FLARM vs ADS-B XCSoar

I'm a newer pilot, recently solo. I purchased a Russian AC-4C with TRIG transponder already installed.

I know I can purchase a Power FLARM for around $1,500 and have it display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on my Tablet with XCSoar.

Is there a way to have the ADS-B and other traffic appear on the XCSoar display?

John

On 11/8/2016 1:39 PM, John Smith wrote:
I'm a newer pilot, recently solo. I purchased a Russian AC-4C with TRIG transponder already installed.

I know I can purchase a Power FLARM for around $1,500 and have it display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on my Tablet with XCSoar.

Is there a way to have the ADS-B and other traffic appear on the XCSoar display?

John

Hi John, If you send the data stream from the flarm to your device
running XCSoar it will display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on the moving map
or on the radar screen.

Luke

On Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 12:08:25 PM UTC-8, Luke Szczepaniak wrote:
On 11/8/2016 1:39 PM, John Smith wrote:
I'm a newer pilot, recently solo. I purchased a Russian AC-4C with TRIG transponder already installed.

I know I can purchase a Power FLARM for around $1,500 and have it display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on my Tablet with XCSoar.

Is there a way to have the ADS-B and other traffic appear on the XCSoar display?

John

Hi John, If you send the data stream from the flarm to your device
running XCSoar it will display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on the moving map
or on the radar screen.

Luke

Luke,

Thanks, but I don't have a FLARM and just wanted to display any traffic from the Transponder.

I could drop $1500 on a Flarm but the ADS-B seems to be the future.

On 11/8/2016 4:14 PM, John Smith wrote:
On Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 12:08:25 PM UTC-8, Luke Szczepaniak wrote:
On 11/8/2016 1:39 PM, John Smith wrote:
I'm a newer pilot, recently solo. I purchased a Russian AC-4C with TRIG transponder already installed.

I know I can purchase a Power FLARM for around $1,500 and have it display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on my Tablet with XCSoar.

Is there a way to have the ADS-B and other traffic appear on the XCSoar display?

John

Hi John, If you send the data stream from the flarm to your device
running XCSoar it will display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on the moving map
or on the radar screen.

Luke

Luke,

Thanks, but I don't have a FLARM and just wanted to display any traffic from the Transponder.

I could drop $1500 on a Flarm but the ADS-B seems to be the future.


I believe there were some people working with RPi and ADS-B receivers so
in theory it is possible as long as you don't mind tinkering. There is
no out of box solution. The best place to ask would be on the xcsoar
forums. https://forum.xcsoar.org/

Luke

On Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 1:33:22 PM UTC-8, Luke Szczepaniak wrote:
On 11/8/2016 4:14 PM, John Smith wrote:
On Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 12:08:25 PM UTC-8, Luke Szczepaniak wrote:
On 11/8/2016 1:39 PM, John Smith wrote:
I'm a newer pilot, recently solo. I purchased a Russian AC-4C with TRIG transponder already installed.

I know I can purchase a Power FLARM for around $1,500 and have it display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on my Tablet with XCSoar.

Is there a way to have the ADS-B and other traffic appear on the XCSoar display?

John

Hi John, If you send the data stream from the flarm to your device
running XCSoar it will display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on the moving map
or on the radar screen.

Luke

Luke,

Thanks, but I don't have a FLARM and just wanted to display any traffic from the Transponder.

I could drop $1500 on a Flarm but the ADS-B seems to be the future.


I believe there were some people working with RPi and ADS-B receivers so
in theory it is possible as long as you don't mind tinkering. There is
no out of box solution. The best place to ask would be on the xcsoar
forums. https://forum.xcsoar.org/

Luke

Homebuilt ADS-B in
Stratux
http://stratux.me/

On Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 3:14:45 PM UTC-6, John Smith wrote:
On Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 12:08:25 PM UTC-8, Luke Szczepaniak wrote:
On 11/8/2016 1:39 PM, John Smith wrote:
I'm a newer pilot, recently solo. I purchased a Russian AC-4C with TRIG transponder already installed.

I know I can purchase a Power FLARM for around $1,500 and have it display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on my Tablet with XCSoar.

Is there a way to have the ADS-B and other traffic appear on the XCSoar display?

John

Hi John, If you send the data stream from the flarm to your device
running XCSoar it will display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on the moving map
or on the radar screen.

Luke

Luke,

Thanks, but I don't have a FLARM and just wanted to display any traffic from the Transponder.

I could drop $1500 on a Flarm but the ADS-B seems to be the future.

PowerFLARM will display ALL mode-S 1090ES ADS-B traffic on your map and "radar", along with non-directional transponder (Mode 3C or Mode-S). What it will not show is UAT-ADS-B traffic. Note that in the US, you still have to have at least a Mode 3C transponder with your UAT ADS-B out, so you will theoretically see all transponder and ADS-B traffic.

On my PF I see local ADS-B traffic just fine (local medevac helo that comes into a hospital nearby, and a local RV-6 that has Mode-S ADS-B installed. Regular transponders also show up, but not as reliably and at relatively close range.

Remember, unless you install a fully compliant ADS-B out system, there isn't any reliable way to get ALL ADS-B traffic into your cockpit. Yet.

Kirk
66

Yes. You'll need a serial to Bluetooth converter which plugs into the
Flarm and transmits to the tablet. Then, on the tablet, you need to
enable the interface to setup the communication and configure XCSoar to
display the Flarm radar display and Flarm targets. ADS-B comes along
for the ride.

I have a K6BT serial to Bluetooth converter for sale since I upgraded my
system to a K6BT-Mux to connect other equipment into the network. My
converter and a couple of cables ($245 retail) are priced at $125.

