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New GRT software: Enroute HITS, ADS-B TFRs, and more!

KatieB

KatieB

Well Known Member
We've just posted new software for our Horizon HX & HXr and Sport SX display units. New features include:

Enroute Highway-In-The-Sky (HITS)

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ADS-B TFRs (not shown here yet) and N-numbers. Note the ADS-B traffic at 12 o'clock-- Aircraft participating with ADS-B Out will have N numbers displayed. (Mode C traffic does not.) Also, this shot shows the new SVE Synthetic Vision Elevation number for cruise flight, derived from the synthetic vision database and GPS altitude or baro setting. It's the green number below the flight path marker.

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Another shot, this time with the non-shaded METAR map, which shows N numbers a little clearer.

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And by request-- A compass rose ring and the option for airspeed and altitude tapes on the North-Up page.

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Software updates are free as always and available on the Sport SX, Horizon HX and HXr software pages of our website. There are a large number of minor updates with the new software as well-- be sure to read the revision notes on the software download page so you know what to expect. Let me know how you like it!
 
Will there be any more updates to the WS? The last one was 8/2012. We sure could use "Don't reset alarm inhibits on transition to in-flight".
 
Katie,
Will 6c allow me to use the gps in the SkyRadar D2 as gps 2? If so, how do I activate it, as it is USB based not serial.

Bob
 
Not related to this update but does any one know if we can have a customized (multiple page) as the start up page. This is when I power up the system, it will go to my selected split screen of map/eng?
 
Bavafa said:
Not related to this update but does any one know if we can have a customized (multiple page) as the start up page. This is when I power up the system, it will go to my selected split screen of map/eng?
Click to expand...

The answer is "yes". Choose your start up page as described in the Horizon set up manual, page 2-5 (grtavionics.com). I see map/engine as one of the options.
 
BobTurner said:
The answer is "yes". Choose your start up page as described in the Horizon set up manual, page 2-5 (grtavionics.com). I see map/engine as one of the options.
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Great and thanks. I will give it a try when I go to upgrade the S/W.
 
Installed the update on my Hxr this afternoon and it looked great on the ground. Will fly it tomorrow. I am very happy with my decision to upgrade to Hxr as the improvements just keep coming. Customer support has been excellent, as well.
 
BobTurner said:
Katie,
Will 6c allow me to use the gps in the SkyRadar D2 as gps 2? If so, how do I activate it, as it is USB based not serial.

Bob
Click to expand...

In an earlier test of this latest release, I was ale to assign the SkyRadar GPS data stream as GPS2 on Leggs' plane (HXr + Mini).

James
 
Bavafa said:
Not related to this update but does any one know if we can have a customized (multiple page) as the start up page. This is when I power up the system, it will go to my selected split screen of map/eng?
Click to expand...

You can also disable different pages that you don't want displayed so you don't have to scroll through them.
 
Bavafa said:
Great idea, there are a few of the pages that I never use. Any idea as how to disable them?
Click to expand...

Not at a unit now so this is VERY general ...

Select "SET MENU"
In either the "General Settings" area or the "Display Unit Maintenance" section (I can't remember which area), scroll down a bit and you will see options of each page to display or not.

All of the pages will be listed and you "select" or "push to change" the RIGHT KNOB, rotate one click and press it again.

Rotate RIGHT KNOB to move down to the next page and select display or not.

Basically look around and it is one of those things that once you see it, it will be very obvious.

James
 
Bavafa said:
Great idea, there are a few of the pages that I never use. Any idea as how to disable them?
Click to expand...

On the display I have on my desk, it's under Set Menu > General Setup. (Could be Display Unit Maintenance on older units/software)

Scroll to Default Page and select which page you want to appear on startup. This is really useful if you have multiple screens and want to designate one to be the map or engine by default on startup.

When you're done with that, the next setting in the list is Page Selection. Highlight it and press the knob to enter the sub-menu and you can see the screen shot below. Turn OFF all the screens you don't have a use for. SAVE your settings!

