Anyone ever built one of these?

Camera's, GPSs and other Gizmos (please let me know if you find an existing thread to be moved into this NEW section)
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Vtaildriver
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Anyone ever built one of these?

Post by Vtaildriver »

Found this video on you tube. It is a u build ads-b with tis for your iPad for about $140.

https://youtu.be/0rEOJrw4ds8

If anyone has built one let me know how well it works.

Chris

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Cheap ADS-B

Post by martinwalker1 »

I have one. Lots of ADS-B antennas on the ground around here (just south of Washington DC SFRA) and lots of ADS-B equipped airplanes going to IAD and DCA. See a lot more targets on my PCAS (Zaon into Garmin 396) and XM weather is better IMO but this is much better than nothing and certainly worth $120.

Easy to build and works OK but it's not like a certified ADS-B system and I'm waiting till I absolutely have to buy one or till they get cheaper.

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Mog
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Post by Mog »

I just assembled one of these yesterday. I have not flown it to get weather yet but the GPS and ADSB seems to work well enough. Traffic at the moment seems to be more of a novelty but the weather will be nice. That said I can usually get weather via cell signal where I currently fly.

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Post by compassheading »

I built one. It was an enjoyable built project. Have only flown it once. It worked. Weather was too nice when I flew with it to form an opinion on capability.

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Mog
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Post by Mog »

Flew mine today for the first time. It picked up traffic easily as well as weather. It even showed me as traffic. I need to program in an exclusion for my transponder so it doesn't show me. I'm very satisfied with the $100 I spent rather than $8-900 for a stratus

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Post by TomD »

Flew mine today for the first time. It picked up traffic easily as well as weather.
What did you use to display the information?

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Mog
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Post by Mog »

I used my IPhone 6s Plus and Foreflight.

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TomD
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Post by TomD »

Unfortunately the rig dies not work with Garmin pilot.

While I like Garmin Pilot, I may have to move to Foreflight as it seems to be in the lead for usefulness and staying on top of the pilot's needs.

Also found that Garmin Pilot cannot be sync'ed into the ADS-B system offered with the 430W I have without popping for another bit bucks gizmo.

I am looking for a very low cost ADS-B out solution and I can get weather and traffic w/ a Raspberry Pi rig on Foreflight.

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Post by captnkirk »

Tom I liked the Garmin app also but like you I found it really drives you to use all their products. I've since bought a Stratus ads-b receiver and like the weather products. I will install their transponder when it comes out. I still have an xm weather subscription I use with a Garmin 496 but plan on canceling it at that time. While it would be nice to upgrade my old Garmin 250 it gets the job done and the cost is hard to justify in my mind.
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Mog
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Post by Mog »

The new Stratux software mimics the freeflight module that is advertis d with Garmin products. Not saying it's compatible but who knows as the software evolves.

When my Stratux connects to ForeFlight it shows it as being a freeflight box.

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Post by Mog »

Printing a case for the unit. Feels much less hokey now. Performance has been decent so far. Spotted several planes I would have seen otherwise today. And has helped with rouge pilots coming into a busy pattern from every which corner. It certainly does not get every plane, but it gets a good chunk of them.

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Post by Andy Young »

I recently ordered the parts to build the Stratux receiver. Before I did so, I had a look at the instructions under the Stratux link on the homebuiltHelp website. I just recieved the parts, and went back to the site to look at the instructions again, but things seem to have changed. Now when I click the Stratux link, it takes me to a GitHub site that has various pages discussing Stratux, but it's all in programmer-speak, which I don't understand. I swear that I remember a very clear-looking set of user-level instructions. Where do I find those?

I know the video tells you most of when you need to know, but I still need the link and instructions for downloading the software to the microSD card.
Thanks.
Andy

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Post by Andy Young »

Ok, I think I found the correct instructions, and followed them to download the software onto the microSD card. I got the whole thing assembled and powered up, but my ForeFlight doesn't seem to see it. I don't get the message in the upper right corner of the map screen about tower status. What do I need to do to connect the Stratux to Foreflight? In the iPad, I tried going to Settings>Bluetooth>Devices but I don't see anything there to connect to. If it was there, what would it be called? Do I evenneedto do that, or am I heading down the wrong path?

Sorry for all the questions; hoping this will be a quick illumination from someone who's already done it.

Thanks

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Post by pilot »

I'm with Duane - if the magic smoke gets out you will have problems.
I can't remember if I fired six shots, or only five.....


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Post by andy »

I have the Stratus II with ForeFlight Pro on my iPad mini. The Stratus II hardware and software is extremely well designed but of course you have to spend $900 for it. The battery really does last 8 hours and connecting to it is the simplest of any wi-fi device that I've ever encountered. The connection is rock solid and never drops. Can't say the same for the GoPro camera.

The integration of the Stratus with ForeFlight is really amazing. Obviously, ForeFlight was designed specifically for the Stratus.

The Stratus II is small enough to fit in my flight bag inside its protective cover and rugged enough to survive a few drops when the suction cup gave way.

It's amazing that Appareo crammed a GPS WAAS receiver, ADS-B-In receiver, their antennas and an AHRS into a box this size and which performs all of its functions so well.

It's not that I don't like to build less expensive, cool electronics (which I do) but there's more to these complicated little boxes than just the ADS-B receiver, which is why I think the $900 is worth it.
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