ELT & 2020

[Ted Christopher]

Thanks for the responses. So it's a transponder check I need. Is the 2020 GPS unit I bought from Dynon a new version of the transponder or something separate from the transponder? Should I get that installed before the transponder check?

[jliltd]

Ted. I can't make heads or tails of it. I would encourage you to contact Dynon. Your questions would best answered there.

[rongawer]

Originally Posted by Mel

Not quite. Don't forget the mode C veil. Typically a 30 mile radius beneath Class B airspace. Many RV-12s fly in this airspace every day.

Although not the OP’s question, my response was directed at getting to an avionics shop with an out of date transponder. You can fly through the mode C veil without a working transponder. The point being that if you have an out-of-date transponder and need to get somewhere (either into, or out off) to have it checked, all you need to do is call the TRACON and get permission; it’s easy. BTW, I have a friend with an Aeronica Chief - no electrical system; he flies in the mode C veil each time he flies as the airport, Concord, is in the veil. He just asks before he goes and comes. It happens a lot.

All the other comments, while interesting, seem to miss the main point, which is that the RV-12, if flown by a pilot flying under sport pilot rules, is limited to 10,000’ with the same altitude restrictions as transponder use and the idea is just to get the thing to a shop for maintenance, so altitude shouldn’t be a problem. And if your transponder is out of date, it’s not technically operable. And there aren’t any avionics shops that I know of between 18,000’ and 60,000’; so the only airspace you would have to avoid is B and C. Enjoy.

[Mich48041]

Ted, The GPS 2020 is a separate unit from the transponder. But the two units work together as a team to send data to both other airplanes and to ATC ground stations. That data includes your exact position which other aircraft can see on their glass screens, greatly helping to avoid collisions. I suggest that you install the GPS before the transponder check.

[John-G]

Ted – There are two separate issues here you are contending with … but they are inner related. To expand on the good info Joe gave you, the following is a thumbnail sketch regarding the transponder in relationship to the GPS antenna.

Transponder: Yes, every 2 years the RV-12’s transponder needs to go through a test to verify it is accurately reporting the aircraft's altitude based on the requirements for a VFR aircraft.

GPS 2020 antenna: Don’t confuse the GPS 2020 antenna with the transponder ... they are separate units but they do talk to one another as will be mentioned later. The GPS 2020 antenna was introduced by Dynon to meet the ADS-B OUT requirements the FAA has set in place … in that, the GPS antenna receivers used as part of the FAA’s mandated ADS-B OUT transmission need to meet an accuracy requirement set forth by the FAA. The older Dynon GPS250 antenna did not meet the accuracy requirement … hence the new GPS2020 antenna that does. (Which as Joe mentioned in the previous post you should install the GPS2020 antenna it prior to the Transponder test if possible).

Transponder & GPS2020 --- where the two shall meet. To comply with the FAA’s ADS-B OUT requirement … in addition to broadcasting the altitude, the Transponder also needs to broadcast ACCURATE location coordinates reflecting the aircraft’s current position. Because accurate location data is required to satisfy the ADS-B OUT requirements, the location data is fed to the Transponder from the GPS2020 which now meets the FAA’s higher accuracy requirement (the GPS250 antenna did not).

Hope that helps you with sorting things out.

[rvbuilder2002]

The GPS Ant. installation is not however, related to or checked in any way during the biannual transponder check so it doesn't really matter whether it gets installed before or after.

[Ted Christopher]

Thanks all for your patience, Stein Air explained what's needed and I now understand its the VFR transponder check that's due this month. Once the 2020 antenna gizmo is installed (probably at the annual early in 2018) that adds the ADS-B to the transponder signal, and future transponder checks would verify that's working correctly. The ELT gets checked as part of the annual and is totally separate. Got it now.

[rvbuilder2002]

Originally Posted by Ted Christopher

and future transponder checks would verify that's working correctly.

To clarify...... the transponder certification check required by FAR 91.413 for VFR flight doesn't check anything that evaluates the performance of the GPS antenna's interface with the transponder (such as proper position info, etc.).

[Mel]

Originally Posted by Ted Christopher

The ELT gets checked as part of the annual and is totally separate. Got it now.

To be perfectly clear, the ELT check is done annually but doesn't have to be at the same time as the annual condition inspection. They are 2 separate inspections. However, since they both need to be done annually, it's convenient to do them at the same time, and most people do.

[rongawer]

Originally Posted by Ted Christopher

Thanks all for your patience, Stein Air explained what's needed and I now understand its the VFR transponder check that's due this month. Once the 2020 antenna gizmo is installed (probably at the annual early in 2018) that adds the ADS-B to the transponder signal, and future transponder checks would verify that's working correctly. The ELT gets checked as part of the annual and is totally separate. Got it now.

To check the operation of your ADS-B transmitter, just go here:
https://adsbperformance.faa.gov/PAPRRequest.aspx

It?s your tax dollars at work.