Portable PowerFlarm hardware update

Hi Gang
Have just received back from Noel of Williams, CA my portable PowerFlarm with the new hardware update and have installed it in the Phoenix. Since I had already installed the 2.6 firmware it retained all my old settings including the FAA code for my Mode S transponder. If you have an earlier version than 2.6 note down your FAA code because it will be lost with the update.
Noel, and I think other US distributors have set up a simple and very quick procedure for this work to be done and I commend them for doing so. So this should be done now, give Noel or your distributor a call to set up the return procedure and do it before May 2013 after which there will be a fee for the work.
I hope to fly in the near future with a buddie (Bumper)who has had his portable PowerFlarm updated that he can use either in his ASH25 or his Husky. We will check both the Flarm function by having both units on and then by selectively switching either unit off for the PCAS function. (Note for PCAS performance the Flarm function must be turned off and the only way to do that is to selectively switch off one Flarm unit.)We will probably do the evaluation with the Husky and the Phoenix so we can easily position the planes wherever we wish. I will report back with our findings.
Dave

On Wednesday, March 20, 2013 10:40:50 AM UTC-7, kd6veb wrote:
Hi Gang

Have just received back from Noel of Williams, CA my portable PowerFlarm with the new hardware update and have installed it in the Phoenix. Since I had already installed the 2.6 firmware it retained all my old settings including the FAA code for my Mode S transponder. If you have an earlier version than 2.6 note down your FAA code because it will be lost with the update.

Noel, and I think other US distributors have set up a simple and very quick procedure for this work to be done and I commend them for doing so. So this should be done now, give Noel or your distributor a call to set up the return procedure and do it before May 2013 after which there will be a fee for the work.

I hope to fly in the near future with a buddie (Bumper)who has had his portable PowerFlarm updated that he can use either in his ASH25 or his Husky. We will check both the Flarm function by having both units on and then by selectively switching either unit off for the PCAS function. (Note for PCAS performance the Flarm function must be turned off and the only way to do that is to selectively switch off one Flarm unit.)We will probably do the evaluation with the Husky and the Phoenix so we can easily position the planes wherever we wish. I will report back with our findings.

Dave

Dave, PCAS is independent of the flarm function. You do not need to turn the flarm unit off to do your test.
To truly evaluate PCAS performance, you need a Zaon MRX to be able to compare between the two.

Ramy

On Wednesday, March 20, 2013 3:52:55 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
On Wednesday, March 20, 2013 10:40:50 AM UTC-7, kd6veb wrote:

Hi Gang



Have just received back from Noel of Williams, CA my portable PowerFlarm with the new hardware update and have installed it in the Phoenix. Since I had already installed the 2.6 firmware it retained all my old settings including the FAA code for my Mode S transponder. If you have an earlier version than 2.6 note down your FAA code because it will be lost with the update.



Noel, and I think other US distributors have set up a simple and very quick procedure for this work to be done and I commend them for doing so. So this should be done now, give Noel or your distributor a call to set up the return procedure and do it before May 2013 after which there will be a fee for the work.



I hope to fly in the near future with a buddie (Bumper)who has had his portable PowerFlarm updated that he can use either in his ASH25 or his Husky. We will check both the Flarm function by having both units on and then by selectively switching either unit off for the PCAS function. (Note for PCAS performance the Flarm function must be turned off and the only way to do that is to selectively switch off one Flarm unit.)We will probably do the evaluation with the Husky and the Phoenix so we can easily position the planes wherever we wish. I will report back with our findings.



Dave



Dave, PCAS is independent of the flarm function. You do not need to turn the flarm unit off to do your test.

To truly evaluate PCAS performance, you need a Zaon MRX to be able to compare between the two.



Ramy

Hi Ramy
One of us is misunderstanding the Flarm operation. Assuming 2 aircraft each with a PowerFlarm and a transponder all powered on they should talk to each other in Flarm language. The PCAS function will be ignored and not displayed. Turn one of the PowerFlarms off and the other will detect the transponder from the plane without the operating PowerFlarm. It will do this in PCAS mode. Then reverse this by switching on the off PowerFlarm and switching off the on PowerFlarm. This will allow you to check the PCAS performance of both PowerFlarms.
So you do need 2 aircraft plus 2 PowerFlarms to perform these tests but because of the criticality of the positional of the antennas I think most people after installing PowerFlarms will want to do these tests with a partner aircraft to check performance.
Dave

Dave

I do not know if the aircraft in your scenario have Mode C or Mode S transponders. For most USA pilots with transponders they will be Mode C and there is no easy way for a PowerFLARM to just "ignore" a Mode C transponder if that aircraft has a PowerFLARM as well. If the other aircraft has a Mode S transponder and the PowerFLARM is correctly configured in that aircraft to also transmit the aircraft's ICAO ID then the receiving PowerFLARM can see the same ICAO ID in bith trabsmissions and has a chance of de-duplicating the target. How well all this works in practice you can try...

