Sky Radar

[KatieB]

Separate antennas for the 1090 and 978 MHz bands are recommended by Radenna. You can use a transponder antenna for the 1090 band and a DME antenna for the 978 band.

I know a few pilots who have the SkyRadar remote antennas mounted within view of the sky (baggage compartment in RV-6, glare shield in RV-8) and they report great reception. The RV-8 guys have their receiver units mounted under the instrument panel and the Radenna remote antennas on the glare shield. I'll post a picture if I can round one up...

WIDGET!!

[AL_O_Dine]

Is Skyradar going to put XM weather out of business you think?

How much are the systems currently?

[KatieB]

XM is really only worthwhile in areas where ADS-B hasn't been implemented yet. You can buy a cheap ADS-B receiver for a year's worth of XM subscription dollars. The SkyRadar D2 is $849 and the single-band version is cheaper.
http://www.skyradar.net/

[KatieB]

For anyone with a GRT HX, SX or HXr system looking to install a SkyRadar-D2, I just released a supplement with installation tips and setup instructions for how to make it talk to the EFIS. There's a link to it on the home page of the GRT website, but its permanent home is here: http://grtavionics.com/adsb.html

Special thanks to RVers James Clark, Jerry Morris and Len Leggette for their help and beta testing.

Enjoy!

[Paul K]

Reviving this thread, I purchased a D2 and want to mount it on the sub panel. A whole pile of questions;

1- Plan to mount external antennas on the belly. Are the optional cables compatable with the antenna connectors and can I make up my own?

2- how close to the transponder and comm antennas can I mount these "receive only" antennas?

3- another option would be to install the supplied antennas through the top of the panel. The only place I can find to mount them and still be out of the way is next to the center support (slider) or in the corners. How close can these be to the tubes and still receive well? Or would external antennas on the bottom work better?

Any photos of your installs would be helpful.

[n468ac]

Originally Posted by Paul K

Reviving this thread, I purchased a D2 and want to mount it on the sub panel. A whole pile of questions;

1- Plan to mount external antennas on the belly. Are the optional cables compatable with the antenna connectors and can I make up my own?

2- how close to the transponder and comm antennas can I mount these "receive only" antennas?

3- another option would be to install the supplied antennas through the top of the panel. The only place I can find to mount them and still be out of the way is next to the center support (slider) or in the corners. How close can these be to the tubes and still receive well? Or would external antennas on the bottom work better?

Any photos of your installs would be helpful.

I used two Aircraft Transponder / DME Post Antenna

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-Ai...c55a38&vxp=mtr

on the belly right next to the fuel vents.

I mounted the skyradar unit to the firewall on a bracket the stands off the firewall about an inch. Had custom cables made to connect to the antenna's and ran the USB cable to the GRT HX. Have used it for two years this way and pickup ADS-B towers on the ground at all airports I have flown into.

[erich weaver]

Originally Posted by Paul K

3- another option would be to install the supplied antennas through the top of the panel. The only place I can find to mount them and still be out of the way is next to the center support (slider) or in the corners. How close can these be to the tubes and still receive well? Or would external antennas on the bottom work better?

Just Mounted supplied antenna on small brackets in the corners, velcroed to roll bar. Used RG400 coax with connectors, one straight, one bulkhead for attachment to bracket. Bracket keeps antenna about 1/2 inch away from roll bar. First flight with adsb tomorrow, but I am picking up traffic and weather from inside the hangar, so looking good.

Erich

[Paul K]

When you guys hard wired the power, did you use the supplied cord and just cut off the plug? Looking at this cord, one wire has printing on it and the other has a dashed white line on it. Which one is power and which one is ground?

Erich, any photos of the antenna mounts?

[BobTurner]

Originally Posted by Paul K

When you guys hard wired the power, did you use the supplied cord and just cut off the plug? Looking at this cord, one wire has printing on it and the other has a dashed white line on it. Which one is power and which one is ground?

Erich, any photos of the antenna mounts?

Keep the plug, put an ohmmeter on it, find out which wire is which.

Your proposal will certainly work. But I'd suggest you look around the interior for some place for the antennas. I glued the supplied antennas on the fiberglass doorposts (RV-10), bought a couple of 50 ohm cables from Amazon (one end male SMA, other end female) for about $15, ran to remote Skyradar box. Works great.