Comments inserted between the lines.

"BHelman" wrote in message
m...
The problem with the prox device in my opinion is two-fold. Overall
size is huge,

Hardly. I said the footprints are (5" X 4.65" for the R5 compared to 3.6" X
5.3" for the Vrx) That would be 23.25 sq. inches for what you refer to as
the huge Proxalert R5 compared to 19.08 sq. inches for the Vrx. Seems close
to me. But the real difference is that the Vrx is 2" high while the R5 is
only 1".

the readouts are tiny, and the screen is cluttered.

I purchased my R5 last week. It's sitting on a table near my chair as I type
this. Display, at more than arm's length, is easy to read and legible (I
wear glasses). At panel distance it is no problem at all for my aging eyes.
The red alert light in nice and bright in sunlight too, but there's no
dimmer function and this might be an annoyance for night flying. Yes,
there's more on the screen than the other units because the R5 displays more
info. But the screen is bigger and it is logically laid out - - I sure
wouldn't call it "cluttered". If you want only the important info, you look
first at the traffic line. There you have the threat info displayed for up
to 3 individual aircraft (there would be three lines it there are 3 threat
aircraft with the closest or one nearest you altitude displayed on the top
line), example:

1200 36 ^ 1.1 enm

translation:

VFR squawk code - 3600 feet - aircraft is climbing (actual climb symbol is
better than what my keyboard has) - distance is 1.1 estimated nautical mile.

Power consumption is little concern for the Vrx if you plug it in.
since the prox unit doesn't take batteries anyway, the Vrx has a clear
advantage.

I have both power aircraft and glider, and will plug my R5 in. True, power
consumption isn't much concern in my Mooney, but it sure is in my glider,
where the R5 clearly has the advantage with it's much lower current draw.
The R5 built in speaker is nice too. It's clear from both the Proxalert
website and from using the unit, that the R5 was designed with glider use
specifically in mind. I asked and was told one of the principals is a glider
pilot.

The other problem is their approach of spamming the web
with "3rd party" reviews.

I haven't seen any reviews besides mine, I looked in Google but no joy. If
there are others, please post the URLs. Are you saying my review on RAS is
spamming the web? I have no financial interest in Proxalert, so my review
was not "their approach" or spam.


Given their reputation so far, foreign design, and lack of product
experience, I can't think of a good reason to spend the extra $ on the
prox.

Your call. I drive foriegn cars and have a foreign glider because I think
those particular foreign designs are the best available. The Vrx and the R5
are both good products. Choose which ever you want based on features that
are important to you, and of course price if that's the deciding factor. For
some, the extra $200 for the R5 is worth it (was for me) for others it may
not be. As far as product experience goes, I have no idea how much
experience Proxalert has. But I can tell you the R5 I purchased works
flawlessly . . . so far and I'm very impressed (but I've been told I impress
easily :c).


The review I have seen from a pilot who flew with the prox has not
been too favorable thus far either.

I haven't seen that review. Please advise where it's posted.

all the best
--
bumper ZZ (reverse all after @)
"Dare to be different . . . circle in sink."



"bumper" wrote in message
...
"BHelman" wrote in message
m...
There is another Tcas that is even smaller and can be battery powered.
It seems to have more favorable reviews. www.surecheckaviation.com





The Shurecheck TPAS and the Proxalert R5 seem to be at the top of the
small
heap of these passive devices. Unlike earlier generation devices that
only
provided approximate range information (and left you guessing if it was
an
airliner way above you or a chunk of GA aluminum closing on your tail),
both
these newer units decode the "threat aircraft" transponder reply and
display
their altitude info. Further, they both give you the ability to limit
the
"shield volume", both in altitude and range, so as to minimize nuisance
alerts in busy areas.

Of these two, the R5 has more features, but also costs a couple of
hundred
more. R5 has a bigger footprint than the VRX (5" X 4.65" compared to
3.6" X
5.3"), but is less obtrusive when mounted atop an aircraft panel. It
accomplishes this trick with an "L" shape design that has the base of
the
"L" dropping down below the panel by about .8" to allow a bigger display
without blocking your view. Thus the R5 height above the panel is just
1"
compared to the VRX's 2" height.

Some other differences between the two: The R5 has no internal
batteries, so
must be plugged or wired in, the VRX uses AA batteries and can also be
plugged in. The R5 displays 3 threat aircraft and tracks up to 10, the
VRX
displays one. The R5 is the only passive device that displays threat
aircraft squawk, and from this you can tell if the threat is not getting
ATC
advisories (SQ 1200), or talking to ATC and hopefully being told of your
presence (discrete SQ code), maybe military (I've heard, but don't know
for
sure, that they may use unique SQ codes), or a glider (SQ 0440 near
Reno,
NV).

The R5 has a built in speaker for audio alerts in a quiet cabin
(glider),
VRX has no internal speaker, only audio in/out jacks so has to be hooked
to
intercom, headset, etc. Both units weigh within an ounce of each other
(about 11 oz), in the case of the VRX, that's without batteries
installed.

Power consumption with the R5 is substantially less (100 ma with
backlight
off, 140 ma with the light on - - light not needed for daytime ops). The
VRX
is a bit more thirsty, (claiming 175 ma to 400 ma, with 350 ma listed as
"nominal" in the user manual). For those not into such things, 100 ma or
milliamps is 1/10 of an amp.

I got my R5 four days ago and so far have only done ground testing,
"burning
the unit in" for much of this time, I jump up and run outside to get a
visual when it "alerts" - - so far the accuracy is impressive. I've also
taken it to the airport to see how it does in a busy environment. I'll
fly
with the R5 in my Mooney early next week and compare its alerts with the
info I get from NorCal approach . I'll also fly with it in my glider as
soon
as possible, then will post a full review.

The R5 is relatively new, being available now for only a couple of
months in
the US - - that's why you won't find many comparos on the internet yet.
One
of the French developers must be a glider pilot as there's a glider on
their
website and the text specifically refers to ops in a glider. The US
distributor is Proxalert in Phoenix, AZ phone 602 992-3120. So far, the
distributor's price ($1295) is less that advertised by Eastern Avionics
($1495).