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As far as software for WS and HS units-- I'll let Jeff know that there's an interest in the alarm inhibit software and see how hard it would be to adapt it and some of the other features for the older units. The general trend is that unless it's safety-related, we're investing our programming time into the EFIS systems currently in production.
 
nightflier said:
Can I add ADSB to my GRT units? Which TXP do I need, and can I use the Garmin GDL39?
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All that information is on our website here: ADS-B for GRT

Garmin will not share their data stream with us from the GDL39, so no.

If you want to use a non-certified GPS until 2020, you'll need a Trig transponder. Garmin transponders require use of their certified GPS or FreeFlight systems, both of which are quite expensive. You can also install an all-in-one UAT transceiver such as the NavWorx ADS600-BG or FreeFlight RANGR, both of which send out their signals over serial link to GRT display units.
 
GPS Backup

The new software also allows use of the GPS signal from my Navworx ADS to serve as a navigation backup to my Garmin 480. With "failure" of the 480, the HX connected to the ADS automatically switches to the "backup" GPS source and the navigation map stays in view. Very cool.
 
330drvr said:
The new software also allows use of the GPS signal from my Navworx ADS to serve as a navigation backup to my Garmin 480. With "failure" of the 480, the HX connected to the ADS automatically switches to the "backup" GPS source and the navigation map stays in view. Very cool.
Click to expand...

We've had several requests for this and I'm glad Jeff was able to make it work. With people adding GPS-based gizmos to their airplanes, GPS antennas tend to appear on their glare shields like weed patches. :p Let's see, EFIS GPS + Mini + handheld GPS + ADS-B receiver... It's nice to make at least one do double-duty!
 
I'm assuming yes, but...

Will the DualXGPS170 also serve as a rollover GPS backup to an EXT-WAAS on the HXr?
 
I just talked to Jeff about the ADS-B GPS feature.

He said the only one we've tested is the SkyRadar GPS, but in theory all the receivers we use, including the Dual, use the same protocol so they should all work as long as their GPS is independent. (The only one that doesn't have an independent, internal GPS is the FDS Pathfinder.)

The signal will be switched automatically only if both GPS sources are assigned as GPS1 or GPS2. However, this could cause jumpiness of the position readout and is not a recommended setup.

Jeff recommends assigning each GPS its own designation, GPS1 or GPS2, and manually switching if one is lost. (There is an EFIS alert for GPS LOST.) Our system does have a "dead reckoning" feature that takes AHRS data and GPS track collected before GPS loss and extrapolates it to keep the map moving, so you would have ample time to switch GPS receivers in the event of a failure. I had a GPS failure once on a long cross country in the middle of Georgia, kept my heading and altitude as precisely as possible, and the dead reckoning calculation was right on after half an hour of flight. I did have to remember how to read a Sectional again, though. :eek:
 
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National ADSB Radar?

As soon as I installed the new HX software yesterday, a traffic target showed up on my screen. It had TXP code and N number displayed with it. The neat part is I was sitting in my hangar and got the traffic despite not being in reception range of an ADSB station. I recognized the N number as my neighbors Mooney. He recently installed ADSB in and out in his plane so I presume I was picking up his equipment's output.

Can anyone tell me why I can not see the national radar from my Flight Data ADSB receiver on the HX? I know it is there because I can see it on my Android Tablet running Aware. ADSB delivers radar in two separate streams, regional and CONUS (continental US). Why does the HX software not let me see it? Am I overlooking something? I sent a e-mail to GRT tech support regarding this about 3 weeks ago but have not gotten an answer. When on a long cross country In a fast airplane I like to see the radar more than 2 to 300 miles ahead of me. Garmin 3GX and Dynon Skyview display it.

Martin Sutter
Dual HX + GRT Mini-X
 
I up loaded the new software and now I see my own shadow as traffic. I have had my flight ID (N# and Mode S address) previously added and also confirmed that is still there but I see myself as a traffic. In a 40 minute flight today, this did not happen 100% of the time but many time and mostly when there were other traffic around. I also did not see any N# but that simply could be that they were all mode C traffic and not ADSB-out

Is there any other settings that need to be changed for my own shadow not to be displayed?

