FLARM firmware release schedule

On Jan 5, 8:49*am, Kenneth Kilbourne
wrote:
-- Matt
Can someone explain the differences between the Vaon MRX and the FLARM ?

Only if you learn to trim your relies. Oh nevermind...

Zaon MRX implements PCAS, its a passive listener of transponder relies
(so those transponders need to be interrogated by something else like
SSR radar or TCAS). You get accurate altitude information from the
Mode C or Mode S transponders in nearby aircraft, but no direction
information and a guesstimate of range based on received RF power.
PCAS only sees aircraft equipped with Mode C or Mode S transponders.

Flarm is much much more sophisticated/capable and uses a bidirectional
data-link that transmits GPS coordinates (including altitude) and
predicted flight path data to all nearby Flarm receivers. These
classic Flarm devices (as opposed to PowerFLARM) will only "see" other
Flarm equipped aircraft. Because of the high presision predicted
flight path Flarm devices are particularly effective at avoiding false
alarms and can provide a level of precision and usability well beyond
any PCAS type devices and are much better suited for the glider-glider
and glider-towplane type situations we encounter. Flarm devices also
include handy IGC flight recorder capabilities.

PowerFLARM provides the classic Flarm capability as well as including
a PCAS receiver that will provide Zaon MRX like PCAS capability and
ADS-B 1090ES receiver capability and will have an IGC flight recorder
approved up to three diamond level. You can search this newsgroup for
posts from me an others to find out more about what the 1090ES
receiver part will and will not buy you over time.

Many other things have been discussed here as well about PowerFLARM so
before restarting things that have been covered before please search
the newsgroup archive. And to be clear I'm talking here about the
PowerFLARM model in the USA, standard configurations and options for
models in other regions may vary.

Some useful information about PowerFLARM for the USA is available here
http://www.gliderpilot.org/FLARM

Darryl

On Jan 5, 8:40*am, mattm wrote:
The RF changes (the new frequency for the US?) is a very minor change.
FLARM already runs on different frequencies in different parts of the
world.

Since you do not seem to have read the reference included in my
initial post I'll repeat some of it he

"Release 5 contains a new, higher performance FLARM engine which will
be able to process more aircraft, a major redesign of the software
required for integration of FLARM-features into hang-gliders and
powered aircraft (PowerFLARM), its software-data-fusion with
transponder-data and related requirements from regulators like EASA
and FCC. This requires a modification to the radio communication
amongst the units where we introduce frequency hopping to increase the
radio bandwidth and reliability as well as some back-and-forth radio
bursts for checking radio communication quality."

Please note the expressions "a major redesign" and "we introduce
frequency hopping". On what basis do you assert that this is a "very
minor change"?


Andy