GRT Safe Fly/Echo??

[AndyRV7]

Thanks Lars. I'm really not too worried about the G3X. It's on the far side of my panel and I never really even look at it because of that. I do have the latest software on a thumb drive ready to go. I want to call GRT to have a talk before I do this but I think this should be the best solution for me. Hopefully an easy one too!!

[AndyRV7]

Do any of you happen to have pics of your installs? I'm planning this in my mind. I think I am most worried about the antennas. I'll need a WAAS antenna and the transceiver antenna. I'm wondering what they look like and where you mounted them. Thanks!! Andy

[YellowJacket RV9]

Originally Posted by AndyRV7

Do any of you happen to have pics of your installs? I'm planning this in my mind. I think I am most worried about the antennas. I'll need a WAAS antenna and the transceiver antenna. I'm wondering what they look like and where you mounted them. Thanks!! Andy

I don?t currently have pics, but the install was simple. I mounted the unit (gps and adsb) on the sub panel where it was easy to wire in to the EFIS. The WAAS antenna is included and is a small puck that I simply mounted on the glare shield through a small hole with a grommet. The adsb antenna, also included I believe, is exactly the same as a transponder antenna, which I mounted just forward of the left main gear leg mount. That left a short and easy coax run up to the unit. Install took a couple hours at most.

Chris

[AndyRV7]

Originally Posted by YellowJacket RV9

I don?t currently have pics, but the install was simple. I mounted the unit (gps and adsb) on the sub panel where it was easy to wire in to the EFIS. The WAAS antenna is included and is a small puck that I simply mounted on the glare shield through a small hole with a grommet. The adsb antenna, also included I believe, is exactly the same as a transponder antenna, which I mounted just forward of the left main gear leg mount. That left a short and easy coax run up to the unit. Install took a couple hours at most.

Chris

Maybe a stupid question, but is that inside the plane? Also, I presume the white shark-fin antenna on the belly of my plane is the transponder antenna? Thanks!

[YellowJacket RV9]

Originally Posted by AndyRV7

Maybe a stupid question, but is that inside the plane? Also, I presume the white shark-fin antenna on the belly of my plane is the transponder antenna? Thanks!

Yep, the GPS antenna is inside, basically sitting on the area above the panel, facing the sky and under the canopy. I have two of them there, and they have worked flawlessly.

Your shark-fin antenna is most likely your transponder antenna. Mine is not that fancy, it is this one: https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catal...?clickkey=4083

That is pretty much the same thing that I believe came with the echoUAT. It does need to be mounted about 3' away from the transponder antenna, which may affect where you install yours.

Chris

[AndyRV7]

OK, good to know. Thanks! My CC was picked off yesterday but I think the bank delivered a new one today. I'm going to order this gear and then I should have a better idea What I want to do. I appreciate the help.

[ClayR_9A]

I have an older Sport HS and just finished installing the EchoUAT/SafeFly combo in my RV9A Tipup canopy.

I installed the unit on the right side "rib" that extends forward from the subpanel to the main panel. Down about an inch so the tipper canopy brace doesn't touch it. I just used UHB tape initially, then two machine screws once the position was set.
The GPS antenna runs up through a small hole in the glare shield near where the plexi attaches, and the antenna sits just behind the hole. My GRT GPS antenna is about 8" to the left of it.
The Echo antenna cable runs under my glove box, into the "tunnel" on the right side and I got it to bend down the tunnel to the area between the spar. It then goes towards the rear through a hole I already had in the spar web and then through conduit I installed that goes to the back area of the plane. (This helped a LOT, although it could have run through the center tunnel as well)
I drilled a hole in the bottom skin, right side just aft of the rear baggage wall. (to the right of the elevator bellcrank)
You'll need to remember how to attach connectors to the end of coax cable. Get at least 12' of cable to be safe. I ordered 9 and didn't have an inch to spare.

There is only 1 wire connected to the EFIS - the Blue wire. Yellow and green are not connected unless/until I upgrade the EFIS to a later model.
I connected to port 4 Serial RX, and set the settings on the efis appropriately (baud rate and type of equipment). Since I have an SL-40 radio that was using port 4 TX at 9600 baud to set radio frequencies, I had to move it to port 2 (I think?) TX and set that one at 9600 baud because the baud rate is for both TX and RX on any single port. You'll need a DB pin extractor to move the pins if you have the same issue.

I don't have an autopilot - this might change things as it needs a port too.

After my first test flight, I found that it wasn't reporting pressure altitude, and had to follow instructions from uAvionix to change the transponder sensitivity down to about 1250. Then it worked. I also installed the beta software provided by uAvionix which is supposed to improve the "dropping targets" issue.

I'm also currently seeing airspace lines not display on the map when display metars is set. Just sent an email to GRT about that. EDIT: They said this is normal. METAR mode shows additional information on the map, like wind barbs. Airports still display with a color to indicate METAR information on the other map modes.

EDIT: I also learned that the target distance filter option doesn't work right now on the Sport HS and WS models. Target altitude filtering does work. They're supposed to be fixing that soon.

Overall, I'm amazed at the additional situational awareness having traffic on the display gives you. (even the N number of other ADS-B out aircraft) Should have done it earlier.

[AndyRV7]

Thanks Clay. I too have the Sport HS with an SL40. I can't send frequencies though, but I had figured I would add that wire sometime. Thanks for the Ideas. I'm sure this is a dumb question too but how did you guys power this thing? Did you just share a power lead in some way from one of the other panel items? I'm sure this will seem easier once mine comes. I ordered it today but no stock until maybe next week. Luckily I have a year, although I am looking for to the new data coming in!!

[ClayR_9A]

Yes, just wired power to my avionics bus (which, in my case is an EXPBUS and there was an additional avionics terminal available.) I don't see why you couldn't just wire to the same power source as your EFIS too.

[texdog]

I had it professionally installed, 7 phone calls to GRT and it still doesn't work! Out seems to be OK, but nothing in. The Sport SX is in the map mode, Garmin 330 xponder, but nothing. I would appreciate any ideas.