Freeflight FDL-978-TXL upgradeable to ADS-B In?

[CubedRoot]

I have a Freeflight FDL-978-TXL which works great for ADS-B out, but the original owner of this airplane did not spend the extra $500 to get the model that supports ADS-B in and out. I was hoping it might be an easy "upgrade" to enable the FDL-978-TXL to receive ADS-B in and share it via Wifi to a tablet.

I recall an AOPA article a while back ( https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/...ly/pilot/ads-b ) that mentions it was going to be possible in the near future, but can't find anything about it yet.

Do any of you folks know if this is possible?

[Mich48041]

Consider the PingBuddy2 instead.

[CubedRoot]

Originally Posted by Mich48041

Consider the PingBuddy2 instead.

The Pingbuddy2 is not a very good alternative though. For one, it does not have a built in GPS, so its only going to provide Weather and Traffic. My iPad mini is wifi only, with no GPS.

Secondly, the Pingbuddy2 DOES NOT cache any weather reports that it receives. Which means, if you have your EFB application backgrounded, or the iPad is asleep, any weather data that the Pingbuddy2 receives will not be cached and sent to the iPad when it wakes up, so you will loose every bit of those reports. That's pretty important in my opinion. I'd hate to know that I missed a SIGMET/AIRMET or ATIS observation because I had my EFB app backgrounded or the iPad was asleep.

I do have a Stratux currently, but I was hoping for a more elegant solution that having yet another device to meddle with in the cockpit. I will say though, the Stratux does a very good job of caching weather data. It will store all the weather data it receives and then once your EFB application wakes up and connects, it will send all that weather data that the EFB app missed.

Until uAvionix addresses the weather data caching and adds in a GPS, I don't think they have a very marketable product.

[Walt]

Why don't don't you contact Freeflight and ask them?

http://www.freeflightsystems.com/pro...gr-transmitter

[CubedRoot]

Originally Posted by Walt

Why don't don't you contact Freeflight and ask them?

http://www.freeflightsystems.com/pro...gr-transmitter

I've sent an email to them a few days ago, haven't heard back yet. Tried calling the technical support number twice today, and just got an automated voicemail system :-|

[Walt]

Originally Posted by CubedRoot

I've sent an email to them a few days ago, haven't heard back yet. Tried calling the technical support number twice today, and just got an automated voicemail system :-|

I'll get an answer for you.