Van's Air Force

The definitive Van's Aircraft support community! Buying, building or flying an RV? Join our exclusive family of mentors and enthusiasts!

uAvionix status update

I just got an update email saying I'm up for shipping but they needed my s/n. I had sent the form in without the s/n because i couldn't locate it without tearing the panel apart, even with a borescope. So today I tore into it. It's mounted on the GRT Safefly 2020 module. After disassembling more than I needed to I finally found the s/n on the opposite side from their "where's the s/n" picture. It's tiny and was blocked by the GRT dsub connector. Of course I didn't find that until I had separated the Echo from the Safefly. If you have a Safefly/Echo combo, all you need to remove is the dsub connector if your s/n is not otherwise visible.
 
I got my altitude unit last week.
Installed mine last week. Went well except a call to uAvonics help me find the device 2 under Advanced setting that had to be changed to 2....All well after that. On first ramp run and checkd the Pressure altitude on the Echo monitor was 600 cycling to 575 while the pressure altitude on GTX held steady at 600. No static line terminated just cabin with canopy closed. I have no opinions on result just what I saw. Will up date when I get to fly and get a ADSB performance report.
 
I just got an update email saying I'm up for shipping but they needed my s/n. I had sent the form in without the s/n because i couldn't locate it without tearing the panel apart, even with a borescope. So today I tore into it. It's mounted on the GRT Safefly 2020 module. After disassembling more than I needed to I finally found the s/n on the opposite side from their "where's the s/n" picture. It's tiny and was blocked by the GRT dsub connector. Of course I didn't find that until I had separated the Echo from the Safefly. If you have a Safefly/Echo combo, all you need to remove is the dsub connector if your s/n is not otherwise visible.
So your SN was not where it is pictured in post #54?
 
Same relative position but on the opposite side. Just happened to be the side next to the dsub connector.
I have the same config of EchoUAT and Safefly as in the picture. I bought it from GRT and it has the EchoUAT mounted on top of the GRT Safefly GPS. I am going to install my EchoALT and do the update tomorrow. Since that EchoALT is so light and small I am considering mounting it right on top of the EchoUAT unit itself with some Velcro. Anyone see a problem with that?
Keith
 
I have the same config of EchoUAT and Safefly as in the picture. I bought it from GRT and it has the EchoUAT mounted on top of the GRT Safefly GPS. I am going to install my EchoALT and do the update tomorrow. Since that EchoALT is so light and small I am considering mounting it right on top of the EchoUAT unit itself with some Velcro. Anyone see a problem with that?
Keith
Installed and tested today. Everything went very well. 20 minute install and software upload. Flew and got a excellent PAPR report. The only thing that was a little surprise is that after you get a successful upload of the software, you need to power down your EchoUAT and restart it before you will see the new software versions. The instructions say to power down and back on but I was wrongly expecting it to be shown immediately after the successful upload.

Anyway, I am a happy camper. Everything went very well.
Keith
 
I just received an email stating I will be able to pickup my echoALT at AirVenture in their booth. Otherwise, I have to wait 4-6 months for them to ship.
 
I just received an email stating I will be able to pickup my echoALT at AirVenture in their booth. Otherwise, I have to wait 4-6 months for them to ship.
Yep - me too. But I couldn't access their form on line, so I emailed back the info requested, and we'll see what happens ...

HFS
 
I just received an email stating I will be able to pickup my echoALT at AirVenture in their booth. Otherwise, I have to wait 4-6 months for them to ship.
My friend got that same email. I don't understand their logic. If they have them in stock (which they must if they are talking about pick up at Airventure) then they should ship them out. I was fortunate to get mine but for those that have been waiting months and now if they don't pick it up at Airventure they have to wait another 4-6 months. That just doesn't seem right. The email even says: "If someone you know is interested in signing up for an echoALT and hasn't received an email, please forward this to them!". So now those people get to "jump the line"? I have always been a big uAvionix fan but I am really disappointed that they took this route. Picking up at Airventure is a great option BUT don't add another 6 month delay to those that have already been waiting for 6 months just because they can't get to Airventure.
Keith
 
Like Tailwind/Keith said, what an odd approach. They must be worried about their cost/shipping 🤷🏼‍♂️. My reports are flawless as always, I don’t care to do the work, and I get nothing from the add on piece in safety or flying enjoyment in my opinion
 
I posted this as a question a while back and confirmed with tech support. I have it mounted right to the front of the echo. I initially used some 3M double sided tape but have since replaced with a 3d printed bracket that holds it in the same place. No issues with the wifi signal at all. The tape probably would have lasted the life of the device.
 