On 11/8/2016 11:39 AM, John Smith wrote:
I'm a newer pilot, recently solo. I purchased a Russian AC-4C with TRIG transponder already installed.

I know I can purchase a Power FLARM for around $1,500 and have it display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on my Tablet with XCSoar.

Is there a way to have the ADS-B and other traffic appear on the XCSoar display?

John

--
Dan, 5J

Your transponder doesn't receive/display ADS-B. You need an ADS-B
receiver for that. Flarm receives Flarm, ADS-B, and PCAS targets and
displays them on its own screen or a connected display in the case of
the brick. Using Bluetooth, you can have all of the above displayed on
your XCSoar device, I think. The XCSoar may only display Flarm
targets. Next time I fly, I'll extend the Flarm's range so I can see
some airliners and see if they're displayed in XCSoar.

Dan

On 11/8/2016 2:14 PM, John Smith wrote:
On Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 12:08:25 PM UTC-8, Luke Szczepaniak wrote:
On 11/8/2016 1:39 PM, John Smith wrote:
I'm a newer pilot, recently solo. I purchased a Russian AC-4C with TRIG transponder already installed.

I know I can purchase a Power FLARM for around $1,500 and have it display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on my Tablet with XCSoar.

Is there a way to have the ADS-B and other traffic appear on the XCSoar display?

John

Hi John, If you send the data stream from the flarm to your device
running XCSoar it will display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on the moving map
or on the radar screen.

Luke
Luke,

Thanks, but I don't have a FLARM and just wanted to display any traffic from the Transponder.

I could drop $1500 on a Flarm but the ADS-B seems to be the future.

--
Dan, 5J

On Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 1:39:57 PM UTC-5, John Smith wrote:
I'm a newer pilot, recently solo. I purchased a Russian AC-4C with TRIG transponder already installed.

I know I can purchase a Power FLARM for around $1,500 and have it display FLARM and ADS-B traffic on my Tablet with XCSoar.

Is there a way to have the ADS-B and other traffic appear on the XCSoar display?

John

The reality is that FLARM is a half baked ADS-B solution. It doesn't display UAT equipped aircraft, nor does it display TIS-B data being transmitted from ADS-B ground stations.

The reality is that ADS-B is the future. FLARM may be an appropriate solution if you are flying in a contest with other FLARM equipped gliders. If you are flying recreationally, you should be looking at a solution that will reliably display not only other gliders, but all GA aircraft.

Hopefully, by the end of the year, you will be able to buy an economical GPS source for your TRIG transponder, so you can have ADS-B OUT, which is required to trigger TIS-B from ADS-B ground stations. If you buy a low cost ADS-B receiver (get a dual frequency one), and couple it with an iPhone or iPAD app, and you will be able to see all other ADS-B and transponder equipped aircraft in your area. You will be amazed by how many planes are out there that you never see visually.

On Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 8:19:28 PM UTC-6, Mike Schumann wrote:
The reality is that FLARM is a half baked ADS-B solution. It doesn't display UAT equipped aircraft, nor does it display TIS-B data being transmitted from ADS-B ground stations.

Here we go again ;^)

In a word, bull****. Powerflarm is a fully baked glider-to-glider cooperative anti-collision system (good enough to be mandatory in some countries) that also displays ALL 1090ES ADS-B aircraft (the majority out there, and pretty much all ADS-B equipped fast movers and heavies) and ALL legacy transponder equipped aircraft (but only as range/altitude warnings, unfortunately). Oh, and in the US, if you decide to go UAT for your ADS-B solution, you still have to have a transponder, so guess what - PF will still see you.

PowerFLARM is also available, RIGHT NOW, and comes in a format that integrates easily with glider displays.

What PowerFLARM does not do, and was NEVER designed to so, is give you the free carrot - I mean weather, or TIS-B (pretty much all traffic). And of course, without ADS-B out, ADS-B in will not show you all TIS-B traffic unless you are lucky enough to be near a ADS-B out aircraft.


Then there is the problem of displaying that nice TIS-B info. So now you need an ADS-B compatible GPS source, hook it up to your Trig 22, a dual band ADS-B receiver, and a diplay from the aviation division of Apple, all shoved into your huge glider instrument panel.

Show some pictures when you get that done! Or get a PF and show traffic on your nav display, today.


The reality is that ADS-B is the future. FLARM may be an appropriate solution if you are flying in a contest with other FLARM equipped gliders. If you are flying recreationally, you should be looking at a solution that will reliably display not only other gliders, but all GA aircraft.

So, Mike, show us your cockpit setup with ADS-B in/out. And how much did it cost?


Hopefully, by the end of the year, you will be able to buy an economical GPS source for your TRIG transponder, so you can have ADS-B OUT, which is required to trigger TIS-B from ADS-B ground stations. If you buy a low cost ADS-B receiver (get a dual frequency one), and couple it with an iPhone or iPAD app, and you will be able to see all other ADS-B and transponder equipped aircraft in your area. You will be amazed by how many planes are out there that you never see visually.

"Hopefully"? That's your plan? Pretty weak, dude! I've been flying with my PF for 3 years now seeing traffic no problem, plus having the benefits of the FLARM collision avoidance features when around other similarly equipped gliders. An inexpensive ADS-B out and in solution that would be legal and talk to existing glider displays would be nice to have, but it DOES NOT EXIST TODAY! It's inexcusable that the FAA did not allow a "VFR-ONLY" non-certified portable ADS-B in/out system to be used. Heck, you could probably make one for a few hundred bucks and GIVE them away; if they prevented one mid-air the cost would be covered!

Kirk
66