ADS-B Setup with Skyradar - iFly General Discussions

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ADS-B Setup with Skyradar

12/3/2011 9:29 AM

Kent Shaw

Joined: 11/20/2011

Posts: 30

ADS-B Setup with Skyradar

I am making some progress with setting up the Skyradar with IFly but still not there yet. I am anxiously awaiting your new documentation that may address this setup.

I updated the software and weather files as Ed suggested and I now see the Skyradar when connected via the USB cable when I go to the Menu>About>Connected Devices and the Weather mode now shows ADS-B rather than Preflight but it does not show that a serial port has been assigned and it is not making any updates. I already checked the Skyradar using the Skyradar receiver with the Skyradar Ipad apps and the Skyradar seems to work fine with both weather and traffic updates. Should the GPS antenna on the Skyradar be connected or would this make any difference? On one of the posts here, someone reported that you could disconnect the Skyradar GPS antenna. Does the USB output on the Skyradar have to be activated somehow or does the Skyradar do the wireless and USB connection simultaneously? Any drivers required for the IFly to work with the Skyradar? Is a special USB cable required or is the generic one (USB 2.0) I bought OK?

12/4/2011 11:34 AM

Walter

Joined: 7/8/2009

Posts: 2778

Re: ADS-B Setup with Skyradar

If it shows connected, then the units are successfully talking to each other. The USB cable should be high quality; IE, shielded with a ferrite core. But otherwise nothing special about it. One thing you need to do, if you haven't, is to perform a traditional update and get the latest weather & tfr files on your device. Once these are installed, the Sky Radar can update those files with current data.

-Walter

Walter Boyd
President, Adventure Pilot

12/4/2011 4:27 PM

Kent Shaw

Joined: 11/20/2011

Posts: 30

Re: ADS-B Setup with Skyradar

I tried again with another weather update and it is working now. I see some purple dots on the weather screen that must be the air traffic. It would be nice to show the direction, altitude, and speed of each plane similar to the Skyradar apps in a future update. The weather was great today so I did not get to see any radar displays. Color coding each airport as to VFR, IFR, MVR, and LIFR would be a nice feature as well.

12/9/2011 10:35 PM

Doug

Joined: 6/10/2010

Posts: 17

Re: ADS-B Setup with Skyradar

Walter -

Just to be clear: are you saying that you need a "current" weather upload to the iFly before the ADS-B weather from SkyRadar will work? Please define "current". That day, within the hour, or within the week?

12/10/2011 10:06 AM

Sam Washington

Joined: 3/15/2011

Posts: 112

Re: ADS-B Setup with Skyradar

Kent,

Where are you located? I live in Cleveland, MS and we don't have any ADS-B coverage down in this area right now. Do you have transmitters in your area already? I am interested in buying the SkyRadar but I'm hesitant since we don't have the ADS-B transmitters here yet. I'm considering going with a Zaon unit for now so I can at least get traffic info until we get the transmitters in place. What is your thought thus far on the SkyRadar? Do you feel it is worth the investment for what you are getting from the unit? Thanks.

Sam Washington

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ADS-B Setup with Skyradar

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