SV-XNPNR-261

[rogersmart]

I designed my panel with a GTX327 Transponder and have just finished my RV-8. While the transponder is new, I am considering selling it while I can get a good price and changing to a SV-XNPNR-261. I have read all the post I can find on the transponder and made the following observations:

1. In the US, use the Class 1 SV-XNPNR-261 due to Dynon's view this one meets the requirements now and more likely in the future for ADS-B. The 262 does not.
2. The 261 will give me exactly the same traffic functionally as a Garmin GTX GTX 330.
3. With the exception of timers and dedicated controls, I will lose no features switching from the GTX 327 to the SV-XNPNR-261.

Are those statements true?

Now the questions:

1. I don't totally understand all this next gen, ADS-B stuff. Will Dynon keep the SV-XNPNR-261 up to date via software updates as needed to operate as the system is rolled out and revised?
2. Does Dynon anticipate any Hardware updating to be required to keep the device compliant.
3. Do you anticipate all updates being no-cost? If not, what type updates would you anticipate for there to be a cost to the customer?
4. What are or will be the limitations for this transponder? What will it not do that I might want or what do other similar products offer in features or capibilities that the SV-XNPNR-261 does not?

Thanks in advance for candid answers. I really want to research this well before yanking out the 327. After recently buying a GNS430W, Garmin makes it "old stuff" with the introduction of the GTN series last week.

 

[dabear]

I Switched from the GTX330 to the Dynon transponder just to get back pannel space. You will only lose the dedicated controls, timers, and altitude info in the switch.

I too would like to know when/how they will be doing ADS-B in/out.

 

[rogersmart]

Another question in addition to the ones I asked above:

With SV-XNPNR-2 installed, I also don't understand which targets are displayed on the SkyView map and synthetic vision and which ones are not. I originally thought any plane with a transponder would appear and I am now beginning to think this is not true. What are the facts?

As the nextgen ADS-B progresses, how will this change?

 

[dynonsupport]

1) Yes, the transponder will need a software update to be compliant with the ADS-B mandate. This will be provided free-of-charge. SkyView has the ability to update the transponder.
2) No
3) No cost.
4) It's a Mode S transponder with TIS traffic in capability, and ADS-B OUT (no IN, though) capability via 1090ES. Most GA pilots are going to want to receive ADS-B IN via a UAT receiver, since it will give you weather as well as traffic. The latest ADS-B rules support this asymetrical connection (1090ES out, UAT IN), in fact. So once there's an ADS-B IN UAT receiver that supports the final ADS-B specs, you'll be good to go.

Part 2: The transponder receives TIS traffic. This is NOT ADS-B. It is traffic information that is broadcasted by many major metro area ATC installations, though it's slowly being phased out. The AIM has some more information on the TIS system. Some people get confused because the ADS-B traffic component is called TIS-B. This is entirely different. Essentially, if you're in a TIS coverage area, you get the traffic that the controllers at that facility can see.

 

[keye]

So if we want ADS-B IN capability right now, what are our options (that are compatible with Skyview)? In other words, what should we plan for in the near future? As I understand it, we will need a mode s transponder with ADS-B out, and also an ADS B UAT (ADS-B in). Are there any compatible UAT's out there yet?

 

[dynonsupport]

Today it's anything that outputs traffic in the "old" TIS format, which isn't technically how you want to receive ADS-B data, but we understand that the NavWorx UAT-based ADS-B receiver can send its ADS-B traffic that way, and so it should work. We haven't verified this ourselves though.

In the future we'll support devices that talk over the FAA standard ADS-B serial protocol (this is basically the GDL-90 format that the FAA made public domain since the Capstone project was our tax dollars at work).

The ADS-B story for the whole industry is going to get a lot better over the next year or two as the country really gets blanketed in ground stations, which will hopefully prompt the industry to crank out affordable devices. One of the issues that's been intertwined with the lack of coverage until very recently was the uncertainty of some of the technical aspects of the FAA's final rules for ADS-B. Those have been published, so there's less technical risk to developing hardware now.

Before you ask - Dynon doesn't have current plans to make its own ADS-B receiver, but we'll support affordable ones that come to market. That's the current thinking, but we'll see how things shake out over the next year or so.