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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) 24004 to remind light aircraft owners about the correct installation of uAvionix tailBeacon and skyBeacon ADS-B transceivers. The alert emphasizes that these devices should not be paired with a Mode S transponder but rather with a Mode A/C transponder.
The FAA noted, “Aircraft equipped with uAvionix tailBeacon or skyBeacon ADS-B 978 MHz Universal Access Transmitters (UAT) that are improperly paired with Mode S transponders have been found to emit erroneous and unreliable ADS-B performance parameters.”
According to uAvionix, the TailBeacon UAT ADS-B Out transceivers replace existing rear white position lights and include a WAAS GPS receiver and an LED light that is twice as bright as the original incandescent bulb. The UAT skyBeacon is mounted on the left wing and features a red LED position light, WAAS GPS, and a strobe light.
