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2/5/2012 10:58 PM
 

Hi all,

I'd like to hear from some of those who have purchased the SkyRadar units and are now using them with the iFly 700. I am looking towards making a purchase of a SkyRadar unit later this year and I'd like to see how the units are performing in the field with the iFly 700 and maybe see what glitches have been discovered. Does everyone feel that the SkyRadar was worth the purchase?

Sam

 
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2/5/2012 11:18 PM
 

I am unhappy with the SkyRadar as I cannot get any traffic, winds aloft or NOTAMS even in the LA Basin besides it changes modes to vector mode when I click on weather. I think it is much too complicated for a cockpit; that is unless I am doing something wrong. I have heard some on this forum say they get traffic and winds aloft, but not mine. I have not tried to return it, but I am getting close. The NavWorx seems to be easier ti get to work.

 
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2/6/2012 7:58 AM
 

I bought my SkyRadar primarily to have subscription-free weather radar in the cockpit. For that, it works fine.

I have not seen a traffic alert on mine, but there is a known limitation that an aircraft in the area needs to be transmitting ADSB-out before the FAA will broadcast traffic information in that area...since the SkyRadar is only a receiver and not a transmitter, another plane in the area must have a transmitter to wake up the FAA's broadcast before the SkyRadar can receive it.

Others have reported issues with winds aloft, but I have not tried to use that in the cockpit and can't say whether it works in my area or not.

I am happy with my purchase.

 
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2/6/2012 9:34 AM
 

I've now flown several flights with the 700/SkyRadar combination. Weather works fine (excepting the winds aloft which I believe is an iFly issue rather than Skyradar) - even actually had radar weather show up on the last flight right where it should be. For my type of flying I don't find it to be an issue to switch to the vector (weather mode) periodically to look at the weather (I can still tell where I am on the Vector map;-). Again currently that's an iFly display limitation rather than a SkyRadar issue.

Traffic - Have had nothing but that again is due to current FAA policy of only transmitting that data only when Pinged. So my understanding is it really isn't going to work unless you spring for something with ADSB-Out also.

In summary, I'm happy with the purchase. I just can't justify $2500+ for an ADSB transciever, the SkyRadar gets me weather and my existing Zaon unit gets me traffic. Looking forward to Walter and the team adding a few tweaks on the weather display end (I hope).

 
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2/6/2012 10:53 AM
 

The Winds Aloft is an iFly problem, which we will get fixed in version 7. As others have said, you will never get reliable traffic with the SkyRadar. Folks with the NavWorx transceiver have reported good traffic data, and like how the iFly displays and alerts...but that is a $2500 unit. Notams are rare...in all the recordings I've taken with our SkyRadar I've never seen a notam or TFR report. This may be something the FAA is rolling out in mass later, or perhaps they just don't have much cause to send them in my area. Currently, if a notam came through, it will not be shown on the iFly but we will enhance the interface to include this data as we expect it to eventually be common practice.

-Walter


Walter Boyd
President, Adventure Pilot
 
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