PowerFLARM Brick and PowerFLARM Remote Display Manuals Available

On Tuesday, May 15, 2012 6:07:22 AM UTC-7, vontresc wrote:
"Mike Schumann" wrote in message
news:31491127.1380.1337048349190.JavaMail.geo-discussion-forums@vbih30...
On Monday, May 14, 2012 6:31:57 PM UTC-5, Paul Remde wrote:
"Dixie Sierra" wrote in message
....
On May 10, 9:52 am, "Paul Remde"
wrote:
Hi,

FLARM has made the preliminary manuals for PowerFLARM Brick and
PowerFLARM
Remote Displays available he

Manuals and Software
Updateshttp://powerflarm.us/manuals-software-updates-and-release-notes/

The first Brick units will be used and tested at the Mifflin contest..

It is my understanding that hardware changes were made to the Brick to
improve the range. If they work well at Mifflin, existing Portable
units
will need hardware upgrades.

It looks like we are finally in the home stretch in regard to
PowerFLARM
availability - which is great news.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

What's the latest on the cost of the Butterfly display and will it
display Mode C and Mode S traffic? For that matter, what's the status
of Mode C, Mode S in Power Flarm?

I'm all in favor in PowerFlarm. However, contest flying is a small
portion of my overall flying. Awareness of glider threats is
important. But in my environment, awareness of GA threats is equally
important.

It may be a while before PowerFlarm is all that we want it to be? But
what is it now with respect to Mode C and Mode S threat display?

thanks,
Doug

__________________________

Hi Doug,

The PowerFLARM software does support the display of FLARM, ADS-B and Mode
S/C traffic.

The remote displays that are provided by FLARM for use with the
PowerFLARM
Brick do display all those traffic types.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

Note that PowerFLARM does NOT support TIS-B data transmitted by ADS-B
ground stations, which is very disappointing.

From what I understand is that you only get TIS-B if you are ADS-B out. That
kind of surprised me as well when I found out about that bit of info, but
that's the way it works.

Peter

Actually its more than that. Yes you need ADS-B data-out, and you need that ADS-B data-out set up properly to also flag your aircraft can receive ADS-B data-in for the ADS-B ground stations to broadcast TIS-B data describing aircraft flying "near" your aircraft. But even with all that the PowerFLARM simply does not implement TIS-B--it does not decode TIS-B format messages. That reflects its European roots, TIS-B is a USA only thing. How important if at all this is is to be seen. Getting ADS-B data-out in most aircraft, including gliders, is currently such a pain in the ass that all this is mostly academic.

And remember you only get TIS-B if those threat aircraft are transponder equipped and flying under SSR radar coverage and TIS-B services are deployed for where you are flying (ie. the radar facilities are providing TIB data to the ADS-B ground infrastructure. For glider applications this is a lot less interesting amount of airspace than where PCAS works today, but at least TIS-B does provide direction data if you happen to ba in an area where it works and you have all the crap needed to receive it.

In the big picture TIS-B was supposed to encourage early adoption of ADS-B/help during a transition to ADS-B technology. But it is unclear whether TIS-B will see much use in GA aircraft at all.... if we don't get much ADS-B adoption soon (pretty much stalled by the FAA's own STC requirements etc.) and then get to ~2020 with a sudden rush of forced ADS-B data-out installations then the TIS-B data won't be that important, as there just won't be a gradual transition to worry about and instead traffic systems will rely more on ADS-B direct and ADS-R. (and importantly I suspect ADS-B direct will dominate since I suspect 1090ES data-out deployment is going to dwarf UAT data-out). The PowerFLARM does ADS-B direct today (e.g. you see airliners and any GA aircraft with 1090ES data-out and via PCAS you see (range and altitude but no direction) all Mode C and Mode S aircraft (as long as something (SSR radar or TCAS/TCAD etc.) is interrogating their transponders).

All this is USA specific. In Europe things look much much better and like they will remain 1090ES only. I expect the FAA's deployment of ADS-B based technology to fill case studies in future of how not to deploy/encourage adoption of new technology.

Darryl