ADSB install in Pennsylvania

jmarine225

jmarine225

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jmarine225
I recently purchase a Piper Cherokee and am looking to have an ADSB out system installed. I'm not looking to dump a ton of money into it, as I don't plan on keeping this plane forever. My interest right now is to have a tailbeacon or wing beacon installed but I can't find a shop in PA who is willing to install these units. Only shop willing to do it, wanted to charge me nearly $1,000 in labor which is beyond ridiculous. Anyone have other suggestions? I'm in Northeast PA and willing to travel a bit for the right price.
 
jason gula said:
I recently purchase a Piper Cherokee and am looking to have an ADSB out system installed. I'm not looking to dump a ton of money into it, as I don't plan on keeping this plane forever. My interest right now is to have a tailbeacon or wing beacon installed but I can't find a shop in PA who is willing to install these units. Only shop willing to do it, wanted to charge me nearly $1,000 in labor which is beyond ridiculous. Anyone have other suggestions? I'm in Northeast PA and willing to travel a bit for the right price.
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Can you find an independent A&P the area? Is there an EAA chapter in the area? Someone in the chapter might be an A&P. Installing the beacon is very easy, you can probably do it yourself but you need an A&P signoff.
 
I had Joe Bennis sign off on my skybeacon install. He is at Ellenville, NY (resnick) airport. It is a short flight from PA. Tell him Matt with the 150 sent you over.
 
swingwing said:
Griggs Aircraft in Tuckhannock, PA is my recommendation
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I did consult with Griggs. They weren't too enthused about doing it and recommended I install a whole new system since I have an older transponder. Besides this, I can't get my aircraft in there until May at the earliest.
 
Matthew Rogers said:
I had Joe Bennis sign off on my skybeacon install. He is at Ellenville, NY (resnick) airport. It is a short flight from PA. Tell him Matt with the 150 sent you over.
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I am going to look into this. Thanks.
 
murphey said:
Can you find an independent A&P the area? Is there an EAA chapter in the area? Someone in the chapter might be an A&P. Installing the beacon is very easy, you can probably do it yourself but you need an A&P signoff.
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No EAA here. I did find one independent A&P and he told me he has no interest getting involved in these. A few a&P's in the area don't like the system, even to the point they believe the FAA shouldn't have approved them.
 
Whether they think the FAA should have approved them or not, they have. Don’t forget you need an IA to sign it off.
 
jason gula said:
No EAA here. I did find one independent A&P and he told me he has no interest getting involved in these. A few a&P's in the area don't like the system, even to the point they believe the FAA shouldn't have approved them.
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What do they not like about it? Silly cheap thing works...
 
jason gula said:
I did find one independent A&P and he told me he has no interest getting involved in these. A few a&P's in the area don't like the system,...
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Just a guess, but perhaps they're not interested due to basically no margins on an owner provided part that takes 15 minutes to install?? A friend had a similar problem so he flew his skybeacon and aircraft to me to install. Cost him a nice lunch for me and the IA though.;)
 
denverpilot said:
What do they not like about it? Silly cheap thing works...
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The explanation I received from one mechanic stated the interrogation signals between the beacon and the transponder can be intercepted by a nearby aircraft broadcasting with a much more powerful transponder, thus providing false information.
 
Bell206 said:
Just a guess, but perhaps they're not interested due to basically no margins on an owner provided part that takes 15 minutes to install?? A friend had a similar problem so he flew his skybeacon and aircraft to me to install. Cost him a nice lunch for me and the IA though.;)
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You nearby PA? I love lunch. LOL.
 
jason gula said:
You nearby PA? I love lunch. LOL.
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Ha. No. Couple more options: call the FSDO and ask a maintenance ASI for a A&P referral; contact an area A&P school/college to see if they want a "project" for their class; look up the list of Designated Mechanic Examiners in PA on the FAA site and contact one/all for a referral. I believe there are also various "aviation mechanic" pages on facebook, etc. that might help you find one. Good luck.
 
CAVU at KHZL. I can get contact info if you are interested.
 
jason gula said:
Approximately $900.00 install fee for a skybeacon. Almost fell over.
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FWIW: See how much more civil it is to say "[I have] no interest getting involved in these" or " don't like the system..." than "it will cost you $900." :eek:
 
Bell206 said:
FWIW: See how much more civil it is to say "[I have] no interest getting involved in these" or " don't like the system..." than "it will cost you $900." :eek:
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Actually they were quite proud of that price, talking about how professional of a job when completed. Worst part is, prior to purchasing the aircraft, someone offered $200 and i turned it down. ugh.
 
