Recommendations on ADS-b receiver

jd21476

jd21476

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jd21476
I have been using a Stratus 2S for a few years but it is slowly dying. I keep it mounted in my plane and plugged into the cigarette port so it is always ready.

I want to replace it and do the same. I have been looking at the Stratux and the Stratus 3. I havent looked into the Sentry yet.

What does everyone use and like? Why?
 
I use a Garmin GDL50 and I love it. Long battery life, easy connect to my Garmin Pilot app (on two devices simultaneously) and I'm fairly certain it works on ForeFlight as well. It uses bluetooth as opposed to the WiFi connection which is important to me. Three different variations to choose from depending on your needs. I couldn't justify the extra cost for the XM capability. I just wanted a good ADS receiver. In my experience it receives very well when sitting on the dash. It will also provide flight data for e-logs and can be used to provide artificial horizon/instrument data although I wouldn't recommend relying on that unless you're REALLY screwed in the clouds. My only gripe with the GDL50 is that they still use the old micro-USB connectors which are notorious for wearing out and breaking. I plug mine in very delicately.

If permanently installed in the plane (package comes with wire harness) it will turn itself on and off automatically, thus eliminating the need for the use of the micro-USB.

Garmin GDL Series

Don't bother buying the portable friction mount accessory. I did and I never use it. The GDL has non-skid on the bottom of it and it works just fine, even during steep turns...and hard landings...so my friend says. :smilewinkgrin:
 
Ill have to look into the GDL50. I never heard of it before. I like everything you said as long as it works with Foreflight because thats what I use.
 
I've used a Stratus 3 with trainers and it was very reliable, excellent reception even when put on the floor of a 172 behind the fuel selector (surprisingly). The mat supplied kept it firmly planted on the glareshield, its usual location. If I needed one today and were a dedicated ForeFlight user I would likely get a Stratux as it will interface with the app well and provide turbulence PIREPs free.
 
Biggest tip I have is get remote antennas so you can mount the receiver under the panel somewhere, not on the glare shield where the battery will get baked by the sun. Some receivers are more friendly to remote antennas than others. Stratux is probably the easiest.
 
I'm in the same boat. My Skyradar is on the blink. I'm not going anything Garmin....cause it won't do WingXPro.
 
jd21476 said:
What does everyone use and like? Why?
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I've been using a home-built Stratux in my plane for 7+ years (built Oct 2016) and I've been very happy with it. It sits on the hat shelf in the back of my Cherokee, with antennas mounted to the box and the GPS antenna wire tucked under the plastic trim around the rear window so the antenna is held against the plexiglass. (I had a cigarette lighter socket wired in back there for a convenient power source, but before that I used a splitter from the front panel socket and an extension routed to that aft location, and that also worked well.)

A few years ago I bought a used home-built Stratux to play around with at home, and it has worked flawlessly as well.

Others have reported problems with DIY and commercial-built Stratuxes, though, so YMMV....
 
To the point of external antennas, the GDL50 has an external antenna connection on it as well. Confirmed that it does work with ForeFlight. I'm not a user of FF so not sure how hard/easy the interface is.
 
Jim_R said:
I've been using a home-built Stratux in my plane for 7+ years (built Oct 2016) and I've been very happy with it. ...
Click to expand...
Same here. I built my Stratux 9 years ago. Cost me all of about $100. It's been rock solid reliable for 9 years and about 1000 hours of flying.
 
I use a stratux. I built one, used it without any issues but lost it. During the pandemic, it was near impossible to get a raspberry pi board to build another one and so I bought a commercially built one. A few years now, no issues and various EFBs; Foreflight, FlyQ, iFly, Android, iOS.
 
Doesn't the Stratus 3 cause some complication if you want to use it with anything other than Foreflight? Something about you need to set it to "open protocol mode" or something like that, and you need to use an iOS device to do it? (I know 98.6% of pilots use Foreflight which uses the Stratus 3's "proprietary" protocol or whatever, but over the years I've heard a lot of discussion about this Stratus 3 behavior from non-FF users, especially Android-only ones.)
 
I've heard of that and it sounds like a hassle. I connect my android phone with aviator assistant efb and ipad running flyQ and all of my buddies that fly with my connect to the stratux with foreflight all simultaneously and no hiccups or messing with different apps and settings.
 
If you are a ForeFlight user, I would recommend a Sentry. It adds a CO sensor/alert and if you want to use the new reported turbulence feature at and below 14000, it is free if you register the Sentry.
 
KE5BM said:
To the point of external antennas, the GDL50 has an external antenna connection on it as well. Confirmed that it does work with ForeFlight. I'm not a user of FF so not sure how hard/easy the interface is.
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Just connect to your GDL50/52 via Bluetooth on your tablet and Foreflight will see it.
 
Cross-compatibility used to be a bigger issue, due to proprietary formats. Looks like it has gradually resolved itself, with many apps accepting any device that uses the GDL-90 protocol on wifi. There are still a few outliers. AFAIK, Sentry only works with ForeFlight, and Garmin Aera and G3X only support Garmin GDL series. Garmin GDL connects via bluetooth, not wifi, so you'll have to check both your EFB app and mobile device for compatibility.
 
I have a Stratux made by Crew Dog ( https://crewdogelectronics.com/ ) that I used for several years while I was renting aircraft and it worked pretty well. I'm now using a Stratus ESG bundle ( https://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilo...XNXQ4srB0sILqIjdNfPnZtWNEFYMm3lRoC7W8QAvD_BwE ) that's permanently installed in my plane.

Stratux is probably the biggest bang for the buck, and it works fine. It's a bit bulkier than some other options, but the antenna connectors make it easy to stash the unit wherever you like and mount your antennas remotely. Stratux is pretty much compatible with everything EXCEPT Garmin (no surprise).

I did have a problem with my Stratux when the USB power cable became intermittent. The resulting power glitches corrupted the SD card and I had to replace it. Unless it's been updated, I believe the Stratux has poor power conditioning. It's important to command "Power Down" prior to removing power. Just removing the power supply without a commanded shutdown has been known to damage the SD card.
 
Half Fast said:
... I did have a problem with my Stratux when the USB power cable became intermittent. The resulting power glitches corrupted the SD card and I had to replace it. ...
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That was a risk a few years back. I kept a second SD card in my flight bag loaded up ready to go, just in case. A few years ago they updated the software image to use a read-only root partition which eliminated the issue (at least for me).
 
MRC01 said:
That was a risk a few years back. I kept a second SD card in my flight bag loaded up ready to go, just in case. A few years ago they updated the software image to use a read-only root partition which eliminated the issue (at least for me).
Click to expand...

Good to know. Thanks!
 
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