Strobes and navs wired together.

[Adam Frisch]

This is the case on the 680V, but was also the case on my old 520. Is that how they did it back in the days? It's a bit annoying, because sometimes when you land on busy airport at night, you don't want to blind people with the strobes, but still have the nave on so others can see you. As it is now, it's either or.

How hard would it be to separate the two?

[SKYFLYER]

I am on my third commander and I have never had both the nav lights and strobes on a single switch... The exception was my 680FL that did not have strobes when I got it and later added them but they were on a separate switch from the nav lights. The Jetprops were both independently switched for NAV and STROBES.
I am not sure why your 680V would be on a single circuit unless the strobes were added later and wired to the navigation light circuit.  Are both the nav lights and strobes in the same housing?? That might explain having them on the same circuit with just the one switch and being added after the aircraft was built. When I had them added to the 680FL they had to run new wire and use one of the two empty switch slots in the overhead panel which made it more costly than simply adding the stobes to the existing nav light circuit.
Separating the strobes from the nav lights might be something you may want to add to your list of "to do's" when other maintenance is needed that requires that part of the interior to be removed... as that might save on the labor involved. Also you need to look at the wiring on the stobe housing and make sure there are separate wires to the nav light and strobe, then it is just running the extra wire through the wing and into the cabin with a new switch in the overhead and thru a breaker.
 I try not to activate the strobes until I have cleared the ramp area and try to remember to deactivate them before taking the ramp from the taxiway. But in your case you should really keep your nav lights on at night until shut down even if it means the strobes will be firing.

[Adam Frisch]

I know, it's so bizarre. Even more strange, is that the left wing has a wingtip with an integrated nav and strobe light, whereas the right one has the solid tip with the light attached onto it. A mess. I'm thinking I'll change it to the winglet tips (even though they have zero aerodynamical benefit) and do the rewire then. Can't remember if I have a spare switch in the overhead panel, but I'm sure I do.

[donv]

That has to have been a mod. Maybe it didn't have strobes when it was new?

Every Turbo Commander that I've flown had them on separate switches, but my experience stops at the straight 690.