I do see TFR in the map now.
 
GPS Backup

To expand on my previous post, I did designate the ADS GPS signal as GPS2 on the right hand HX. I flew this morning and shut down the Garmin 480. The right hand HX switched to the backup GPS map by itself. The left hand HX (which is not directly wired to the Navworx ADS) displayed the dead reckoning map. I then restarted the 480, and after it acquired its position, everything (both screens) reverted to normal operation.
 
Hopefully this will save someone some time? Here is an FYI sort of gotcha when doing the GRT software upgrade:

If you have a USB multiport hub, and you have the sectional charts on a thumb drive plugged into one of those ports, and you then you stick another thumb drive into another port and try to do the EFIS software update, the Horizon HXr will NOT recognize the second thumb drive, it won't see the .dat file, and the update will not proceed.

The solution is simple: Remove the thumb drive with charts on it from the other USB port, and restart the procedure. The Horizon will then find the thumb drive with the .dat file on it, and the update will complete normally.

It took some futzing around to figure this out. Cheers! :)
 
Martin-- I'll ask Jeff about the national weather. Last time I asked (well over a year ago) he said it wasn't worth displaying because, between the delayed refresh rate and the poor resolution of the national display, it could do more harm than good. Long-range planning is best left to a preflight briefing. However, the quality of the data could have changed since then, so I'll ask him to revisit that.

Jeff has been compiling an update for WS/HS systems. TFRs are included in that but may take some time because he has to make it work with the older graphics drivers. He is an army of 1. (A very smart army of 1!) :)
 
jjhoneck said:
Hopefully this will save someone some time? Here is an FYI sort of gotcha when doing the GRT software upgrade:

If you have a USB multiport hub, and you have the sectional charts on a thumb drive plugged into one of those ports, and you then you stick another thumb drive into another port and try to do the EFIS software update, the Horizon HXr will NOT recognize the second thumb drive, it won't see the .dat file, and the update will not proceed.

The solution is simple: Remove the thumb drive with charts on it from the other USB port, and restart the procedure. The Horizon will then find the thumb drive with the .dat file on it, and the update will complete normally.

It took some futzing around to figure this out. Cheers! :)
Click to expand...

Yep-- The display unit can only detect one USB stick at a time. This is described in our Seattle Avionics Chart Data supplement for HX/HXr. The reason we suggest a large amount of memory for your chart stick is so that you'll also have room on it for EFIS software updates, data logging, snap shots and demo recordings.
 
KatieB said:
Yep-- The display unit can only detect one USB stick at a time. This is described in our Seattle Avionics Chart Data supplement for HX/HXr. The reason we suggest a large amount of memory for your chart stick is so that you'll also have room on it for EFIS software updates, data logging, snap shots and demo recordings.
Click to expand...

The only real downside of this is that I installed the hub behind the panel in order to free up my panel-mounted USB port for doing updates. Obviously the ability to recognize only one thumb drive negates that effort! ;)

No biggy -- it's 16 hex head screws in the baggage compartment to access the hub, and it's not like we do this very often.
 
KatieB, can you answer my question I posted on this thread a couple of days ago?

"Can anyone tell me why I can not see the national radar from my Flight Data ADSB receiver on the HX? I know it is there because I can see it on my Android Tablet running Aware. ADSB delivers radar in two separate streams, regional and CONUS (continental US). Why does the HX software not let me see it? Am I overlooking something? I sent a e-mail to GRT tech support regarding this about 3 weeks ago but have not gotten an answer. When on a long cross country In a fast airplane I like to see the radar more than 2 to 300 miles ahead of me. Garmin 3GX and Dynon Skyview display it."

Martin Sutter
Building and flying RV's since 1988
Dual HX and Mini-X
 
Martin, read post #27.
Looks like Jeff needs to be convinced that users want this feature. I'm on the fence; I like the idea of having long range NEXRAD but also understand that one must be careful in how you use it.
 