jason gula said:
Actually they were quite proud of that price, talking about how professional of a job when completed. Worst part is, prior to purchasing the aircraft, someone offered $200 and i turned it down. ugh.
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I thought their shop rate was around 720 for that install and was recently raised to that due to the amount of time it has been taking plus the problems with them. Their time to do the install and test & the time to do the 2 hours of paperwork i guess adds up.
If you got someone to do it for 2 bills then Giddie up! Not sure why you’d wait for a better deal then that.
 
benyflyguy said:
the time to do the 2 hours of paperwork
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I guess I need to un-retire, get my IA again, and start charging $450 per hour for paperwork. I'll throw in the 15 min beacon install for free. The 15 min OFE check can be on your nickel.:)
 
benyflyguy said:
I thought their shop rate was around 720 for that install and was recently raised to that due to the amount of time it has been taking plus the problems with them. Their time to do the install and test & the time to do the 2 hours of paperwork i guess adds up.
If you got someone to do it for 2 bills then Giddie up! Not sure why you’d wait for a better deal then that.
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At this point, I may jump on it for $720. I was told a full day in the shop at $110 an hour, which equals 8 hours. The $200 offer was arranged during the purchase of the aircraft and I declined to have it installed, like a fool. Now Ill pay for it....literally.
 
Bell206 said:
I guess I need to un-retire, get my IA again, and start charging $450 per hour for paperwork. I'll throw in the 15 min beacon install for free. The 15 min OFE check can be on your nickel.:)
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LOL. Yeah I can't see the justification for the rates either. Even with paying someone $110 an hour to do the paperwork, the install and configuration isn't 5 hours. But then again, I'm new to this so......
 
I was also quoted $4000 for a whole new stratus es system so now I have to take that into consideration.
 
jason gula said:
LOL. Yeah I can't see the justification for the rates either. Even with paying someone $110 an hour to do the paperwork, the install and configuration isn't 5 hours. But then again, I'm new to this so......
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The install is 2-5 hours depending on what u ding once u get in there. One shop got in there and found a birds nest in the tail. You should see what people fly around. It’s minimum 2 hours to do the paperwork and then to run the ground test is about an hour. So whoever is saying 15 minutes, good luck
 
MU2 Tom said:
The install is 2-5 hours depending on what u ding once u get in there. One shop got in there and found a birds nest in the tail. You should see what people fly around. It’s minimum 2 hours to do the paperwork and then to run the ground test is about an hour. So whoever is saying 15 minutes, good luck
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I see. Well, again as i'm new to this owners thing, I can only go by others reviews and opinions.
 
MU2 Tom said:
So whoever is saying 15 minutes, good luck
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FYI: If using Part 145 shop you're probably right at 5-7 hours for obvious reasons. But from the pure work requirements, I recently did a physical skyBeacon install in less than 10 minutes. The ground configuration and function checks took 5 minutes. The paper work (logbook/337) took approx. 30 mins to cut/paste from uAvionix to the 337/logbook label and complete. 10 seconds tops on my signature. IA had 10 minutes invested in review and signature. Total: 55:10s minutes. The required FAA OFE was on the owners time. Bird nests would have been extra and not part of the ADS-B. If you're paying for 2-5 hours for install of a sky or tail beacon then that's your decision. Same with 2 hour paperwork quote. Also if using the ground test equipment method to verify ADS-B vs an OFE then yes it will add to the billable time but in my experience 1 hours tops as you must pump up the static system.
 
It sounds like the guys you are talking to don’t know squat about the tail/sky beacon or how to install them. Those quotes are about right for a GDL-82, but for a tail beacon, that’s outright robbery.
 
Bell206 said:
FYI: If using Part 145 shop you're probably right at 5-7 hours for obvious reasons. But from the pure work requirements, I recently did a physical skyBeacon install in less than 10 minutes. The ground configuration and function checks took 5 minutes. The paper work (logbook/337) took approx. 30 mins to cut/paste from uAvionix to the 337/logbook label and complete. 10 seconds tops on my signature. IA had 10 minutes invested in review and signature. Total: 55:10s minutes. The required FAA OFE was on the owners time. Bird nests would have been extra and not part of the ADS-B. If you're paying for 2-5 hours for install of a sky or tail beacon then that's your decision. Same with 2 hour paperwork quote. Also if using the ground test equipment method to verify ADS-B vs an OFE then yes it will add to the billable time but in my experience 1 hours tops as you must pump up the static system.
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Your timetable and costs are inline with most independant IA's. Problem is getting one around here to do it. I understand the shops are gonna have overhead and stuff they must cover which adds to the actual install cost. Let me know if you're thinking about a quick stop in PA. I'll have you throw one in for me. LOL.
 
Salty said:
It sounds like the guys you are talking to don’t know squat about the tail/sky beacon or how to install them. Those quotes are about right for a GDL-82, but for a tail beacon, that’s outright robbery.
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Ha . The GDL 82. Got a quote for that installed also....wait for it....$4900.
 
