Cherokee 140 LED Beacon/Strobe?

CC268

CC268

Final Approach
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CC268
Hey guys,

Our tail mounted beacon went out today. 91.205 says it is only required for aircraft manufactured after 1996. We do have a belly strobe though.

We want to install a nice LED beacon/strobe and get rid of the belly strobe. Any recommendations? My best guess is Whelen is probably our best option.

Whelen has a 90520 series and 71080 series LED beacon...not sure which one would be preferred?

Thanks.
 
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does it have to be PMA-ed? rock on :rollercoaster:
 
Lol. I think the Whelen is the way to go.
 
I replaced my fire hydrant with a Whelen because the old one had a lot of RF when the new audio panel was installed. Wear sunglasses, even at night.

11-07686.jpg
 
Not sure if there is something like this for the PA28, it some C185 guys are straight removing the tail beacon and installing improved wingtips with LEDs that have enough of a strobe light spread to meet the FARs.
 
I'd love to do that James but only after they will accept the experimental price for the certified lights.
 
Timbeck2 said:
I replaced my fire hydrant with a Whelen because the old one had a lot of RF when the new audio panel was installed. Wear sunglasses, even at night.

11-07686.jpg
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Oh okay so that’s not the beacon/strobe combined right?
 
It is. I guess with your belly strobe you just want the red one. I don't have a belly strobe.
 
Timbeck2 said:
It is. I guess with your belly strobe you just want the red one. I don't have a belly strobe.
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No we want to remove the belly strobe. It’s what causes all our RF issues
 
So Whelen has a 90520 series and 71080 series LED beacon...not sure which one would be preferred?
 
I saw somewhere, maybe on this message board, that Whelen is coming out with a lower profile LED beacon soon. Not sure if that is important to you or not, just throwing it out there.
 
Groundpounder said:
I saw somewhere, maybe on this message board, that Whelen is coming out with a lower profile LED beacon soon. Not sure if that is important to you or not, just throwing it out there.
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If it adds 10 knots I’ll wait for it! Hehe
 
donno what the diff is .. this is what their website says

http://www.whelen.com/aviation/product.php?head_id=11&prod_id=80
90520 series LED beacons are FAA TSO compliant self-contained LED anti-collision lights (Ref. Class III 100 effective candlepower). They are designed to replace strobe lightheads as small as the A470A with available models to replace HR self-contained beacons (HRCFA) or our legacy 70900 LED beacon. Mounting plate included with assembly.

http://www.whelen.com/aviation/product.php?head_id=11&prod_id=64
Model 71080 Series LED beacons are FAA TSO'd self-contained LED anti-collision lights (Ref. Class I - 150 effective candlepower). They are designed to replace existing beacons utilizing a 2-1/2 diameter footprint. They can also replace remote mounted strobe lights (ref. Whelen A470 series) allowing for removal of the strobe power supply. Internal mounting plate provided with choice of mounting holes to retrofit most existing mounting patterns.

so the 71080 is more powerful? or is class III more powerful?
 
Yea idk I'm confused. Maybe the one Tim got, the 71080 is the way to go.
 
I got the Whelen 71055. That seems lowest profile and I'm thrilled with it.

Sorry - I just saw that these are Cessna specific. Which means you really should swap out planes so you can get this beacon. You'll thank me later.
 
Can’t wait to get this done though. My plane will be fully LED converted after this.
 
Paulie said:
Costs more than a Cherokee 140 is worth.
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What are you talking about? A $500 light is more than my airplane is worth? Or am I missing something?
 
Timbeck2 said:
I replaced my fire hydrant with a Whelen because the old one had a lot of RF when the new audio panel was installed. Wear sunglasses, even at night.

11-07686.jpg
Click to expand...
Did you have three wires in there when you replaced it with this two wire beacon? I just installed one on the Seneca and it’s not flashing...just staying on solid...
 
CC268 said:
What are you talking about? A $500 light is more than my airplane is worth? Or am I missing something?
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I think it’s a joke.

But when you add the avionics you just put in...

Just kidding man.
 
