Uavonix echo UAT (ADSb out) How to know its on and transmitting?

[Eddie Cesnalis]

I can see my flight today on FlightAware but only after I climbed to line of site with ground station.  After 10 minutes I made a right turn and my flight on Flight Aware ends there.  I also got a complaint from another pilot that he couldn't see me flying local / pattern flying where I could see him.

How do I figure out why I am intermittant on ADSb out?

[Mike Koerner]

 

 

 

Ed,

This FAA website emails you a free report on your ADS-B performance on any past flight... you just tell it your N number, the date (and the time if you made more than one flight that day) and what equipment you have.

They reported acceptable performance for my Uavonix echo after my most recent flight.

But like FlightAware, they can only see and analyze your signal performance when you are within line of sight to a ground station. As they say, "...flight operations occurring at the fringe of ADS-B ground station coverage can cause intermittent signal losses..."

That said, other aircraft equipped with ADS-B In can see UAT equipped ADS-B aircraft directly, even outside the range of ground stations.

 

[Eddie Cesnalis]

8 hours ago, Mike Koerner said:

 

 

 

Ed,

This FAA website emails you a free report on your ADS-B performance on any past flight... you just tell it your N number, the date (and the time if you made more than one flight that day) and what equipment you have.

They reported acceptable performance for my Uavonix echo after my most recent flight.

But like FlightAware, they can only see and analyze your signal performance when you are within line of sight to a ground station. As they say, "...flight operations occurring at the fringe of ADS-B ground station coverage can cause intermittent signal losses..."

That said, other aircraft equipped with ADS-B In can see UAT equipped ADS-B aircraft directly, even outside the range of ground stations.

 

Thanks Mike,

Seems I moved from one ADS-b shadow to another going from Mammoth to Florence.  I am sometimes visible and sometimes not. I'm thinking I should fly with a borrowed portable ADS-b in reciever and display to see if I'm intermittantly broadcasting or maybe my signal is blocked by bad antenaa placement?  Where is your antenaa and do you have an indicator that your Uavonix echo is on (like a light on your panel)

[Tom Baker]

I have found that Flight Aware does always show a complete record of flight for the 978 ADS-B units. It is my understanding the ground antennas that are used by Flight Aware are not FAA antenna, but contracted. Unless something is triggering the antenna to receive the 978 unit will not show up. As you get higher you will see more antenna, and one of them will likely be triggered, and you will show up then. The FAA has better coverage, and they will see you.

[Mike Koerner]

I think Tom is probably right (always a good assumption). He says the Flight Aware antennas are contracted. I had one on my house for a while that my daughter's boyfriend, an IT guy, set up. I think the "contract" was you buy the hardware and mount it and Flight Aware will give you the software both for your own use and to tie into their system. It was fun (for a while) watching airlines come in from over the ocean to the west headed for LAX.

I think I mounted my aircraft antenna through the belly in the tunnel between the seats, with an aluminum foil ground plane on the inside (maybe 5" in diameter) in case the carbon fiber isn't a good enough conductor. I don't know if you need that, but the foil doesn't cost much anyway.

There is no light on the panel but on the rare occasion when I forget to turn the transponder on (I know, I know, checklists) the tower at my home field (Torrance) lets me know. The airport is within ADSB regulation airspace, so they'd probably call out its absence as well. I guess that's as good as a light.

[Eddie Cesnalis]

1 hour ago, Mike Koerner said:

There is no light on the panel but on the rare occasion when I forget to turn the transponder on

This is why I am setting mine to turn on when it gets power, to cover those rare occasions.