I am still flying calibration flights on my Dynon Skyview Touch installation in my new Carbon Cub. I configured Skyview Touch with two important options: the Dynon SV-ADSB-470 ADSB receiver and the Dynon SV-XPNDR-26X ADS-B Out Mode S Transponder. This combination of devices gives my Carbon Cub full 2020 ADSB capability, with a twist. Since the GPS driving the Skyview Touch System is not "ADS-B Compliant" it will not be "legal" after 2020 but with the current system it gives the Carbon Cub all of the features of a full ADS-B system.
I have been so busy calibrating and learning the basic Skyview Touch system that I have not had the chance to fully explore the ADS-B capability with only 5 hours on the installation.
Tonight over San Juan Island I got my first ASB-B traffic alert while operating in an area with "Full ADS-B" coverage. Here is a screen shot just after the alert:
If you look just southeast of the airplane icon in the center map inset you see a traffic target at my altitude ("00" next to the traffic icon). During the traffic alert (audible warning "Traffic") it showed a traffic target at 12 o'clock, 200' above me. This was my first traffic alert with the new Skyview Touch system so it caught me by surprise. I started looking around and an old Cessna 180 went shooting by my nose. That really confused me since I did not think an old C180 would be equipped with full ADS-B capability.
So back to the documentation. Here is how Dynon describes the capability of the Skyview coupled with the ADSB receiver and the ADS-B out transponder while operating in a "Full ADS-B" environment.
The SV-ADSB-470 works in tandem with your SV-XPNDR-26X or Garmin GTX 330ES transpondermodule to provide the ADS-B based TIS-B traffic picture around your aircraft when you haveboth products and a Navigation Mapping Software License is activated. This is enabled by thefollowing bidirectional data link capability:
- The SV-XPNDR-26X or Garmin GTX 330ES has ADS-B out capability via its 1090ES capability.
- The SV-ADSB-470 contains an ADS-B 978MHz “UAT Band” receiver that can see other traffic – both ADS-B equipped targets AND radar targets - in the following manner:
- ADS-B equipped aircraft: The SV-ADSB-470 can detect traffic transmitting ADS-B out messages via 978 MHz directly.
- TIS-B: Additionally, the FAA’s ADS-B TIS-B service, seeing your transponder’s1090ES ADS-B out transmission - but knowing that your aircraft only has 978MHz input capability via the SV-ADSB-470 - assembles a traffic portrait of alltraffic that it knows about that are within 15 Nm and +/- 5000 ft. of your aircraft.This includes:
- (1) ADS-R (rebroadcast) targets: The FAA ADS-B system will rebroadcast all of the 1090ES ADS-B-equipped targets onto the 978 MHz band for yourbenefit
- (2) Radar targets: Any targets that the FAA’s radar system is aware of viaapproach, center, and other radar facilities.
The end result: your aircraft sees the vast majority of the aircraft that can possibly be a factor. Since SkyView participates in the ADS-B system via the SV-XPNDR-26X’s or GTX-330ES’s ADS-B out capability, it receives all of the traffic that the FAA knows is around your aircraft. In contrast, “receive only” ADS-B traffic solutions aren’t able to see the all traffic (such as radar-only targets) because they are not able to request traffic data from the FAA ADS-B ground stations.
What I did not know is that when operating in the "Full ADSB" mode I was getting traffic information for all aircraft around me with a transponder. That is how the old C180 presented as a traffic alert to me through the TIS-B service. Pretty amazing.
The hardware for my entire Skyview Touch system cost around $13,000. Active traffic detection systems alone cost much more in GA aircraft. Pretty good value from Dynon.