Still haven’t heard a thing, other than an acknowledgment of receipt of my information 6 months ago. I’m unable to go to OSH this year (first time in decades), but they haven’t sent me the delivery email anyway. I don’t understand why they would expect me (us) to wait another 6 months if we’re not at Oshkosh. I got the email in April that said units are shipping, and another in May saying ”please don’t contact us for updates”, so I’ll just leave them alone, which I have. I haven’t bothered them and won’t. Nothing I can do about it.
 
I just received an email stating I will be able to pickup my echoALT at AirVenture in their booth. Otherwise, I have to wait 4-6 months for them to ship.
THAT is bizarre, and very disappointing. This whole EchoUAT scenario, for me at least, has been marked with confusion and reticence on the part of uAvionix. I've never received a single notification from them, unlike many of you. I've emailed them three different times, and they do answer there phone, and each time they confirm that I'm "on the list" but they won't even hint at a delivery time. Now, from the conversation that you related it appears this might take as long as 4-6 months? It's cool that they are standing behind their product and fixing a deficiency that they discovered (or the FAA discovered for them), but their communication protocol is not impressive. Not so different from Van's I guess, from what I read here, so maybe I'm expecting too much.
 
Perhaps their logic is that they'll keep shipping items until they have to depart for Airventure, but then take a supply of the encoders to Oshkosh to continue to get them into our hands while they're not in the office.

Or, if there's still someone in the office shipping parts, then Airventure is an opportunity for them to do things in parallel and increase their throughput to help their customers.

That doesn't address "4-6 months if you don't get them at Oshkosh", but they might be able to provide some insight into the rationale if queried while at their booth in a couple of weeks. And, yes, I understand that if you're not at Airventure then you can't stop by their booth to pose the question.

Regards,
Rob
N706DR
KILG
 
Last edited:
I received the echoAlt and installed with no problem but my ADS-B altitude was 300 ft lower on Flight Aware than my altitude encoder altitude on my GRT EFIS. Using the GRT Safely 2020 system. I felt safer with the transponder monitor that worked flawlessly for me before this upgrade. Anyone else having issues like this? So far I have had no response from uAvionix other than a ticket was generated but no phone calls returned or no further communication from them. PAPR reports have been fine.
RV-7A
 
I received the echoAlt and installed with no problem but my ADS-B altitude was 300 ft lower on Flight Aware than my altitude encoder altitude on my GRT EFIS. Using the GRT Safely 2020 system. I felt safer with the transponder monitor that worked flawlessly for me before this upgrade. Anyone else having issues like this? So far I have had no response from uAvionix other than a ticket was generated but no phone calls returned or no further communication from them. PAPR reports have been fine.
RV-7A
Did you wire it into your static system or just free float off cabin air?
 
I installed mine last week. I did not plumb into the static system mainly because of the limited access. Previous owner installed in the tail cone on the first bulkhead forward of the empennage. I used double sided tape and attached module on the face of the Echo unit, then install the new harness. Quite a feat considering I could only use one hand and completely by feel.

After first flight the PAPR report showed no failures.
 
