New CL-864 / L-864 Red LED Beacon Emits Zero Detectable Interference in Testing for Improved Reliability and Safety in Aircraft Navigation Communications

Dialight (LSE: DIA.L), an innovative global leader in LED lighting technology, announced today that its newest Vigilant™ Series CL-864 / L-864 LED Red Obstruction Beacon, has been qualified through rigorous testing by NAV CANADA, the country’s civil air navigation services provider, for its ultra-low electromagnetic interference (EMI) in communication tower applications.

“We put Dialight’s LED beacon through testing and it performed perfectly. There was no EMI interference detected," NAV CANADA’s test results reported.

The Dialight LED medium intensity beacon has now been added to the approved product/vendor list for NAV CANADA through the company’s distribution partner RVA Lighting and Masts in Toronto, which supplied the units for testing.

EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference), also known as RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) I, is a disturbance often emitted by high voltage electrical circuits that can interrupt, obstruct or degrade sensitive radio communications, particularly those employed by air traffic control and aeronautical communications services. Beacon lighting is required by the Federal Aviation Administration and Transport Canada on communications towers to alert pilots of their presence, but the presence of EMI can actually interfere with communications signals passing through the tower’s antenna. Beacons can be responsible for the dropped calls that many cellular telephone users experience.

To thwart this interference, Dialight’s energy efficient Vigilant Series LED beacon uses passive  low voltage LEDs  that operate at just 20W, compared to traditional incandescent beacons at 1400W.   The LED beacon is certified to the FCC’s EMC #47CFR, Part 15:2008, Class A standard for its minimal EMI emission.

“These excellent test results from NAV CANADA are certainly an outstanding indication of the clear performance advantage our LED red beacon over traditional technology and even other LED products on the market,” said Roy Burton, Dialight’s Group Chief Executive. “We look forward to working with NAV CANADA to fulfill their needs for an obstruction product that meets their stringent requirements for communications reliability and safety.”

In addition to its virtually undetectable EMI emission, the Vigilant Series LED Beacon features Dialight’s patented optics technology for minimal ground scatter and very community-friendly operation in a low-profile and lightweight fixture. With the smallest flash head in the industry, Dialight’s beacon significantly reduces wind loading, and its state-of-the-art LED technology delivers at least 10 years of maintenance-free operation, significantly reducing costly bulb changes and tower climbs.

At just 20W, the LED beacon is also greater than 95 percent more efficient than incandescent technology (1400W) for a significant energy savings, lower lifetime operational costs and much greener operations.  The D464 is CSA tested and certified and is compliant with Canadian Aviation Regulation CAR 621.19 (Transport Canada).

NAV CANADA is a private sector, non-share capital corporation with operations coast to coast to coast, providing air traffic control, flight information, weather briefings, aeronautical information services, airport advisory services and electronic aids for navigation. The company co-ordinates the safe and efficient movement of aircraft in Canadian domestic airspace and oceanic airspace assigned to Canada under international agreements.