What I understand you to say is that your legal right now but getting some RF interference. I'd replace the tail bacon but not remove the belly strobe. Just don't turn it on all the time. There may be some future event where you'll want those extra flashy lights. Is removal free or are you going to pay for a cover plate, etc.?
 
bgmac said:
View attachment 66621 View attachment 66622 I used theRedBaron XP Galactica on my Cherokee 180C. http://www.aveoengineering.com/redbaron-xp-galactica/
If you go to the web site they have pictures of my install, plus a shot of it in my hand to show you the size. I also change the vertical fin from knots2u to make it narrower.
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FWIW I considered these, but there were a LOT of reviews complaining about RFI, and my plane is particularly sensitive to it. That made my decision to go with Whelen.

If the OP also has RFI, then I'd recommend the Whelen's as they are the only LED lights I've tried that give me none.
 
Ravioli said:
What I understand you to say is that your legal right now but getting some RF interference. I'd replace the tail bacon but not remove the belly strobe. Just don't turn it on all the time. There may be some future event where you'll want those extra flashy lights. Is removal free or are you going to pay for a cover plate, etc.?
Click to expand...

As someone that flies a fast airplane into places with a lot of slow airplanes, don't skimp on lights. I am also amazed how well LEDs show up vs strobes, even during the day.
 
Whelen LED's are great, but their product descriptions are lousy. I had the same "what's the difference between these two model #'s"on wingtip nav/strobe combo's. My MX had to call to get an answer.

Need someone less familiar with the product line to write the descriptions on the website/catalog.
 
Hang 4 said:
Whelen LED's are great, but their product descriptions are lousy. I had the same "what's the difference between these two model #'s"on wingtip nav/strobe combo's. My MX had to call to get an answer.

Need someone less familiar with the product line to write the descriptions on the website/catalog.
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Yea no kidding hahah
 
BGF_Yankee said:
Did you have three wires in there when you replaced it with this two wire beacon? I just installed one on the Seneca and it’s not flashing...just staying on solid...
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If memory serves, I only had two wires.
 
Ravioli said:
What I understand you to say is that your legal right now but getting some RF interference. I'd replace the tail bacon but not remove the belly strobe. Just don't turn it on all the time. There may be some future event where you'll want those extra flashy lights. Is removal free or are you going to pay for a cover plate, etc.?
Click to expand...

TBH my dad isn't real keen on spending the money for an LED, so we will likely just replace it with another "old school" one.

But to answer your post...I would definitely remove the belly strobe. The magnetometer for our G5 had to be mounted in a bit of a different spot because of the interference the strobe was causing. The beacon and strobe are on the same switch. I suppose we could add another switch and keep the belly strobe as you suggested, but idk. Our plane is quite visible with the LED nav lights/landing light. I'm sure with the LED beacon we would be easily visible.
 
Again, compare the costs. Separate switch may be the least cost best backup plan.

As we love to say here, it's your plane. :)
 
Replace the bulb in the tail beacon with a simple high-power LED, remove the belly beacon and spend the $1000 on AvGas.
Unless you're afraid someone's gotta bust your chops for non-TSO bulb. ;)
 
BigBadLou said:
Replace the bulb in the tail beacon with a simple high-power LED, remove the belly beacon and spend the $1000 on AvGas.
Unless you're afraid someone's gotta bust your chops for non-TSO bulb. ;)
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Hmm..I'm not sure that this is an option. The bulb in the current tail beacon is super weird. Even our A&P had not seen one like it. I don't know that this fixture lends itself to simple plug and play bulbs. But yea that would be a good option if possible.
 
CC268 said:
Hmm..I'm not sure that this is an option. The bulb in the current tail beacon is super weird. Even our A&P had not seen one like it. I don't know that this fixture lends itself to simple plug and play bulbs. But yea that would be a good option if possible.
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Interesting. Got a picture? I like "weird". :)

There's always the whole "owner supplied" clause you can exploit. ;)
 
Mtns2Skies said:
FWIW I considered these, but there were a LOT of reviews complaining about RFI, and my plane is particularly sensitive to it. That made my decision to go with Whelen.

If the OP also has RFI, then I'd recommend the Whelen's as they are the only LED lights I've tried that give me none.
Click to expand...
Yes, I had a bit of a problem too, but with older planes like mine the grounds become an issue. I found the ground for my rotating beacon was not very good. I ran a double ground for the new one and eliminated the problem.
 
BigBadLou said:
Interesting. Got a picture? I like "weird". :)

There's always the whole "owner supplied" clause you can exploit. ;)
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I don't. I might be able to take on later. My dad has the bulb right now.
 
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