[Mich48041]

I recently received an email from Marty Santic about connecting the
Zaon Collision Avoidance System with the Garmin GPS in the RV-12. This subject might be of interest to other builders, so I am posting it here. I have not installed the Zaon, but it should interface with the Garmin GPS according to Zaon's website.
Zaon sells two models, the MRX and the XRX. The MRX does NOT give bearing to the target aircraft. I do not see any advantage of connecting the MRX to the GPS, because the GPS can not display the traffic on the moving map if it does not know where it is.
Zaon XRX O-A Onyx gives the relative bearing to the traffic. This is the model to interface with the Garmin 396/496. Zaon's website gives details here: http://www.zaon.aero/content/view/103/47/
The Garmin 396/496 has separate RS232 data input and output. Luckily the RS232 data input is not being used in the RV-12 and is available to be connected to the Zaon XRX. The Zaon data wire should be connected to the yellow wire in the GPS cable that connects to the GPS D-Sub pin 5 on the control board. The yellow GPS wire can be removed from the D-Sub connector and spliced to the Zaon data wire. The GPS data input yellow wire is not used in the RV-12. (It connects to the control board and exits the control-board-transponder-D-Sub pin 5, although there is no wire in that hole. The Zaon data wire could be connected to this point instead.)
Here is quote from the August 1996 issue of Plane & Pilot Magazine titled, "Information Gets Airborne", CDTI Test Flight, page 52

The test lasted for about l.5 hours and, in every instance, the Baron's PPI picked up the intruders and gave us ample warning of the potential collision course. At deliberate head on closing speeds of 280 knots (almost five miles a minute) we had nearly two minutes of warning of a threat in the area.
Despite knowing the relative altitude, distance and bearing of the threat aircraft and all three of us staring intently at that section of sky as soon as we spotted the blip, none of us ever acquired a target visually outside one mile range. We did perhaps 20 to 25 intercepts during the test, and I was surprised that we couldn't see the threats until they were very close.
In short, there's little question CDTI works. Problem is, if you buy CDTI, know there's an airplane out there and have its range, altitude and bearing, will you see it in time?

The "See and Avoid" practice is based on slow aircraft speeds of yesteryear. I still want to be looking out the window. However, what are the chances that a pilot will be looking at the spot in the sky when another aircraft comes within the one mile visual range? When and if the pilot does look in that direction, the other aircraft will be much closer than one mile. Will there be enough time to take action?
Joe Gores

 

[rvbuilder2002]

The "See and Avoid" practice is based on slow aircraft speeds of yesteryear. I still want to be looking out the window. However, what are the chances that a pilot will be looking at the spot in the sky when another aircraft comes within the one mile visual range? When and if the pilot does look in that direction, the other aircraft will be much closer than one mile. Will there be enough time to take action?
Joe Gores

I fully agree with pilots taking advantage of all advances in technology that will improve safety, but at the same time I am concerned that this type of technology can develop a complacent attitude regarding the pilots responsibility with see and avoid. There are still lots of airplanes flying that don't have mode C transponders....

 

[dick seiders]

What you folks are saying about the XRX/Garmin is true. I purchased as I said earlier the MRX which does not interface with the Garmin. It's a very nice unit for the price (about 1/4 of the XRX), and very effective if as I also stated earlier he/she has their transponder on if they have one. While the MRX does not tell you in which quadrant surrounding you the target is it does tell you the distance w/i 5 miles, and perhaps most importently the altitude of the other guy relative to your altitude. When the gap is closing if it does you just want to be at a different altitude if he isn't aware of you. I seldom see the target but I feel comfortable knowing there is at least 200' or more difference, and usually it's a lot more than that.
Dick Seiders 120093