On 1/18/2011 7:41 PM, Jim Logajan wrote:
"twocoolgliders@juno. com wrote:
.....everybody has to be on the
same page...at the same time, all of the time....that's a tall order!

Not so today.....everybody has one or two pieces of the puzzle, but
never the whole picture.....

If a device with 15 W to 40 W power consumption is viable in a glider then
broadband radar could in theory be used and everyone would not need to be
"on the same page." I'm thinking specifically of the current cost and
capabilities of marine broadband radar systems; for example:

http://deanelectronics.com/index.php...iewCat&catId=3
(E.g. Furuno 1623 16 NM Mono Radar, cost US$1375.95; 12V or 24V, 36 W)

(By comparison, the Lowrance BR24 marine radar uses ~17W. See:
http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Mar...oadband-Radar/
)

I am not sure, but I suspect the primary reason these systems aren't
available for aircraft is probably regulatory (the 2D field of view is a
technical limitation that I believe could be surmounted with some
engineering.) Certainly the costs seem comparable to ADS-B and even Power
Flarm systems being proposed. And radar doesn't depend on GPS or any other
external active systems.

The problem with radar is that you don't get altitude. A FLARM / ADS-B
solution would be much more accurate and elegant, and if produced in
volume, without the artificial certification / aviation product
liability costs, potentially less expensive.

--
Mike Schumann