Don
Well Known Member
When the SkyRadar D2 ADS-B was recently offered for $600 as a SnF special, I took advantage of the sale and bought one. I?d been wanting to add ADS-B to my 9A, and since the unit worked with my iFly720, I took the plunge. (Note: I currently use ForeFlight which does not and will not support SkyRadar so when my subscription is up I?ll be moving to Wing-X which does support it).
I have owned the unit for about three weeks now and I have used it for between 4 and 5 hours, including two in state XC flights. While not an exhaustive test, the SR D2 has consistently provided me with NEXRAD radar, METARS, TAFs, and Winds Aloft, as advertised.
Setup was a snap. Basically you turn the SkyRadar unit on, wait a minute, go into the iFly unit (start menu, setup, internet) and find the SR unit and connect to it. After that, when the iFly ?sees? the SR it automatically connects. The only trick you need to know is the SkyRadar unit needs to start up first and be on for about a minute before starting the iFly720. I?m not sure why that is but when they start together sometimes they connect and sometimes they don?t. When they don?t communicate, just unplug the iFly and reboot it. So far I?ve only had to do that once and making the connection in-flight was easy.
I mounted the iFly to the glare shield of my 9A with a RAM mount and the SkyRadar unit I mounted behind the passengers head on the flat part of the seat back adjustment tab. The mount is temporary for now but the location has proven to be satisfactory. I?m not sure exactly where I start getting reception. So far I have never received data on the ground but by 800? I?ve always had it (at least so far).
The unit works as advertised as near as I can tell. I am yet to see any traffic but since I don?t have ADS-B out, I expected that. My only gripe so far is that NEXRAD radar is not shown on the sectional map. You have to go to the weather map, which shows airports, water, and little else to besides the radar returns. It?s a couple of button pushes and not a big deal but having the weather on the sectional chart would be nice. Supposedly iFly is working on it. Wind aloft are great to have for XC flying so you know where your best (or worst winds) are likely to be found. So far I?ve found no use for TAFs, since I can review them before departing. If I had to divert, they may be useful but I suspect METARs would be more meaningful. METARs, while they are more helpful, I find myself listening to AWOS or ASOS on the radio rather than trying to read the decoded weather.
For $600 and less than a pound, having access to weather in the plane seems like a great deal. Standard disclaimer - I don?t work for either SkyRadar or iFly, and I?m not compensated in any manner for this review. The two units just play great together and give you another data point on weather when flying.
I have owned the unit for about three weeks now and I have used it for between 4 and 5 hours, including two in state XC flights. While not an exhaustive test, the SR D2 has consistently provided me with NEXRAD radar, METARS, TAFs, and Winds Aloft, as advertised.
Setup was a snap. Basically you turn the SkyRadar unit on, wait a minute, go into the iFly unit (start menu, setup, internet) and find the SR unit and connect to it. After that, when the iFly ?sees? the SR it automatically connects. The only trick you need to know is the SkyRadar unit needs to start up first and be on for about a minute before starting the iFly720. I?m not sure why that is but when they start together sometimes they connect and sometimes they don?t. When they don?t communicate, just unplug the iFly and reboot it. So far I?ve only had to do that once and making the connection in-flight was easy.
I mounted the iFly to the glare shield of my 9A with a RAM mount and the SkyRadar unit I mounted behind the passengers head on the flat part of the seat back adjustment tab. The mount is temporary for now but the location has proven to be satisfactory. I?m not sure exactly where I start getting reception. So far I have never received data on the ground but by 800? I?ve always had it (at least so far).
The unit works as advertised as near as I can tell. I am yet to see any traffic but since I don?t have ADS-B out, I expected that. My only gripe so far is that NEXRAD radar is not shown on the sectional map. You have to go to the weather map, which shows airports, water, and little else to besides the radar returns. It?s a couple of button pushes and not a big deal but having the weather on the sectional chart would be nice. Supposedly iFly is working on it. Wind aloft are great to have for XC flying so you know where your best (or worst winds) are likely to be found. So far I?ve found no use for TAFs, since I can review them before departing. If I had to divert, they may be useful but I suspect METARs would be more meaningful. METARs, while they are more helpful, I find myself listening to AWOS or ASOS on the radio rather than trying to read the decoded weather.
For $600 and less than a pound, having access to weather in the plane seems like a great deal. Standard disclaimer - I don?t work for either SkyRadar or iFly, and I?m not compensated in any manner for this review. The two units just play great together and give you another data point on weather when flying.