On Thursday, May 3, 2018 at 9:52:46 PM UTC-7, Tango Whisky wrote:
Why do you say it doesn't?

Are you replying to the VT-01 does not do ADS-B Out statement?

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Why do you think it does?

The problem is "ADS-B" is a fluff marketing term. And as long as vendors keep talking in marketing fluff like that there will be confusion. I'd hope that Air Avionics care about being clear what their products do, including to the USA market, and so be leading more with the actual specs their products meet, unfortunately they really bury this stuff.

The USA glider community already has the issue with missing full 1090ES Support in PowerFLARM, other purchasers don't need to suffer similar problems with Air Avionics transponders. Not when there is a perfectly good options already available from Trig.

As far as I know the VT-01 transponder does not implement RTCA DO-260B and it does not does have the corresponding TSO-C166b approval. DO-260B is the current standard for 1090ES Out, so ya would think somebody claiming to do a Transponder with ADS-B Out would actually meet that standard? Right? Bzzzzt. Wrong. And you can't use old DO-260 or DO-260A complaint or whatever old compliance they actually have for TABS or 2020 Compliance in the USA.

And beyond implementing DO-260B and ideally having a TSO-C166b approval to be practically useful in a certified glider the transponder needs to be pairable with a known TSO-C145c GPS source and have an STC for that install to form the basis for installs using the pairing of the transponder and GPS source. Stuff that all the vendors who work in the USA market have spend the last several years doing. Air Avionics could try to enter the USA market with experimental only coverage but I think you need both, and to be targeting wide than just gliders to justify the effort.

Or even for for TABS installs the vendor needs a suitable TSO-C199 approved for install in certified gliders or "meets requirements of TSO-C199" GPS source that for experimental gliders (but since the TSO is relatively easy there just do what Trig did and get the TSO)... or partner with a vendor who has a TSO-C199 GPS GPS box... but oops the choices there are Trig and Garmin who are competitors.

Even if Air Avionics delivered DO-260B compliance tomorrow they seem so far behind on all the other stuff. I don't assume they are clueless, I assume they just made a decision not to worry about the USA market. Their opacity in actually producing clear spec claims for their products has a certain odor. And some glider manufacturers and avionics resellers have sold Garrecht/Air Avionics Mode S transponders to USA glider pilots... who then find they have no ADS-B Out path available, at least today. If I had been sold those with an expectation they were ADS-B Out compatible I would be asking for a refund.

For many years have I been saying Trig TT22 is *the* transponder to get... because of it's ADS-B Out options. When another manufacturer has a usable 1090ES Out capable transponder suitable for gliders I will mention that as well. Competition for Trig would be great (they might then improve their install documentation).