Maybe it's because I'm not a user just yet

but I'm confused as to how 30-mile HITS course is a listed feature of the HXr on the website ("Compare GRT EFIS Features" -- copyright 2013) and yet it's rolled out as a brand new feature now? I have the printout from the site in my hand, and I thought I was being offered enroute HITS all along. I hope everything else promised here is actually delivered in the current software.
 
Thanks Katie. National radar is not as well depicted as regional but it would be nice to have for a long range look when Jeff ever gets a breather.

Martin Sutter
Building and Flying RV's since 1988
Dual HX and Mini-X
 
Bill Boyd said:
but I'm confused as to how 30-mile HITS course is a listed feature of the HXr on the website ("Compare GRT EFIS Features" -- copyright 2013) and yet it's rolled out as a brand new feature now? I have the printout from the site in my hand, and I thought I was being offered enroute HITS all along. I hope everything else promised here is actually delivered in the current software.
Click to expand...

Previously HITS only worked when using synthetic approach mode, within 30 miles of the destination. Now it can be used enroute too.
 
Bill Boyd said:
but I'm confused as to how 30-mile HITS course is a listed feature of the HXr on the website ("Compare GRT EFIS Features" -- copyright 2013) and yet it's rolled out as a brand new feature now? I have the printout from the site in my hand, and I thought I was being offered enroute HITS all along.
Click to expand...

"Highway-in-the-sky" is 3D course guidance on the PFD. Course Ribbons have been around for a few years and were the only form of enroute course guidance we had until this software release. People have asked for the "HITS Boxes" for enroute operations, so Jeff made it happen. The boxes were only available with the Synthetic Approach before, as Bob said.

Bill Boyd said:
I hope everything else promised here is actually delivered in the current software.
Click to expand...

There's really no need for snarky comments like this. A simple question would have done just fine.
 
I apologize, Katie

You are correct. My snarkiness was inappropriate and unconstructive. I have no cause for doubt that GRT will deliver what they promise, and always has. The check I'm about to write to one of your distributors will attest to my confidence in the company.

Please forgive the tone of my earlier remarks.

-Bill
 
Katie... I'm wondering how much of this functionality will port over to the Mini-X software, and when these features/functionality might become available there?

For the time being it looks like my Horizon HS display is frozen in time technologically so I have to rely on my Mini-X to bring all the latest gee-whiz stuff from GRT.
 
Bill Boyd said:
You are correct. My snarkiness was inappropriate and unconstructive. I have no cause for doubt that GRT will deliver what they promise, and always has. The check I'm about to write to one of your distributors will attest to my confidence in the company.

Please forgive the tone of my earlier remarks.

-Bill
Click to expand...

Apology accepted, and thanks for your order.

An unhappy customer is more trouble for me than one who bought another brand because we didn't have the features they wanted. I'm an atypical "marketing" person because I'm a homebuilder and a pilot myself, so I would rather see someone get a system that meets their needs than land a sale knowing they won't be happy with it. So, I have no reason to ever try and hide things or make promises we can't keep. Everything I post is done with 100% of my confidence. Now, that doesn't mean I am not WRONG sometimes about things I can't control... (like Mini delivery dates earlier this year) :eek:

Katie... I'm wondering how much of this functionality will port over to the Mini-X software, and when these features/functionality might become available there?

For the time being it looks like my Horizon HS display is frozen in time technologically so I have to rely on my Mini-X to bring all the latest gee-whiz stuff from GRT.
Click to expand...

As for Mini-X features-- I can't be sure exactly which new features will be incorporated, since some of them depend on the programming and hardware capabilities of the unit. But as we go forward, many of the updates released for the SX will be incorporated into the Mini to keep consistency between systems. Mini software update 1d already has a lot of these features, such as Enroute HITS boxes, north-up compass rose, and part of the alarm inhibiting software.

Jeff is planning a release for the WS and HS systems to incorporate some of the features we've released for the HX, SX and HXr. The older systems have more hardware limitations that he needs to work around, so I don't have an ETA for it, but your HS shouldn't be frozen in time for too much longer. (Maybe upgraded to "slushie" status.) :)
 
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In-flight shots of TFRs

Here's a couple recent shots from Leggs of a TFR, shown as a red circle on the map.

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