MU2 Tom said:
The install is 2-5 hours depending on what u ding once u get in there. One shop got in there and found a birds nest in the tail. You should see what people fly around. It’s minimum 2 hours to do the paperwork and then to run the ground test is about an hour. So whoever is saying 15 minutes, good luck
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Mine was 15 minutes, my mechanic charged me $150 total. But thanks for wishing me luck.
 
jason gula said:
Ha . The GDL 82. Got a quote for that installed also....wait for it....$4900.
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Sheesh. You can get a proper 1090 install for less than that.
 
jason gula said:
I understand the shops are gonna have overhead and stuff they must cover which adds to the actual install cost.
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No trips north, too cold.;) I also understand the shop overhead angle as even I had a 2 hour minimum if I had to pack everything up and travel. But typically the shops I've dealt with usually had a 4 hr min so even at a $100/hr shop rate that's only $400 vs the $900 quote. So in my experience, unless they either own the market in your area and get those quoted rates regularly or they don't care to mess with the beacons and charge accordingly. I have over priced jobs because I didn't care to do the work for one reason or another. Hope you can find a better deal somewhere close. Perhaps contact uAvionix and see if they can recommend someone? I believe they have an office in VA?
 
Bell206 said:
No trips north, too cold.;) I also understand the shop overhead angle as even I had a 2 hour minimum if I had to pack everything up and travel. But typically the shops I've dealt with usually had a 4 hr min so even at a $100/hr shop rate that's only $400 vs the $900 quote. So in my experience, unless they either own the market in your area and get those quoted rates regularly or they don't care to mess with the beacons and charge accordingly. I have over priced jobs because I didn't care to do the work for one reason or another. Hope you can find a better deal somewhere close. Perhaps contact uAvionix and see if they can recommend someone? I believe they have an office in VA?
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They actually now list all of their installers on their website. I'll begin contacting them.
 
FWIW - I have used SkyManor Air Repair (Eric Lacko) for a lot of my avionics work, he is listed as a qualified installer on the uAvionics website. Good guy, does great work. Do know he is booked pretty heavily at the moment, so not sure about his schedule. Do you have the original Piper wingtips or an aftermarket? I have the Metco-Aire tips, which required removal to properly mount the Skybeacon (plus removal made the wiring/mounting job easier). Not particularly difficult. If you are comfortable with turning screws, you can save some mechanic time. Figure perhaps an hour or two of actual installation time and maybe another hour of setup/paperwork.

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Gary said:
FWIW - I have used SkyManor Air Repair (Eric Lacko) for a lot of my avionics work, he is listed as a qualified installer on the uAvionics website. Good guy, does great work. Do know he is booked pretty heavily at the moment, so not sure about his schedule. Do you have the original Piper wingtips or an aftermarket? I have the Metco-Aire tips, which required removal to properly mount the Skybeacon (plus removal made the wiring/mounting job easier). Not particularly difficult. If you are comfortable with turning screws, you can save some mechanic time. Figure perhaps an hour or two of actual installation time and maybe another hour of setup/paperwork.

View attachment 82472
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I actually found that website last night and made some contacts so I believe i'm in the right direction, at a MUCH lower cost. I will keep this in mind for future avionics work. Thanks for the help.
 
Also contact Carl at Sussex, NJ. KFWN. Three Crown Avionics. He is a good guy and treats our club members well. Tell him some guy from Old Orchard sent you there. He does not know my name well enough yet, but knows others from my club.
 
Matthew Rogers said:
Also contact Carl at Sussex, NJ. KFWN. Three Crown Avionics. He is a good guy and treats our club members well. Tell him some guy from Old Orchard sent you there. He does not know my name well enough yet, but knows others from my club.
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Thanks. I'll keep it in mind.
 
jason gula said:
I recently purchase a Piper Cherokee and am looking to have an ADSB out system installed. I'm not looking to dump a ton of money into it, as I don't plan on keeping this plane forever. My interest right now is to have a tailbeacon or wing beacon installed but I can't find a shop in PA who is willing to install these units. Only shop willing to do it, wanted to charge me nearly $1,000 in labor which is beyond ridiculous. Anyone have other suggestions? I'm in Northeast PA and willing to travel a bit for the right price.
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Hi Jason, I am not familiar with your Cherokee. Is the tail position light at the top of the rudder or on the tail cone below? And where in Pa are based? Thanks Bob
 
Robert Markle said:
Hi Jason, I am not familiar with your Cherokee. Is the tail position light at the top of the rudder or on the tail cone below? And where in Pa are based? Thanks Bob
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It is at the top of the rudder. I’ve received a few different opinions and such about that.
 
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