+x+xUnfortunately uAvionix has discontinued the announced support for Mode C/S targets. Please see the attached Mail.
Very disappointing. I have a TRX-1500 which receives the exact 3D-position of FLARM® and ADS-B Traffic as well as distance and relative altitude of Mode-S transponders and presents the latter very helpfully. I thought Mode C and Mode S were quite distinct so I am not then sure why it is that uAvionix bundles them together as an insurmountable issue? Perhaps it has more to do with the fact that ADS-B is now compulsory in the USA and Europe isn't worth the effort? I sit on the flight path into an airport in Europe. I am running the uAvionix box alongside the TRX-1500. An overview of traffic into the airport daily (aircraft type and number of ins/outs):
Embraer 195 8
ATR 42/72 30
Dornier 16*
Bombardier Q400 24
Other commercial 20
G.A. lots
Only the Dorniers are picked up by uAVionix and about 10% of GA as they are more modern and have ADS-B out. That's a LOT of 'invisible' traffic. Quoting that nothing can replace mark 1 eye-ball raises three questions for me:
1 Has the quotee ever flown busy airspace looking for an airfield that is unfamiliar to them. How many eyes is the pilot supposed to have? Personally I only have 2.
2. IMC?
3. How often is a pilot unable to spot traffic even when told where it is until it is very close?
Obviously this item is of very limited value until ADS-B becomes mandatory in the UK. Personally I hope that is soon for all of our safety.
1. SkyEcho has been developed specifically for the European market;
2. Simply put, Mode C and Mode S both report altitude. The only difference is that Mode S additionally reports the aircraft registration;
3. ADS-B is NOT mandatory in the USA until 1 January 2020, and then only for certain types of airspace (for now);
4. ADS-B will be mandatory in Europe from 7 June 2020, but only for aircraft that weigh more than 5,700kg OR have a maximum cruise speed greater than 250kts. I'm sure that it will eventually become mandatory for all aircraft as aviation moves away from radar based surveillance to position based surveillance.
If I am in error in respect of any of the above points, I stand to be corrected.
Mike
_________________________________________
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 – Android 11.0 & SD 4.0.2.0
Huawei P30 – Android 11.0 & SD 4.0.2.0
PC – Windows 10 (Home Ed) Version 2009, Build 19045.5917, SD 4.0.2.0