Thorp Air Command - T18.net

I'm probably late to the party- but I was talking to another friend and the discussion turned to ADSb. I told him I had been waiting for Navworx to iron out their issues. He suggested looking at The echo UAT package. It available with a gps WAAS source or stand only if you already have a panel mount GPS on board.


Some Vans guys already have this installed with many positive stories.

Terry
218TH

I was leaning toward NAVWORX , but to this point they have gone NORDO and haven't heard a word from them on any updates/FAA AD status . I ran across the UAVIONIX Echo UAT and this is one compact little unit . Reads the transponder via WiFi and no need to connect anything to the transponder/antenna cable . From what I can gather all you need is a power and a ground and you're in business . It is incredibly small and can mount almost anywhere and the price is in the ball park . Plan to keep an eye on this gizmo and if the FAA sharks don't take a bite out of it I'll probably pull the trigger and install this next annual .

RB

The uAvionix units are what I'm using on my new project. Amazingly compact, light & powerful for such tiny boxes. The ECHO UAT transceiver is dual freq. in and a full 20 watt transmitter (out). It has built-in wi-fi (the antenna is built into the box) to send weather & traffic data to my iPad & my iFly 740, as well as providing a link to an Apple or Android app for set-up, updates, etc. If you have a glass panel, it plays well with most of them I believe. It receives & processes data directly from your transponder transmission signal - no antenna cable clamp-on device needed. If you have a newer transponder with an RS232 output (like a Garmin GTX 327), you can wire it directly to that instead. These guys have been into the UAV/UAS market for awhile, where everything has to be as small, lightweight & powerful as possible. It seems like a very well-run company (they also build some of this equipment for Dynon). Since I didn't have a WAAS certified GPS source, I went with their SkyFX GPS unit which is in exactly the same size package as the ECHO. It comes with a small GPS antenna that I am mounting under the fiberglass glare shield. The ECHO comes with wiring harnesses & the UAT antenna. Those 2 antennas are all that is needed - the ECHO unit broadcasts & receives everything through that one UAT antenna. I bought the 2 units together for a $100 savings at $1399.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

I like it ! Nice set up John . Looks like I'll be busy next April during the annual .

RB

Is the UAVIONIX system approved for certified aircraft? Bob H.

Is the UAVIONIX system approved for certified aircraft? Bob H.

It doesn't look like it at this time , however it appears they are working on that . I would go to their web site and follow their progress . I just signed up for their News Letter .

RB

The Navworx AD was published June 6, AD 2017-11-11 http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgad.nsf/0/3156ea8fd766278486258137004ff683/$FILE/2017-11-11.pdf and Navworx has some info on their web site for upgrading existing boxes except for the EXP box. That said the current price of their EXP box is $1599 and that does not include antennas or the device to read older transponder signals. I think that if I were going to do an install today I would be looking at the uAvionix box. NOTE: I have a Navworx ADS600-EXP box installed so I'm going to figure out how to comply with the AD.

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Bruce Finney
N18JF T-18C #262
Yelm, WA USA

Pulled the trigger and bought the UAvionix ADS-B Echo-UAT/SKY-EXT system . Was going to get the NAVWORX unit , but they have been pretty quite after the FAA kicked them in the rear end with an AD . Besides the UAvionix unit can do the transponder thing w/o a hookup to the x-pndr (WiFi) . $1399 , no tax and free shipping from iFLY GPS . I did attend an FAA TRACON brief about a week ago and according to the FAA at SOCAL they are not even geared up/or using the ADS-B system at this point in time at their facility ? That is all .

RB

I have been thinking about pulling the trigger on the Echo UAT as well. Can anyone please explain to a Wifi moron (me) how an old school transponder talks to the Echo UAT box via Wifi? I have a Microair transponder, and they say on their website that Microair is compatible with the Echo UAT, but I dont understand how they talk....I would think in order to talk via Wifi, each unit needs some kind of Wifi hardware or software inside each box.

Not exactly sure how the WiFi works ? Not sure how my iFLY 720 GPS is able to use WiFi , but it does . I only have a Liberal Arts degree . I called UAvionix before I bought and explained what equipment I had (Microair ModeC/S x-pndr and a iFLY 720 GPS ) and they said it will all work with the ADS-B equipment they have . If you have any doubts if your equipment will work with the UAvionix ADS-B give them a call ! If these companies keep making this equipment smaller I can probably have it installed the next time I have a colonoscopy !

RB

well, that is good news, because I too have the Microair xpnder and an IFLY 740.

The ECHO UAT doesn't transmit or receive anything to/from the transponder via WiFi. It receives everything directly from the transponder & signals from other aircraft transponders and through it's UAT antenna, along with receiving and transmitting the UAT data to/from ground-based systems. If you have an RS232 output from your transponder, or EFIS, you can also wire directly to that. The WiFi feature is for sending traffic & weather data directly to a portable GPS unit like iFly as well as to an iPad or Android tablet. It also allows you to connect with a tablet or smart phone for software updates, setup, etc.

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John Evens
Arvada, Colorado
T-18 N71JE (sold)
Kitfox 7 SS N27JE

Ah, I get it now. Thanks John.

Went ahead and got the UAvionix ADS-B unit . Decided on the Echo UAT/SKYFYX-EXT unit . The SKYFYX part of the set up has the GPS receiver/antenna in one unit and only requires tapping into the Echo +/- power leads along with attaching the gray data wire to the Echo wire harness . Comes with attaching hardware . The 978 antenna needs to be mounted and you supply the coax from the antenna to the Echo unit . Attach the power/grd to the Echo unit via a 1 amp CB , program your GPS (iFLY in my case) to accept the data and UR in business . Incredibly light weight ! I hate waiting until the last minute only to find this and other more expensive ADS-B units are on back order !

RB