders pulses correctly”. I prefer the device to be on the tail but this scenario may potentially change my decision. I have not conferred with any avionics people yet I thought I check with the forum first.

As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have. Thank you in advance.

Scott Sherer

Hi and thanks for writing. I've installed two on the wingtips and they're really good. I haven't heard of any on the tail yet and hope that others will chime in with their experiences.