Levil Aviation Beacon 978 Series, Beacon 978, Beacon 978G Installation And Pilot's Manual

Rev 1.0

978 UAT (ADS-B out)

INSTALLATION AND PILOT’S GUIDE

Beacon 978 Installation Manual

2

Revision table

Date

Revision

Comments

Section

July 22,2017

1.0

First Revision

Nov 14, 2017

1.1

Adjustments by Ricardo L

8.2.4

Warranty

Levil Aviation warrants this product to the original purchaser to be free from defects in material
and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of the original purchase. The following
are not covered: software, damage resulting from accident, neglect, misuse, fire, or flood,
improper voltage supply or failure to follow operational guidelines supplied with this product.
Extended warranty is available for purchase on our website Please register your product online
at: http://aviation.levil.com

IN NO EVENT, SHALL LEVIL AVIATION BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL,
INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, WHETHER RESULTING FROM THE USE,
MIUSE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PRODUCT OR FROM DEFECTS IN THE PRODUCT.
SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

Beacon 978 Installation Manual

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Beacon 978 Installation Manual

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

The Beacon 978 series: A Smarter, Simpler ADS-B out. The Levil Beacon is an externally
mounted pod in the shape of an aerodynamic antenna that contains all essential components
necessary to comply with FAA’s requirement to have ADS-B out for 2020, when flying in
controlled airspace. The design objective was to minimize installation time and cost,
addressing the biggest challenges when trying to comply with the 2020 mandate. The Beacon’s
unique design allows it to be mounted underneath the fuselage, which makes it compatible with
most aircrafts. It minimizes wiring time by incorporating the following:

FEATURES

Beacon

978

Beacon

978G

Transponder “sniffer” to decode squawk code sent by existing

transponders and relay the information through the ADS-B freq.

position source (WAAS GPS) that satisfies with 14 CFR §91.227

Pressure transducer for Pressure Altitude indication or comparison.

Communication ports to connect LCD screen or other avionics

ADS-B out transmitter (978 MHz UAT frequency) and antenna

2.0 COMPLIANCE AND USE



The BEACON 978 series is for use in Experimental and Light Sport Aviation only.

It meets the Minimum Operational Performance Standards of DO-282B Class A1S (transmit­only aircraft with single antenna) and the performance requirements of TSO-C154c. However,
the BEACON 978 series is NOT TSO’d. You may only install the Beacon on aircraft with
Experimental Airworthiness Certificates. For LSA owners, the installation must be performed in
accordance with an applicable consensus standard (as an alteration) and authorized by the
aircraft’s manufacturer.

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3.0 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Specification

Description

Transmission Frequency

978MHz

Transmission Power

20 Watts

Receiver Frequency

1090 MHz (auto squawk function)

Power Requirements

9-32 V

Power consumption

Temperature Range

-30 C to +70 C
Max Altitude (Pressure)

27,000 ft

Max Altitude (GPS)

60,000 ft

Weight

8oz (Beacon) 4oz (LCD)

Length

5” (13 cm)

Height

4” (10 cm)

Width

2” (5 cm)

Horizontal Position
Accuracy (GPS Only) 1

≤ 6.5 meters RMS

Horizontal Position
Accuracy (GPS + SBAS)
1

≤ 4.0 meters RMS

Vertical Position Accuracy
1

≤ 8.0 meters RMS
Velocity Accuracy 1

≤ 0.1 meters / second RMS

System Design
Assurance (SDA)

2

Source Integrity Level
(SIL)

3

Patent

Pending

Beacon 978 Installation Manual

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4.0 INSTALLATION

4.1 BEACON INSTALLATION

1. Remove Beacon from packaging. Hardware accessories (nuts, studs, aluminum plate)
can be used for actual installation.

2. Use the aluminum plate to trace the pattern for holes on the belly of the aircraft or
somewhere with clear view to the ground towers. Install the Beacon978 at least 3 feet
away from other antennas, such as DME or transponder. If aircraft shell is not rigid
enough, you may use the aluminum plate provided on the inside to provide more rigidity:

Note: If the aircraft is made of fiber glass or any other non-metallic material. A square foot
aluminum plate must be placed on the inside of the aircraft on the base of the BEACON

3. GPS source. On Beacon model 978G, the GPS is embedded inside, so only an active
antenna connection is necessary. On Beacon model 978, an external GPS source is
required to be wired into the Cannon plug using RS232.

4. Follow the wiring diagrams below according to your Beacon model:

GPS Active Antenna (50ohm)

(only required on BEACON 978G)

Communication and Power to LCD

Power supply (9-32) and GND

GPS Position source COM2 (NOT
required on BEACON 978G)

Aluminum plate

Gasket

Aircraft airframe

AFT

FORWARD

Beacon 978 Installation Manual

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For Beacon978G:

For Beacon978 (requires external GPS source):

*PINS B, H, L and K are for future use, Do not connect.

Note: cables sizes

- Power cable #18-20 (blue cables)

- Signal cable #22-24 (red cables)

GND

POWER (9-32V)

External Time Mark +

Signal GND

External Time Mark -

RS232 RX (output from

external GPS source)

LCD Screen DB9 connector

GND

POWER (9-32V)