Stratux ADSB question

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Scott MacKie

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Woodstock, GA
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Bought a used unit. Worked fine on flight home and for a time thereafter. Started getting stability problems. "Marginal" "No Towers". Connects to IPAD easily. Comes in and out. Good ATC coverage, good coms, good transponder ADSB out. Re-flashed SD card per instructions. Still doing it. I will say the current cord is having trouble staying connected, feels dicky art the USB C end so I will try a new cord and battery. Any other ideas?
Thanks
Scott
 
Bought a used STRATUX? Which antennas are you using? Marginal or No Towers is a reception issue. Where in the aircraft do you put it?
Power cord having problem staying connected? The Marginal or No Towers is not a power issue. The whole STRATUX system would shut down and reboot and you would not get those messages.
 
BillTIZ said:
Bought a used STRATUX? Which antennas are you using? Marginal or No Towers is a reception issue. Where in the aircraft do you put it?
Power cord having problem staying connected? The Marginal or No Towers is not a power issue. The whole STRATUX system would shut down and reboot and you would not get those messages.
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Both. On the dash, in a window. Yes, trying new power cord and battery pack. Cord IMO is to long and puts weight on the USB mini port on the Stratux unit. The Stratux settings on 198..xx..xx..xx shows traffic, etc. I just did the correct shutdown, seemed to work better, I'll try it in the airplane.
 
It honestly sounds like it’s losing signal/spotty reception. The antennas on the Stratux are pretty fragile…I’m on my 3rd set. They are about $15 on Amazon. You might want to inspect the connectors on the Stratux as well. Be sure to inspect the center conductors very well, and might even want to disassemble and inspect the connections to the connectors inside the box.
 
Found out via another thread I was shutting down the unit improperly. Found in a you tube and Aussie bloke that was having similar problems. He opened up back, confirmed connections were still tight, put it back together, and voila. So, I did two things: found out how to shut down the unit properly vs the Stratux IP address, and opened the back to wiggle, push, etc. Also, tried a new much shorter USB cable and different battery Physical connection between power source and unit is better (meaning doesn't break when moved). Took outside, much better function per the 192.xxx.xx.x stratux site. We will see airborne.
 
It’s important to keep the antennas on the right ports too. There are two different antennas for two different frequency bands. They’ll work if they’re swapped sort of, but performance will be very poor.
 
Scott MacKie said:
Found out via another thread I was shutting down the unit improperly. Found in a you tube and Aussie bloke that was having similar problems. He opened up back, confirmed connections were still tight, put it back together, and voila. So, I did two things: found out how to shut down the unit properly vs the Stratux IP address, and opened the back to wiggle, push, etc. Also, tried a new much shorter USB cable and different battery Physical connection between power source and unit is better (meaning doesn't break when moved). Took outside, much better function per the 192.xxx.xx.x stratux site. We will see airborne.
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I don't do that for shut down. I just pull the USB cord out of the Pi connection. Not really interested in dialing up Safari and the IP address to shut down. But I will look into it and perhaps save the IP address to favorites.
 
All this just illustrates why the Stratux is not a serious pilot tool. I have one and I use it, but a product so sensitive and finicky cannot be considered reliable enough to trust your life to.
 
Ed Haywood said:
All this just illustrates why the Stratux is not a serious pilot tool. I have one and I use it, but a product so sensitive and finicky cannot be considered reliable enough to trust your life to.
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The same could be said of Lycoming and Continental engines that require constant fiddling with throttle and mixture settings to keep them running.

How well a Stratux device works depends to a fair degree on the person who built it, and the person using it. And it’s not like anyone should be trusting their life to ADS-B anyway; it’s a small part of situational awareness. People flew for a hundred years without it and many still do.
 
DaleB said:
The same could be said of Lycoming and Continental engines that require constant fiddling with throttle and mixture settings to keep them running.
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Not remotely the same thing. There are no readily available alternatives to Lycoming and Conti for most GA aircraft. Numerous more reliable alternatives to Stratux exist, for a few hundred dollars more.

In-cockpit traffic and weather, while not required, are valuable tools that can significantly improve enroute decision making. People flew with whiskey compasses for a hundred years too, and some still do. GPS is still better.
 
Ed Haywood said:
All this just illustrates why the Stratux is not a serious pilot tool. I have one and I use it, but a product so sensitive and finicky cannot be considered reliable enough to trust your life to.
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Counterpoint: Why trust your life to ADS-B. BFT is even questionable enough not to use as a sole source of friendly locations.

I bought a used stratux off a member here several years ago and it’s been flawless, but ADS-B not a go-/no-go item.
 
TCABM said:
Counterpoint: Why trust your life to ADS-B. BFT is even questionable enough not to use as a sole source of friendly locations.

I bought a used stratux off a member here several years ago and it’s been flawless, but ADS-B not a go-/no-go item.
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Agreed it is not a go/no-go item, but it is a valuable tool. And valuable tools are usually worth spending a little extra on, to ensure added reliability when you need it. Or want it.
 
Is STRATUX like a poor mans version of a STRATUS? Cause Ive had my STRATUS for 5 years and I dont need antennas. But this reminds me if you need better reception, my grandpa used to wrap aluminum foil on TV antennas? Maybe that will work. ;)
 
Ed Haywood said:
All this just illustrates why the Stratux is not a serious pilot tool. I have one and I use it, but a product so sensitive and finicky cannot be considered reliable enough to trust your life to.
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I installed mine 8 years and about 1000 hours ago and it's still going strong, no problems. It's been more reliable than some of the certified instruments in my panel. I wouldn't trust my life to it, but there's no need to. How has yours been finicky?

When I first built mine it had poor reception. I wrapped copper tape around the Raspberry Pi unit and poked a hole in the tape for the antenna connector. This tape gives the antenna a ground plane and greatly improves reception. Never had a problem since. I also added a USB GPS dongle to mine so it provides position in addition to ADS-B traffic & weather, so I don't need to use the GPS in the phone or tablet.

Make sure you have the latest build for it, which doesn't need to be shut down in software because it doesn't write to the filesystem anymore while running. You can simply power off and on.
 
DaleB said:
It’s important to keep the antennas on the right ports too. There are two different antennas for two different frequency bands. They’ll work if they’re swapped sort of, but performance will be very poor.
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It really depends. Earlier versions of the Stratux project used the same antenna and dongles for both frequencies.
 
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