ADSB in as an aircraft renter

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Brad W

Pattern Altitude
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Rusty pilot here
Just got to thinking about the prospect of renting again and the whole flying with the ipad

Do any of these adsb transponders that the rentals might have installed have capability to output the data to sync with a mobile device running foreflight, etc..?
or is it more likely that I will be locked into getting one of those separate gizmo boxes
 
There are a lots of units out there that will wifi/bluetooth to an iPad with appropriate software (such as foreflight). Of course, it'll likely be different for every plane you fly.
 
All you need beyond the Stratux itself is a power source. USB battery or 12v adapter. Unit has self contained WiFi as others have said.
 
I made a stratux. It worked.

I bought a Stratus. It works better. Easier to charge/carry/use, and seemed to get more towers with a better signal, IMO. Of course, that comes with a price.
 
Hang 4 said:
Make yourself a Stratux. About $100 in Amazon parts. Will provide ADSB in, GPS and a few other benefits. You'll need to have a compatible Ipad app. I have WingX pro.

http://stratux.me/
Click to expand...
thanks for that tip!
I see that pre-assembled units are available, but i think I'm going to tell my 14 yo son I'll pay for the parts and he could build it as a Christmas present for me!!
awesome!

Weekend Warrior said:
I made a stratux. It worked.

I bought a Stratus. It works better. Easier to charge/carry/use, and seemed to get more towers with a better signal, IMO. Of course, that comes with a price.
Click to expand...
Are you saying you tried stratux and it didn't receive as well?
 
I built a Stratux. With the external battery and 2 whip antennas I thought it was a bit clunky. I was already using ForeFlight on my iPad, and got a Sentry as a Xmas gift last year. I like it a lot better.
 
Brad W said:
i think I'm going to tell my 14 yo son I'll pay for the parts and he could build it as a Christmas present for me!!
Click to expand...

I knew those semi-grown ankle biters would be good for something!

-Skip
 
Brad W said:
Are you saying you tried stratux and it didn't receive as well?
Click to expand...
Yes, mine would often only get a tower or two, when my Stratus, in the same place/altitude, will get 3 or more. And my friend has a Stratux, and we've flown formation flights together. I had told him how my Stratus beat my Stratux in reception, so we have compared and he agrees: the Stratus wins (and yet both of our Stratux have external antennas, while the Stratus is self-contained).
For $100 or so in parts, the Stratux is great. I'm no "Stratus fan", but it does perform better than the two Stratux I've compared it to.
 
I bought a Stratux because it was on sale and only cost me a little more than sourcing all the parts (from multiple vendors because they were all not available at one) and building it myself. I am an IT guy and a old ham radio guy so I wasn't worried about the build. Thing works as advertised. I use AVARE which is free.

I do need to make a copy of the SD card so I have a backup. Thanks for the reminder. :)

ETA: I did build a single channel one way back when they first came out was easy peasy.
 
I went the Stratux route with parts purchased on eBay. Used a Walmart sandwich box as a housing and a RAM suction cup mount.

48465200777_8cd0fa88c3.jpg


A little clunky, but works well enough with my iPhone X running WingXPro.

Here showing traffic:

48465044371_b9d2d3b941.jpg


And weather:

48465041701_896d622dae.jpg
 
The choice of components in the Stratux matters. There are some GPS modules that work better than others, as well as the receivers. Mine works very well now and provides the same info as my Garmin suite. If you are renting and want something as a "take with" it works well, particularly for the cost. Not sure if I still have my component list, but I do remember having to trash the first GPS module I bought and trade up to the $20 version.

I use it as a back up for my plane's avionics now, but originally used it in a rental plane during my PP lessons.
 
Terry M - 3CK (Chicago) said:
@Hang 4 do you need to buy a cellular plan with that? How does the stratus get the WiFi signal?
Click to expand...

ADSB is sent on radio waves. The Stratux has radio antennae to receive the broadcast information as well as a gps antenna. Additionally, it also acts as a wireless router for the iPad. You open settings on the iPad and there is a new hotspot called “stratux”. Once connected, your EFB will get the information stream from it.
 
I own a Garmin GDL50. Bluetooth is better than Wi-Fi, for lots of reasons. It was expensive, but so is a Stratus, but it drives both FF and GP instead if of just FF.
 
I love my Stratux, but I built it when the cheapest alternative was a $900 Stratus 2. If I was shopping now, I would probably build a Stratus because I enjoy tinkering, but if I were smart I would look for a used Foreflight Sentry. They can be purchased for less than $400, and I think it is worth the extra $250 for a plug and play solution.
 
I bought a stratux online, it worked great the first day. Inop after that. A call to the vendor suggested a reset is required from time to time. I sent it back. My cfi uses a gdl 39 and a friend has the stratus 3, both have proven to me to work better and offer greatly increased reliability.

if you like to tinker, the stratux might be a great option though.
 
well any way... I guess the moral of the story is that most renters will prob. still need to be prepared to carry another gizmo in their flight bag if I want to use ADS-B in on a portable screen....
 
Look at the Stratus 3. I'm a CFI and use mine all the time for adsb in traffic
 
I have a ForeFlight Scout that I'll sell you in about a month. I'm getting a GNX375
 
I bought a Stratus 3 about a year ago, and I was impressed enough with it that I decided to go with their transponder for my ADS-B Out solution. I wish the rest of my tech stuff worked as well as that combination does.
 
I have a used Stratux I’ll sell for $75 if anyone is interested. Worked well but as said above required an occasional reboot. No longer needed after a panel upgrade.
 
Hang 4 said:
Make yourself a Stratux. About $100 in Amazon parts. Will provide ADSB in, GPS and a few other benefits. You'll need to have a compatible Ipad app. I have WingX pro.

http://stratux.me/
Click to expand...

Yes, make yourself a Stratux, but forget about the ipad. You can get an android tablet for a fraction of the price, and you will have GPS and don't have to sign up for any cellular service. You can also use many opensource software (like Avare) which are just as good as the paid versions.
 
I've had an iPad with cellular for a few years now and never actually had cellular service for it. Will second Avare though, it's on my phone as a backup.
 
I run my Stratux power through the cigarette lighter. That’s an option. I run a 5-10 ft cord and set the unit up in the baggage compartment where it still gets reception. Stays onboard full time, no charging.
 
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