Gaznav Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 (edited) SkyEcho 2 receives FLARM too, but you need something like Fore Flight or Sky Demon with a FLARM licence (costs $30-$40 per year) to decode the signal. This is SkyDemon decoding FLARM from my SkyEcho. You can see a glider on final and a glider/tug with individual FLARMs fitted. Maximum range of FLARM detection is about 5nm - it’s a pretty weak signal. The other problem with bearing less Mode S and Mode C detection is that the proximity is worked out on signal strength. Power outputs from transponders range from 70W to 500W. So if your kit detects a 500W transponder it will warn you and make you think it is much closer than it actually is - or vice versa, it will not warn you as it thinks the weaker signal is further away. That is, I understand, why uAvionix ceased their development of the Mode S and Mode C bearing less detection - it is too unreliable. 👍 Edited January 10 by Gaznav 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Kyle Communications Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Yes it receives FLARM...but not in this country...Flarm is on 800mhz in UK and Eurpoe but here its on 400mhz so does not work and is disabled for Australia in the proramming of the unit 1 Link to post Share on other sites
jackc Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 3 hours ago, Kyle Communications said: With the ADT you still need a transponder. The Vixen would have had a Mode C transponder in the aircraft. Thats the same as the Skyecho operation except the ADT uses funky software to detect the squark codes and derives angle and distance from RSSI from the older transponders. The PowerFlarm unit has similar softare to that. The Powerflarm is just a receiver..a very expensive receiver 3k The Skyecho is both a ADSB in and out. It doesnt do the dectection like the ADT or Powerflarm does. I sent a email about other mode transponder detection to Uavionix and there was plans to do somethig similar but I believe they didnt go any further with that side of it because it wasnt worthwhile seeing all the other modes will be deleted in the near future and it will only be ADSB in and out used Thanks Mark, OK, so everyone is heading the ADSB direction in the long term, so any idea how many Skyecho unit are in service? So I take it all ADSB in/out units of all makes play OK together? So Skyecho sees all GA and Commercial ADSB signals too? Link to post Share on other sites
Kyle Communications Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Yes it does Jack. The Skyecho is only 20watts output not 250 watts so its only local aircraft to aircraft at low levels...below 5000ft. Somewhere between 10 and 40nm they say depending on where you stick it in the cabin of course. It will show up on the AirServices ground ADSB units also others like FlightAware and FlightRadar 24 at lower levels too as there are more of those stations around than AirServices ground stations. The local agent here keeps selling out of stock and Ozrunways are selling them..not sure if Avplan are selling them. There is a stack out there now. its so much cheaper than a normal ADSB unit...about 900 bucks instead of 5 to 10k. It is picked up by all ADSB equiped aircraft You are not supposed to mod these units but as you know if you hooked up the output to a proper ADSB antenna mounted outside the aircraft the range will be far better. I have sussed out a few things and it would be very easy to do if we can get the miniture connector that will just push into the test port which then disconnects the pcb trace antenna and it then would come out a coax tail to then hook to a correct antenna. But this particular pcb connector is smaller than what anyone makes..at the moment. I have been emailing and even got some samples from a manufacturer of these pcb connectors but they were the wrong size. The left pcb antenna is the FLARM the right side is ADSB. Both have the test connectors on them BTW there are a lot more components on the underside of that pcb and also you can see the battery tabs at the top and bottom of the board 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites
jackc Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Mark, They are not UFL connectors by any chance? Could solder an RG174 coax tail to an SMA. I could make an antenna easily? Link to post Share on other sites
Kyle Communications Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Yes thats what we are looking at doing..either remove the connector and solder direct but depending on the multilayer pcb that maybe easier said than done. Need to keep the cap there . Havent got back to it due to my leg and too many other projects likethe new throttle and I am flat out building more CDI modules and also some work stuff. We went to order the latest and greatest unit pcb I did for work and they came back and one of the chips I used is now marked EOL..so now have to test and redesign the main micro pcb. Bloody chip manufacturers. They have good stable chips then decide to get rid of them. The replacement is not just a cap touch chip its a full blown micro which means more software and programming GRRRR... so have been working on that too 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Kyle Communications Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 The connector is a MHF-SW20 so seeing they dont make the antenna clip for it They only make special hold in male connector for testing also can look at taking off the 20 if we can then putting on a 23. The 23 tails are easily available 1 Link to post Share on other sites
jackc Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 (edited) 2 hours ago, Kyle Communications said: The connector is a MHF-SW20 so seeing they dont make the antenna clip for it They only make special hold in male connector for testing also can look at taking off the 20 if we can then putting on a 23. The 23 tails are easily available How about carefully taking the top off the PCB connector by paring it down to a point where you can solder a pigtail coax to the top part of the connector that is left, that way PCB layers can’t be affected? Use a Dremel tool? Edited January 10 by jackc Link to post Share on other sites
Kyle Communications Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 No you cant..The centre pin is a flexible plate which is a single pole switch. The best would be to remove the switch and replace with a bigger one or just remove the connector and solder direct to the centre pcb pad 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Gaznav Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 19 hours ago, Kyle Communications said: Yes it receives FLARM...but not in this country...Flarm is on 800mhz in UK and Eurpoe but here its on 400mhz so does not work and is disabled for Australia in the proramming of the unit Thanks Kyle - I didn’t know that. FLARM is standardised around Europe, so I naturally assumed it was the same globally. Another reason to adopt ADS-B then 👍 Link to post Share on other sites
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