The International Cessna 170 Association

I own a 51' Cessna 170a. The strobe system was a Grimes. The power supply pack became inoperative. My jaw dropped when I heard the replacement value($6,300.- for new or $4,200.- to fix). I'm looking for a new replacement system. Can anyone recommend some (much) cheaper options. Currently I have a belly and top of fuselage strobe(strobe housing looks like a plastic jar). Any advice on brands or strobe systems greatly appreciated. blue skies, cameron

lawson wrote:I heard the replacement value($6,300.- for new or $4,200.- to fix).

Say what??? Are you sure the decimal point on the above numbers doesn't need to be moved to the left one place?

Bruce

yes, you heard correct. i called honeywell(which now owns grimes). I sent in the power supply pack. i was shocked at the high price tag of fixing the unit(4,200.-). honestly, i'm not sure how it could be so expensive to fix. i'm certainly not going to go the route of fixing the strobe, and now looking for a quality replacement. cheers, cameron

Well those numbers are so ridiculous that it is just a (bad) joke. Who would ever pay those rates...ever? They might just as well have quoted you $63,000 for new and $42,000 to fix, the response would be the same.

Don't know what Grimes part numbers you have but I googled this up just now from Kelly Aerospace....Check under strobe power supplies.

http://www.kellyaerospace.com/catalog_p ... _Price.pdf

I have a used Grimes Strobe System top & bottom of fuselage, that I just began taking bids on as of right now. Let the bidding begin! I'll take a lot less than $6300 for both and the strobe has the grooved plastic jar lense just the same. In fact I've just started thinking about parting the plane out or as is for $130,000.
Dave

lawson wrote:I own a 51' Cessna 170a. The strobe system was a Grimes. The power supply pack became inoperative. My jaw dropped when I heard the replacement value($6,300.- for new or $4,200.- to fix). I'm looking for a new replacement system. Can anyone recommend some (much) cheaper options. Currently I have a belly and top of fuselage strobe(strobe housing looks like a plastic jar). Any advice on brands or strobe systems greatly appreciated. blue skies, cameron

Why don't you just buy a C150 and take the lights off of it, sell the C150 for a little more than you gave for it because it's been cleaned up a little, and put the lights on your plane.

Joe, you were supposed to say "Sell it to George so he can make it to fly-ins before dark"

I ended up buying a small monkey and 2 blinking flashlights at the hardware store. i just put ' munks' in the fuselage, told him what to do....and he figured out the routine in short order. total cost 37.50. way cheaper than buying a new grimes power supply pack.

I'm not sure if you're really talking about a Grimes "strobe" system, or if you're actually referring to a Grimes rotating beacon, with a drive motor and rotating incandescent lamps within the red "jar" lens. The latter is actually easliy replaced with a Whelen HR-CFA unit designed as an exact replacement, and actually IS a genuine strobe light. It is sold by Spruce as PN 11-16216 (red/white lens) for $338. I've used them on other aircraft and they are good units. They also sell all red or all white lens units.

hi george-
the grimes power supply pack had a burned out pc board and other issues. i called honeywell(parent co. of grimes) and(again) got the same high-dollar quote for replacement and purchasing new. it's a strobe system...and not a flashing beacon. thanks for the info on the 'rotating beacon'. my mechanic also told me about 'aeroflash'....and that it is a fairly cheap strobe/flash system. happy flying. cameron

lawson wrote:I ended up buying a small monkey and 2 blinking flashlights at the hardware store. i just put ' munks' in the fuselage, told him what to do....and he figured out the routine in short order. total cost 37.50. way cheaper than buying a new grimes power supply pack.

Lawson, I think you got it going on! The monkey can guard the hangar, turn on the preheat on those cold mornings, maybe even do oil changes & some light maiintenance. You better buy one of those series 100 service manuals & leave it in the hangar next to a bunch of banana's. (I think that how some of my A&P buddies were trained) That monkey might be the best aviation investment you've ever made. I salute you!

Eric

it's gotten cold in montana. i drove to the hangar only to find ol' munks frozen like a popsicle. a half eaten banana in one hand....a blinking flashlight in the other.

i moved on, and decided to get a 'real' strobe system. thanks george for the advice. i went with the whelen comet flash HR-CFA R/W(aircraft spruce product number 11-16216. also purchase a mounting adapter A440(aircraft spruce #A440).

thanks to all for your comments. Munks R.I.P. happy holidays. N1787D.

lawson wrote:it's gotten cold in montana. i drove to the hangar only to find ol' munks frozen like a popsicle. a half eaten banana in one hand....a blinking flashlight in the other.
Munks R.I.P. happy holidays. N1787D.

A friend of mine had one of those. He ain't really dead - just not used to the cold. Just hold him in front of the preheater for 5 or 10 minutes. He'll come around.

Didja hear about the pilot who showed up at his home airport after his first trip to Oshkosh, with a monkey on his shoulder? The other pilots asked "where'd you get that ugly SOB?" and the monkey replied "I picked him up cheap at the flymarket".................