How did you install your FLARM brick and/or ADS-B Out?

On Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 10:17:18 AM UTC-8, wrote:
Is it powered direct or by another instrument?
Did you install a dedicated fuse?
Did you install a dedicated off/on switch or is it slaved?
Do you use a dedicated GPS antennae or split with another instrument..
Do you ever have the in-flight need to turn it off?
If you have both, why would you fly with one on and not the other?
If necessary, how is the Trig -2X and the TN-72 software updated?

Thanks for your reply.

First thanks for flying with a transponder and PowerFLARM.

You are trying to get what "ADS-B Out"? What exactly are you doing? TABS or 2020 Compliant 1090ES Out? In a type certified or experimental glider?

The Trig TN72 installation manual answers several of these questions. It specifies a 1A breaker for the TN72 for example.Â*

Why would you want an on/off switch for any of this? The Transponder and TN72 and PowerFLARM should all be on by default with your master avionics power, if there is a problem when you need to turn it off you have the breaker.

A 2020 compliant ADS-B Out system, just like a Transponder, is not supposed to be turned off in flight, Â*and with 1099ES Out, or even just Mode-S, if you do you are advertising exactly who you are to everybody watching.

Trig transponder software is updated by Mid Continent. It's a free upgrade, you just pay for shipping. Send them the transponder body and control head, and include a note just saying you want the software updated and your return address and phone number. Just ship it off, does not require an RMA, they will call you back when ready to return. They have a repair center in Kansas and another in Southern California, pick the one closest or call them to check if unsure. Usually takes about a week plus shipping. https://www.mcico.com/customer-servi...ervice-centers

For 2020 ADS-B Out Compliance or TABS the transponder *must* be on software 2.12 or later. This upgrades the Transpoder to DO-260B/TSO-C166b aka "1090ES version 2" compatibility without which you have no hope of 2020 Compliance or all the TABS features working, and you will likely get is a please explain letter from the FAA.

See https://www.trig-avionics.com/suppor...oduct-software

However there is no need to be on the very latest 2.13 software, if you are on 2.12 just use that. 2.13 adds supposedly improved GPS based air/ground determination... but that is aimed at GA aircraft. That GPS air/ground determination update was not intended for gliders and will likely fail in wave conditions with very low groundspeed, it may even fail in just strong headwinds. As I have posted here before, if going for 2020 compliance I would install the pitot "squat" switch from the TN70 STC kit, if a TABS install just set the squat switch to none in the setup menu. Â*Transmitting ground mode ADS-B Out messages while airborne is very bad and will get you noticed by the FAA. It's silly for most gliders to ever want to be in ground mode, we are not landing at SFO and taxying around, but for 2020 Compliance the FAA effectively requires all aircraft to transmit ground mode messages while on the ground. Every glider community Trig dealer should be up on this and asking if the install is TABS or 2020 Complaint and if the later should be offering to sell you that switch with the TN72, if they are not then find a better dealer.

You should assume that every 2020 Complaint or TABS installation might be a challenge to get the GPS receiver antenna position to work well enough. This is much more demanding than any other GPS antenna install you will have in a typical glider. You *have* to test this works by test-flying and reviewing FAA ADS-B Out public performance reports. The antenna needs to be high and central under the instrument cover, with as good a sky view as you can get down to the horizon all around. You may need to get rid of metal or other RF opaque objects in the sky view, that might include things like the brass instrument panel support rods on Schleicher gliders etc. Get the install done, maybe with the GPS antenna temporarily secured at first, and test fly it and pull a FAA Public ADS-B Out Performance Report and check this works before assuming you are done. If you or your A&P thinks a GPS splitter is acceptable for this use, be extra careful to performance test with that in the circuit, you may need to compare results with and without if the report shows problems.

While I want to encourage A&Ps to be doing more of these installs, they really need to be working with customers and insisting they test fly those aircraft, including even for TABS installs, and review the results together. A 2020 Compliant ADS-B Out install in a type certified glider clearly requires the A&P to make sure a test flight is done and FAA report obtained (or use fancy ADS-B Out ground test equipment which *nobody* has), all other cases are less clear... but just do it. I'm always happy to look over performance reports TABS installs will always get flagged as failing those FAA reports, which are looking only for 2020 Compliance. TABS will fail in NIC, SIL and SDA, that's expected, but the actual numbers in the report tell if it's working as a TABS device.

I am working on this now and will hopefully have some web pages up within a few weeks with setup instructions, testing instructions and other info the the TN72 in gliders in the USA.