Last edited:
I received the echoAlt and installed with no problem but my ADS-B altitude was 300 ft lower on Flight Aware than my altitude encoder altitude on my GRT EFIS. Using the GRT Safely 2020 system. I felt safer with the transponder monitor that worked flawlessly for me before this upgrade. Anyone else having issues like this? So far I have had no response from uAvionix other than a ticket was generated but no phone calls returned or no further communication from them. PAPR reports have been fine.
RV-7A
I believe the altitude shown on flight aware is based on 29.92 rather than what you may see on your altimeter at the current altimeter setting. I think All encoders send out altitude based on on 29.92. ATC systems then adjust your down altitude based on local pressure
 
Does anyone know friends who are going to OSH this year that can just do a bulk pickup? I can’t make it to OSH this year but I thought it may be a solution for people who are going and willing to help? This is the most recent email I received from Uavioni today:

AirVenture is around the corner and we are looking forward to a great week at Oshkosh. And we know, you are looking forward to getting your free echoALT. With the high demand for these units, our team is working diligently to fulfill your orders and identify opportunities for an early delivery. Airventure 2024 is just that, and if you or someone you trust is flying in for the event, it is a great opportunity to pick up your echoALT directly from our support tent (#195A).
 
Does anyone know friends who are going to OSH this year that can just do a bulk pickup? I can’t make it to OSH this year but I thought it may be a solution for people who are going and willing to help? This is the most recent email I received from Uavioni today:

AirVenture is around the corner and we are looking forward to a great week at Oshkosh. And we know, you are looking forward to getting your free echoALT. With the high demand for these units, our team is working diligently to fulfill your orders and identify opportunities for an early delivery. Airventure 2024 is just that, and if you or someone you trust is flying in for the event, it is a great opportunity to pick up your echoALT directly from our support tent (#195A).
I had the same thought. If anybody is willing to take this on for a group or on an individual basis, I’m happy to chip in for your expenses and trouble. Sounds like Uavionix is tired of paying for shipping. PM me as appropriate and thanks in advance.
 
Installed mine last week. Went well except a call to uAvonics help me find the device 2 under Advanced setting that had to be changed to 2....All well after that. On first ramp run and checkd the Pressure altitude on the Echo monitor was 600 cycling to 575 while the pressure altitude on GTX held steady at 600. No static line terminated just cabin with canopy closed. I have no opinions on result just what I saw. Will up date when I get to fly and get a ADSB performance report.
Flew 7/6/24 long enough to get a ADSB performance report on the newly installed uAvonic ALT ENC. Report was perfect with no exceptions and no red flags. I would say it's good to go.
 
Don’t do it. I got the new Echo and the baro and nothing works. The GRT WARNING SERIAL PORT 5 no ADSB DATA. Any ideas. It worked until I put the new box in.
 
Don’t do it. I got the new Echo and the baro and nothing works. The GRT WARNING SERIAL PORT 5 no ADSB DATA. Any ideas. It worked until I put the new box in.
This isn’t in any way meant to be a snarky question, but did you set it up per the service instruction, including appropriate software install and configuration settings? Point being it may be more than just plugging everything together.

Don’t know offhand what your setup requires. Mine’s a different hardware mashup. But, the echoALT installed ok, and passes the tests.
 
I’m making progress, ADSB out is working, I’m legal. I just lost ADSB in. I did jump the gun. I flew the airplane and the report came in with all zeros. I will be the first to tell you Im electrically challenged. I’m looking for help and thank you for responding. I’m getting traffic on my iPad.
 
I’m making progress, ADSB out is working, I’m legal. I just lost ADSB in. I did jump the gun. I flew the airplane and the report came in with all zeros. I will be the first to tell you Im electrically challenged. I’m looking for help and thank you for responding. I’m getting traffic on my iPad.
No worries. Nobody is born knowing any of this stuff. We all have to wrestle with it in our own way and own time.