Darryl

On Thursday, March 21, 2013 11:49:23 AM UTC-7, Darryl Ramm wrote:
Dave



I do not know if the aircraft in your scenario have Mode C or Mode S transponders. For most USA pilots with transponders they will be Mode C and there is no easy way for a PowerFLARM to just "ignore" a Mode C transponder if that aircraft has a PowerFLARM as well. If the other aircraft has a Mode S transponder and the PowerFLARM is correctly configured in that aircraft to also transmit the aircraft's ICAO ID then the receiving PowerFLARM can see the same ICAO ID in bith trabsmissions and has a chance of de-duplicating the target. How well all this works in practice you can try...



Darryl

Good point Darryl. For mode C it has no way to tell which aircraft transmitting and I know from experience that it will show both flarm and PCAS from that aircraft. However I can't say for mode S if they implemented such filtering or not.

Ramy

On Thursday, March 21, 2013 3:57:45 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
On Thursday, March 21, 2013 11:49:23 AM UTC-7, Darryl Ramm wrote:

Dave







I do not know if the aircraft in your scenario have Mode C or Mode S transponders. For most USA pilots with transponders they will be Mode C and there is no easy way for a PowerFLARM to just "ignore" a Mode C transponder if that aircraft has a PowerFLARM as well. If the other aircraft has a Mode S transponder and the PowerFLARM is correctly configured in that aircraft to also transmit the aircraft's ICAO ID then the receiving PowerFLARM can see the same ICAO ID in bith trabsmissions and has a chance of de-duplicating the target. How well all this works in practice you can try...







Darryl



Good point Darryl. For mode C it has no way to tell which aircraft transmitting and I know from experience that it will show both flarm and PCAS from that aircraft. However I can't say for mode S if they implemented such filtering or not.



Ramy

I believe so. Try it, you just need somebody with a TT-21/22 and a PowerFLARM.

Of course the ultimate reason to be ablt to see PCAS is to not have transponders interrogated by a SSR radar or TCAS/TCAD source. So Dave/Bumper no running way down low out in the Nevada boondocks when you test for this.

Darryl

On Thursday, March 21, 2013 3:57:45 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:
On Thursday, March 21, 2013 11:49:23 AM UTC-7, Darryl Ramm wrote:

Dave







I do not know if the aircraft in your scenario have Mode C or Mode S transponders. For most USA pilots with transponders they will be Mode C and there is no easy way for a PowerFLARM to just "ignore" a Mode C transponder if that aircraft has a PowerFLARM as well. If the other aircraft has a Mode S transponder and the PowerFLARM is correctly configured in that aircraft to also transmit the aircraft's ICAO ID then the receiving PowerFLARM can see the same ICAO ID in bith trabsmissions and has a chance of de-duplicating the target. How well all this works in practice you can try...







Darryl



Good point Darryl. For mode C it has no way to tell which aircraft transmitting and I know from experience that it will show both flarm and PCAS from that aircraft. However I can't say for mode S if they implemented such filtering or not.



Ramy

Ramy,

How annoying / confusing is it to have both Flarm and PCAS warnings displayed? I'm installing Mode C for this season (not my first choice, but better than nothing) and want to get a feel for whether this will make me unwelcome in the gaggle.

Thanks,
Craig

Mode C or Mode S, when flying near a transponder and flarm equipped aircraft you will get both transponder target (the number on the circle) and a Flarm target.

I've seen this many times in the last year. The only real problem with the implementation is that at some point an audio alert was added for when a transponder was within a certain range. Maybe 1 mile??? I have found that to alert at times when thermalling with a transponder equipped glider. It's only a single beep if I remember right. It's been 6+ months now.

I don't find it to be a problem, but certainly is something that could eventually be optimized. I hope that optimizing that behavior is down on their priority list a ways though.


Morgan


On Friday, March 22, 2013 11:18:48 AM UTC-7, Craig Funston wrote:
On Thursday, March 21, 2013 3:57:45 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote:

On Thursday, March 21, 2013 11:49:23 AM UTC-7, Darryl Ramm wrote:



Dave















I do not know if the aircraft in your scenario have Mode C or Mode S transponders. For most USA pilots with transponders they will be Mode C and there is no easy way for a PowerFLARM to just "ignore" a Mode C transponder if that aircraft has a PowerFLARM as well. If the other aircraft has a Mode S transponder and the PowerFLARM is correctly configured in that aircraft to also transmit the aircraft's ICAO ID then the receiving PowerFLARM can see the same ICAO ID in bith trabsmissions and has a chance of de-duplicating the target. How well all this works in practice you can try...















Darryl







Good point Darryl. For mode C it has no way to tell which aircraft transmitting and I know from experience that it will show both flarm and PCAS from that aircraft. However I can't say for mode S if they implemented such filtering or not.







Ramy



Ramy,



How annoying / confusing is it to have both Flarm and PCAS warnings displayed? I'm installing Mode C for this season (not my first choice, but better than nothing) and want to get a feel for whether this will make me unwelcome in the gaggle.



Thanks,

Craig