Bluetooth GPS with Skyecho 2

[pmccarthy]

I have a Garmin GLO2 GPS which bluetooths to my ipad and improves the GPS accuracy. Now I have obtained a Skyecho 2 which connects to the ipad by Wifi. Is the Garmin now redundant because my ipad gets its location from the Skyecho?

Edited July 13, 2022 by pmccarthy

[Thruster88]

I would say no, the SkyEcho2 is only providing the traffic. SkyEcho2 has a gps for it's own use,  not to share.  

[Garfly]

AFAIK, with the OzRwys/iPad combo (and presumably others) you can use the SkyEcho2 as your external GPS source.

Listed in the menu SkyEcho_DA0D  in Settings (when the device is on and connected) there's a button  Enable GPS - Augment internal GPS receiver with using this device

 

 

https://uavionix.com/products/skyecho/#03eacdb395889b06f

 The high-integrity, SBAS GPS with Fault Detection and Exclusion (FDE) also provides position data to the EFB application and correlates your position with received traffic for viewing on supported displays.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2022 by Garfly

[onetrack]

The simple solution of course, is to look at your screens with a blank look, and say, "What's it doing now?" 

[Garfly]

I can hear millennial ancient mariners saying the same about those new fangled lodestone compass thingies.    ;- )

[Garfly]

BTW,  FWIW I just learned something new from this:

 

https://support.ozrunways.com/help/en-gb/2-3rd-party-hardware-integrations/42-skyecho-2-ads-b-in-out

 

I knew that you could move the SE2 around from aircraft to aircraft as long as they each had an ICAO address programmable into the device at each plane change

What I hadn't realised was that you can also apply for a code to be assigned to the SE2 device itself which you can use in case the aircraft you move to does not have its own code.

I think that could be quite handy, from time to time, so might be worth getting, anyway.

 

As I understand it, though, all VH registered aircraft already do have - as a matter of course - an ICAO hex code.

 

 

Excerpt from the doc. above:

 

"Not an aircraft owner?

The SkyEcho is a portable device. If you are not an aircraft owner and/or moving between aircraft that do not already have their own ICAO addresses assigned, upon request CASA will issue the SkyEcho device with its own ICAO address. This allows the EC device to be used on multiple aircraft without re-programming.
Please note:
* If the aircraft you are flying already has its own ADS-B Code/24-bit ICAO address, you must program that code into your SkyEcho.
* If the aircraft does not have its own code, then you can use the code assigned to your EC device instead."

[Thruster88]

I obtained a hex code for the thruster from CASA. To make the whole system work at it's best it makes sense for the call sign appearing on screen to match the call sign heard on the radio. See xyz on screen and hear abc on the radio, is that two aircraft? somewhat confusing. It takes less than a minute to change the hex and call sign, I have them labelled on the device.  

[Garfly]

20 minutes ago, Thruster88 said:

I obtained a hex code for the thruster from CASA. To make the whole system work at it's best it makes sense for the call sign appearing on screen to match the call sign heard on the radio. 

Sure, T88, that's the default situation and that wouldn't change.

 

What's new (to me) is that with an additional ID for the device itself (used only when needed) you can take your SE2 along even in an aircraft that has no ID at all.   In that case you presumably transmit a generic ID ('Unknown' ?) but you're still squawking 1200.  I guess it'd still be at least as useful as an old fashioned transponder, no? 

I think it'd be better than nothing - and better than transmitting the wrong ID. That could get confusing.

Edited July 14, 2022 by Garfly