My first attempt at getting ADSB traffic in to display on my ipad failed.....not because is the echoUAT installation or settings......but because I didn't know I needed to turn on the "traffic" layer in ForeFlight. D'oh! :rolleyes:
 
Does anyone know friends who are going to OSH this year that can just do a bulk pickup? I can’t make it to OSH this year but I thought it may be a solution for people who are going and willing to help? This is the most recent email I received from Uavioni today:

AirVenture is around the corner and we are looking forward to a great week at Oshkosh. And we know, you are looking forward to getting your free echoALT. With the high demand for these units, our team is working diligently to fulfill your orders and identify opportunities for an early delivery. Airventure 2024 is just that, and if you or someone you trust is flying in for the event, it is a great opportunity to pick up your echoALT directly from our support tent (#195A).
Unfortunately, because of family vacation plans, I’m unable to make it OSH this year. First miss in a long time. I’ll try to get one of my buddies to pick up my echoALT, but I need a steer. I couldn’t find support tent (#195A) on any of the the website maps. The search function on the Airventure site isn’t helpful for this either. Anybody know where #195A is on the grounds?
 
I think I may have found it. It looks like it is located on the north end of exhibit hangar C just outside of the building.

thanks Steve. - I’m just a little late to the game.…
 
I asked for a status at Oshkosh. They still couldn't tell me when I would get, but said if I came back on Saturday, they may have a few left over and I could get one then even though I didn't request an Oshkosh pick up. I was able to get one at the show on Saturday

Vince
RV-7
 
I received my unit in the mail yesterday. Quite surprised to see it as I wasn't expecting it. I downloaded all the update instructions onto my Surface Tables, including the new software update files. Went tot he hanger this morning and plugged in the new altitude unit (unplug the connector to the ECHO, and install the harness for the altitude encoder by daisy changing the provided harness.) Real easy hardware update! I used double sided tape to mount the Altitude encoder onto the ECHO unit.

Updating the software was exactly as the instructions indicated! Five minutes at most! I verified that the updates had occured and that the ADSB IN was working on my displays. I'll fly the plane later this week and get a PAR report... I'm expecting it will occur without any issues......
 
I need someone to troubleshoot and fix my ECHO ADSB, prefer someone in central Texas. My local shop in Fredericksburg doesn’t have time. I would appreciate any help. Email [email protected]

thanks
 
I got mine today from an EAA chapter friend who picked it up for me at OSH. It’s pretty small, and probably a simple install, but there are no instructions at all. The website on the card in the package has a website with zero help. I’ve read that there is a software update with necessary software for this to operate, but that doesn’t work either on my iPad/iPhone echo app. I’ve searched the installation guide and the uAvionix website, but couldn’t find anything pertinent (obviously I’m missing something). If anyone here has a YouTube , or link to how to install/operate this device, please let me know.
I hope to install this tomorrow or the next day, but some sort of diagram or instruction on what to plug in to where would be helpful, along with how/where to install any software update as required.
 
You can do it with a Mac. Worked fine for me.
Yep, I was able to do the update with my iPhone. It took numerous tries because one of the downloads (DEV2) was incomplete. Once that was remedied, it went fine. I’ll do the PPR tomorrow or the next day. It was fine before this update.
 
I picked up my echoalt and a friends at Oshkosh.
I was completed with update on my airplane and had everything put away in 30 min from the time I walked into the hangar. I used a MacBook, it worked fine.
My friend showed up with his plane and since I had everything there I did his too, about 20 mins as his echo was buried under his panel.
 
Thanks John. I had that YouTube running on my iPad with my iPhone serving as a hotspot, but I couldn’t communicate with the echo WI-FI at the same time while using my hotspot - I don’t have Wi-Fi in my hangar. I had to just listen to the YouTube and take notes, and then switch my iPhone to the echo WI-FI. The iPad wouldn’t stay connected to the WI-FI signal with the phone off during the software update uploads. It took several tries, but I eventually got it done, I think.
 
Hmmm. I picked up the add on device at OSH and have installed it. Like others went pretty easy as well as the updates... BUT... I've flown twice and apparently the adsb isn't doing something right. My first flight does does even come up on flight aware. Tonight, I flew about 30 minutes at a much higher altitude in case that was the problem... Only 12 miles of my flight shows up. I also tried to connect it to my phone while flying to test it's use on my adventure pilot software. Done it many times before with no issues. Would not connect today. I call them tomorrow. Wonder if anyone else has had any issues?
 
