ADS-B question

[JWS]

I want to add a "check ADS-B OUT" to my checklists, but am not sure how to verify ADS-B OUT is working. Once in the air, I can see "ADS-B" receiving on the display. Does that mean OUT is automatically operating? Also, sometimes I can see other planes' N numbers, sometimes not. I "assume" it is based on whether they have ADS-B out properly configured ...? Some planes I see nothing - I thought by now, as I fly mostly in Class D & E airspace, that ADS-B was required. I do see ADS-B OK when the MFD is configured for moving map

 

[Dynon]

The ADS-B OK only tells you about the "In" side. But, there's actually a way to request a performance report directly from the FAA to make sure everything is working correctly:

Public ADS-B Performance Report

 

[andresmith76]

You can also use Flightaware.com to check if your ADS-B was working after your flight - https://flightaware.com/

Type your plane's N number in the white box at the top of the page, hit the Enter key and if your ADS-B Out was working properly, the map will show a trace of your entire route. Using the Past Flight controls on the bottom of the map allows you to playback your flight as it progressed, displaying your N#, altitude, airspeed and time of day.
The green and yellow graphs underneath the map display show your plane's altitude, airspeed, start and end time. Use your mouse to move the white radio button on the bottom to slide through your altitude and airspeed, referenced to your flight track on the map above.

Click on the View track log box and you will get a text screen showing more info than you probably want to know about your flight, including the different reporting facilities that were tracking your flight.

Not too bad for free!

 

[Rhino]

If you really need to check it before flight, Flightaware also has a phone app you can use, as do some other vendors. Just be aware it isn't instantaneous, and under certain conditions it may take some time before your signal gets propagated out on the network, including with the FAA. Being on the ground, particularly depending on where you are located, makes this time delay much more likely. From an electronics standpoint, it is possible to install a transmit indicator. But this would involve delving deep into the system electronics, and likely would not be a quick and easy (inexpensive) project. It could theoretically also void your warranty. Add to that the fact that this would only be a transmit indication, and would not tell you if your transmission is formatted properly, this is likely not a good solution. I'd try the phone app for a 'possible' pre-takeoff indication, and just use checks after the flight as a reliable method to confirm all is good.

 

[pacecapt]

FlightAware is not a good tell as to whether your ADS-b is working properly. I know this first hand as a friend and I have been troubleshooting his as he has been contacted by the FAA regarding his ADS-b not working (it is failing SILS data) yet it is showing up in FlightAware and on my ADS-b in my plane. FlightAware gets data from other sources like MLAT (radar) and will still show a valid track. The only way to know whether your ADS-b is working properly is to run the FAA report. Even the controllers can't tell you for sure.

 

[TouchTheSky]

Why don't you ask one of your fellow pilots who have an ADS-B receiver in their airplane or a portable one to perform a test?

 

[Rhino]

FlightAware is not a good tell as to whether your ADS-b is working properly. I know this first hand as a friend and I have been troubleshooting his as he has been contacted by the FAA regarding his ADS-b not working (it is failing SILS data) yet it is showing up in FlightAware and on my ADS-b in my plane. FlightAware gets data from other sources like MLAT (radar) and will still show a valid track. The only way to know whether your ADS-b is working properly is to run the FAA report. Even the controllers can't tell you for sure.

Actually, the report doesn't tell you everything either. SIL checks require diagnostic equipment, and MLAT alone doesn't give you the data that ADS-B does, so it won't appear the same on Flightaware. I have an MLAT receiver in my house. MLAT for an aircraft on the ground is practically impossible anyway. We're getting bogged down in the weeds here. As I see it, he just wants an indication that it's simply turned on and performing basic functions during preflight, not that it passes a full systems analysis. You get a gear down light to indicate function, but that doesn't mean your gear is in perfect condition, so that's the premise I'm working from. Flightaware is definitely an imperfect solution, as I said. It's just his best simple option during preflight without getting into engineering new equipment.

Edited: Accidentally wrote Foreflight instead of Flightaware in the next to last sentence. Sorry. However, Foreflight also receives and displays alternate data sources like MLAT and ASDE-X, so it sort of covers the same bases. But again, coverage depiction is often delayed, and having your broadcast picked up from the ramp is a schmaybe at best.

 

[JWS]

Actually, the report doesn't tell you everything either. SIL checks require diagnostic equipment, and MLAT alone doesn't give you the data that ADS-B does, so it won't appear the same on Flightaware. I have an MLAT receiver in my house. MLAT for an aircraft on the ground is practically impossible anyway. We're getting bogged down in the weeds here. As I see it, he just wants an indication that it's simply turned on and performing basic functions during preflight, not that it passes a full systems analysis. You get a gear down light to indicate function, but that doesn't mean your gear is in perfect condition, so that's the premise I'm working from. Foreflight is definitely an imperfect solution, as I said. It's just his best simple option during preflight without getting into engineering new equipment.

precisely, just a simple test