For the record, my echoALT installation went flawlessly, and the software update worked the first time. And believe me, I am NOT a software/Wifi/connectivity expert. Software updates always give me trouble, but this one worked exactly as the video stated. I used my Lenovo laptop for the update.

I have flown several times and I went from about a 5% to 10% performance report success rate (pre-echoALT installation) to 100% success rate so far following the echoALT install.

Just a data point. It does work.

On a separate topic, I used to be able to request an ADS-B performance report on the FAA's website immediately after landing and receive a response in well under 10 minutes via email, whether receiving a clean report or not. Now I don't receive a report at all when I first request one (maybe 30 to 60 minutes after I've landed). Nor do I receive a message that my flight can't be located in the system like I used to get occasionally. But if I wait 24 to 36 hours after my flight and submit another request for the same flight, it comes back within 2 to 5 minutes. Not sure why that is happening. Has anyone else noticed this?

I know it's working because I show up on FlightAware tracking immediately after my flight.
 
For the record, my echoALT installation went flawlessly, and the software update worked the first time. And believe me, I am NOT a software/Wifi/connectivity expert. Software updates always give me trouble, but this one worked exactly as the video stated. I used my Lenovo laptop for the update.

I have flown several times and I went from about a 5% to 10% performance report success rate (pre-echoALT installation) to 100% success rate so far following the echoALT install.

Just a data point. It does work.

On a separate topic, I used to be able to request an ADS-B performance report on the FAA's website immediately after landing and receive a response in well under 10 minutes via email, whether receiving a clean report or not. Now I don't receive a report at all when I first request one (maybe 30 to 60 minutes after I've landed). Nor do I receive a message that my flight can't be located in the system like I used to get occasionally. But if I wait 24 to 36 hours after my flight and submit another request for the same flight, it comes back within 2 to 5 minutes. Not sure why that is happening. Has anyone else noticed this?

I know it's working because I show up on FlightAware tracking immediately after my flight.
I haven checked Flight Aware, but my PAPR came out fine after my first flight, post echoALT install and update. Wasn’t sure I did the update correctly, but apparently it worked as designed.
 
Hmmm. I picked up the add on device at OSH and have installed it. Like others went pretty easy as well as the updates... BUT... I've flown twice and apparently the adsb isn't doing something right. My first flight does does even come up on flight aware. Tonight, I flew about 30 minutes at a much higher altitude in case that was the problem... Only 12 miles of my flight shows up. I also tried to connect it to my phone while flying to test it's use on my adventure pilot software. Done it many times before with no issues. Would not connect today. I call them tomorrow. Wonder if anyone else has had any issues?
Paul, never use FlightAware as an indicator of a UAT performance. The data is not picked up like the 1090es . Flight Aware picks up UAT 978 traffic by hosted ground based receivers ( free from Flightaware) around the country and then pipes it to FlightAware. Gaps in service from the ground stations cause you flight coverage to be spotty. Has always been this way. Run a performance report to be check out your ECHOUAT

 
Paul, never use FlightAware as an indicator of a UAT performance. The data is not picked up like the 1090es . Flight Aware picks up UAT 978 traffic by hosted ground based receivers ( free from Flightaware) around the country and then pipes it to FlightAware. Gaps in service from the ground stations cause you flight coverage to be spotty. Has always been this way. Run a performance report to be check out your ECHOUAT

I understand but... before installing the echo alt and doing the required updates, I could fly and without fail it ALWAYS showed up on flight aware perfectly. The only miss was less than about 600 feet for takeoff and landing. So, something isn't right. I have a call into them and waiting to here back.
 
I understand but... before installing the echo alt and doing the required updates, I could fly and without fail it ALWAYS showed up on flight aware perfectly. The only miss was less than about 600 feet for takeoff and landing. So, something isn't right. I have a call into them and waiting to here back.
So for same flight you are missing on flight aware, what does the FAA performance report show? Im guessing uAvionics is going to ask, and likely don’t care about your issue with it not showing up on a third party tracking product. YMMV
 
Back
Top